MANY believe that Pharrell Williams was robbed of his Oscar for the best original song in a movie (Despicable Me 2) last week.

But perhaps the global mega success of his theme song Happy, coming hot on the heels of last year’s giga-hits Blurred Lines and Get Lucky compensates for the lack of mere awards. Actually had the Robin Thicke and Daft Punk collaborations originated from Pharrell’s album, Girl would be well on the way to rivalling Michael Jackson’s Thriller in credibility and universal sales.

Pharrell’s work is probably the best bet yet to define the sound of the decade, in the way that The Beatles defined the Sixties and ABBA the Seventies. Yet ironically Girl is chock-a-block with Eighties references. Surely the lush strings on Marilyn Monroe have been borrowed from Papa Don’t Preach, and the brass section from Brand New lifted from Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long? And I am sure that Know Who You Are featuring Alicia Keys has elements of Stevie Wonder’s Hotter Than July incorporated in the mix.

Although the magpies may have been hard at work, Girl is still a fabulous work of art. In particular the aforementioned Marilyn Monroe, Brand New and Gust of Wind will one by one be released as singles and become an essential part of the soundtrack to 2014.