Blurred Lines — John Beckwith vs. Robin Thicke
By Ralph Graves
It turns out that the biggest scandal in the pop world — Miley Cyrus’ performance at the MTV Video Music Awards — had an impact in the classical world. Because of all the attention Ms. Cyrus created twerking with Robin Thicke as he sang his hit “Blurred Lines,” downloads for the song spiked.
As did downloads for any track titled “Blurred Lines,” including the work for violin and harpsichord by Canadian composer John Beckwith. It was on Jalsaghar, an album by harpsichordist Vivienne Spiteri.
According to a post at Classic FM,
Suspicions were roused after staff at the contemporary music record label Centerdiscs spotted a sudden increase in international hits, as thousands of visitors flocked to their site to hear the composition [Blurred Lines]. It seemed odd that only the one track from the album was being downloaded, until they realized the music shared its title with the summer anthem.
Sonically, the quarter-tone contemporary classical work has virtually nothing in common with its commercially-produced counterpart.
I wonder how listeners who were expecting Thicke and got Beckwith reacted to the music?
Perhaps we’ve found the opposite of twerking.
John Beckwith – Blurred Lines
Hear it here.
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines (just the original song)
