Pharrell Williams has a special formula for his song intros

NEW YORK, May 22 (UPI) -- Pharrell Williams has become one of the music industry's most influential producers in recent memory. He's had a hand in dozens of pop music's biggest hits from the last decade, including "Cry Me a River," "Blurred Lines" and "Hollaback Girl."

But a British music blog has pointed out that the the 41-year-old producer and singer has a particularly repetitive formula for success.

Many of the intros Williams has produced since his first hit in 1993 -- SWV's "Right Here" -- start exactly the same way. As Discopop's mix shows, Williams often takes the first beat of the first bar of the track, then loops it four times.

Music fans could interpret this as a cynical and unimaginative blueprint for radio-friendly song creation. But it's also an efficient way to "get to the melody quicker," as Discopop points out.

Williams latest album, GIRL, which debuted March 3, often uses this method. It topped out at the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.