7 Songs You Didn’t Know Pharrell Produced

It’s Pharrell Williams’s 50th birthday on April 5, and we couldn’t let that milestone pass without celebrating!

He’s given us plenty of hits over the years — some under his own name, others as a producer, many the fruit of his collaboration with Chad Hugo as The Neptunes — so we’re ready to dive into his back catalog and get the party started.

Pharrell’s behind-the-scenes work in the industry has led to a number of seriously huge songs, so let’s shine a light on some of them in honor of the big day. Since we all know he was behind “Happy,” we won’t be covering that hit, but we’re sure these songs will still have you feeling like a room without a roof!

---

Britney Spears — “I’m a Slave 4 U” (2001)

Right off the bat, we should all say “thank you” to Pharrell — without him, we wouldn’t have gotten one of Britney’s most iconic songs. This was the first worldwide hit that The Neptunes worked on, catapulting them onto the radar of even more of the world’s biggest artists. As songwriters and producers, Pharrell and Chad Hugo really knocked it out of the park on this one. With a slinky dance-pop beat and Britney’s breathy vocals, this song was guaranteed to succeed.

Want more retro pop hits to bop to? You can’t go wrong with Pop2K (Ch. 10)!

 

Nelly — “Hot in Herre” (2002)

Good gracious, we’re throwing it all the way back to 2002 for this hit! Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” never failed to get everyone up on the dance floor, and Pharrell definitely had a part to play in that. Nelly and The Neptunes flaunted their great taste by heavily referencing the 1979 Chuck Brown song “Bustin’ Loose” for this track, making it extra danceable and catchy. Gather your heathens and turn up the volume for this one!

Head over to SiriusXM FLY (Ch. 47) for more throwback hip-hop.

 

Justin Timberlake — “Señorita” (2003)

Maybe this one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise — it’s Pharrell who introduces us to a friend of his at the start of the track — but it’s still a lot to process! Despite peaking at No. 27 on Billboard’s Hot 100, “Señorita” is one of Justin Timberlake’s catchiest and most fun hits. While he’s only seen behind the drums in the music video, Pharrell contributed to both the production and songwriting of “Señorita,” so he certainly deserves praise for helping bring this song to us!

Want more of Justin? Rock your body to the Pop Top 500 (Ch. 550)!

 

Gwen Stefani — “Hollaback Girl” (2005)

As bananas as it is, Pharrell worked on “Hollaback Girl” too! This earworm of a hit came to us through Gwen Stefani and Pharrell’s prior work together, with Pharrell having written for No Doubt’s 2002 track, “Hella Good.” The two clearly enjoy partnering up professionally, as they continued to collaborate even after “Hollaback Girl,” teaming up on Pharrell’s “Can I Have It Like That” as well as another of Gwen’s solo songs — 2006’s quirky “Wind It Up.”

For pop music you can move to, all the way from the 2000s to now, head to Venus 303 (Ch. 303).

 

Paloma Faith — “Can’t Rely on You” (2014)

Paloma Faith might not be able to rely on you, but at least we can rely on Pharrell to put together an incredible song! The sleek soul-funk beat behind this is essentially Pharrell’s trademark, and it pairs so well with Faith’s powerful vocals. The story goes that Pharrell approached Faith for the first time by singing her 2009 hit “New York” to her while they were both in the city, before telling her he was “ready to work.” As far as conversation starters go, that’s a pretty wild one — but it was clearly a hit with Faith since the pair went on to create this slinky, powerful number together.

For more like Paloma Faith, soak up the vibes over at The Coffee House (Ch. 6).

 

Ariana Grande ft. Pharrell — “blazed” (2018)

Not only did Pharrell produce and compose seven out of the fifteen tracks on sweetener, but he also has songwriting credits on three of them, and he provided additional vocals on two of the songs (“R.E.M” and “sweetener”). In other words, his fingerprints are all over this album, and it’s better for it. In featuring on “blazed,” one of the tracks he produced, Pharrell helps bring it all together to allow Ariana Grande to shine. This sweet toe-tapper of a track always puts us in a good mood — kick back, chill, and blast this in the background.

Arianators, we’ve got you covered. Head to Hits 1 (Ch. 2) to hear more Ariana!

 

Rosalía – “Motomami” (2022)

“Motomami” definitely has that trademark Pharrell beat to it, but this one still surprised us! Where does he find the time to work on all of these huge hits? Do we have the same twenty-four hours in a day as him? Consider us impressed. With credits on “Hentai” and “La Combi Versace” as well as the song that Motomami was named after, Pharrell has proven he can turn his hand to just about any song for any artist.

Hear more of the hottest Latin pop around by heading over to Viva (Ch. 763) and Caliente (Ch. 151).

---

The celebrations don’t have to stop here! Head to The Pulse (Ch. 5) for more well-produced pop bops, or check out our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews and performances from some of the hottest acts around — plenty of which Pharrell has helped lead to stardom. Happy birthday, Pharrell!