Claim: Emily Ratajkowski declined to appear in the music video for "Blurred Lines".

`` Blurred Lines '' is a single written and performed by American recording artists Robin Thicke , T.I. , and Pharrell Williams . Produced by Pharrell , it serves as the lead single from Thicke 's album of the same name . It was released on March 26 , 2013 through Pharrell 's label Star Trak Recordings . Recorded in 2012 , the song was primarily inspired by the Marvin Gaye song `` Got to Give It Up '' , and apart from T.I. 's rap was entirely the work of Williams . However , Thicke clearly laid claim to writing credits on the track according to a Reuters article . The song became the subject of a bitter legal dispute with the family of Gaye and Bridgeport Music as to whether the song infringed copyrights to `` Got to Give It Up '' . Thicke and Williams were found liable for copyright infringement by a federal jury in March 2015 , and Gaye was awarded posthumous songwriting credit based on the royalties pledged to his estate .   The song 's music video was released in two versions , with one featuring models Emily Ratajkowski , Jessi M'Bengue , and Elle Evans being topless , while the other censored nudity . The uncut version of the video was at one time removed from YouTube for violating the site 's terms of service regarding nudity ; it was later restored , but with an age restriction . The song 's lyrics and music video have proven controversial with some groups , with claims that it is misogynistic and promotes date rape . This has led to the song being banned at universities and other institutions in the United Kingdom and prompted a rebuttal from Thicke .   `` Blurred Lines '' peaked at number one in at least 25 countries and becoming the number one song of 2013 in several of them . It became Thicke 's first , T.I. 's fourth , and Pharrell 's third number-one single in the US , where it was also the longest running number one single of 2013 . The song subsequently became one of the best-selling singles of all time , with sales of 14.8 million , simultaneously breaking the record for the largest radio audience in history . The single was nominated for two Grammys at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards , including Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance . The song has been parodied and covered numerous times .