Daft Punk’s Memory Tapes Series is a celebration of ‘Random Access Memories’ for ten years.
With the song “Get Lucky,” which held the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams scored one of their most important professional accomplishments a decade ago.
Williams spent some time on October 11 to think back on the creation of this famous song. Daft Punk has released a new episode in their Memory Tapes documentary series.
They’ve been sharing interviews with various project collaborators. The most recent release features Pharrell Williams and includes his response to hearing “Get Lucky” for the first time.
Williams discussed his journey from being approached to contribute songs for the album to eventually singing on two of its tracks in the interview.
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Williams said, “When I was hired to do the music for the album, I thought I was just working for another musician. I was telling myself in my thoughts, ‘Okay, I’m writing this for someone else. This appears to be a move that Michael Jackson would do. Everything was instinctual,” Williams remarked
The 50-year-old star indicated that while the composing process was largely straightforward, the recording process required great attention to detail.
Williams also revealed that the trip to “Get Lucky” was lengthier than anticipated. “I had no idea who would ultimately sing it when the song was finalized,” he admitted. “I hadn’t heard it in a year and had forgotten how both songs sounded.” (Williams was the lead vocalist on “Lose Yourself to Dance,” another song from “Random Access Memories,” which is referred to by the term “both”).
The interview included passages in which Williams heard the finished mixes of his tracks from “Random Access Memories” and offered more insights on the lessons he took away from working with Daft Punk.
“It’s important to keep in mind that we are a part of the cosmos, not in charge of it”, said Williams.
“Get Lucky” assisted Daft Punk and Pharrell in winning two Grammy Awards including one for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
The song also held a top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 for five straight weeks. Draft Punk broke up in 2021 despite being one of the most well-known electronic music duos ever.
Other record contributors like Julian Casablancas, Chilly Gonzales, DJ Falcon, Todd Edwards, Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams, and Chris Caswell are also featured in the Memory Tapes series. On October 25, the episode with Rodgers is scheduled to air, and on November 8, Williams and Caswell will be interviewed.