Robin Thicke embarrassed by attempts to win back ex-wife

For Robin Thicke, some lines are no longer blurred.

In a New York Times interview, the "Blurred Lines" singer said he was embarrassed by public attempts to win back his ex-wife, actress Paula Patton.

Thicke recalled the reaction that his best friend had after he dedicated his 2014 BET Awards performance of the song "Forever Love" to Patton.

"I came home, and my best friend of 20 years, Craig Crawford, said, 'I saw your BET performance.' And I said: 'Oh yeah! What did you think?' You know -- excited. And he goes: 'I gotta be honest with you, buddy. You're kind of playing yourself. You look like a sucker.' And it hit me that I'd lost my perspective. What I thought was romantic was just embarrassing."

The criticism inspired Thicke to take a break to be with his family and friends. "The more time I took off, the more everything became clear," he added.

Thicke also expressed regret about his album "Paula," named for Patton. His team and record company, he revealed, didn't even want him to release the album.

"I was struggling through my toughest time, and I decided to share it ... In hindsight, the only thing I would have done differently was, I wouldn't have promoted it or sold it," he said in the interview. "I would have given it away. That would have kept the purity of the message intact."

Patton and Thicke married in 2005 and announced their separation in 2014.