Robin Thicke’s 5 Best Pre-“Blurred Lines” Songs The World Ignored

Kathy Iandoli | July 29, 2013 5:30 am

Robin Thicke may seem like this flawless, smoldering R&B powerhouse now, but it took him years to get here. Considering his dad is Alan Thicke, aka the godfather of the Diff’rent Strokes theme song — along with the notorious M.I.K.E. Seaver on the classic Growing Pains — young Thicke had some pretty big shoes to fill. And he sure filled them. Turning the phrase “blue-eyed soul” into something favorable (and not just a euphemism for “white guy singing R&B”), Robin took his smooth vocals and paired them with his poppin’ pelvis to create a package that even has Justin Timberlake breaking out his Moleskine notebook to take notes.

Thicke has amassed a couple hit singles throughout his career, including his breakout song “Lost Without U.” And with “Blurred Lines” now in its seventh week atop the Billboard Hot 100, and its same-titled parent album out tomorrow (July 30), let’s recall some of the less-than-successful attempts at chart success by Thicke. It’s not that these songs aren’t awesome; they really are. They merely slid under the radar, and were overshadowed by whatever else was happening in music at the time or lacked the promotional push from the earlier days of Thicke being signed to Pharrell Williams’ Star Trak imprint.

Check out five of Robin Thicke’s best slept-on singles below!

“When I Get You Alone” (1999) Remember when Robin Thicke had really long hair, looked like Jesus and acted like a bike messenger? Oh, you don’t? Well then check out the debut single from his first album. “When I Get You Alone” was hip and fast, but possessed the elements of soul on his big debut. The album was originally titled Cherry Blue Skies in 2002, but was reloaded and called A Beautiful World in 2003. This was during his hippie days, before cleaning up his act and jumping in a suit and tie. As for the naked lady on the album cover…that’s Paula Patton. Yep — he was with her even back then.