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| | Artist = ] | | Artist = ] | ||
| | from Album = ] | | from Album = ] | ||
| | Released = March 2005: North America<br>June 2005: |
| Released = March 2005: North America<br>June 2005: elsewhere | ||
| | Format = ]: U.S. <br>]: |
| Format = ]: U.S. <br>]: worldwide | ||
| | Recorded = ], ] | | Recorded = ], ] | ||
| | Genre = ] | | Genre = ] | ||
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| ==Writing process== | ==Writing process== | ||
| The single was co-written by Stefani and ] and produced by Williams and ] of ]. Stefani had worked with The Neptunes in early stages of work on her album, but a mild case of ] from ] left early collaborations uninspired and fruitless. Stefani regained her confidence as her album neared completion, approached The Neptunes for a second attempt, and produced "Hollaback Girl". In this eclectic beat-driven anthem, Stefani declares that although she has been around the "track" a few times, she "ain't no hollaback girl". The song is best known for its repeated use of the word "]", which appears the most frequent in the bridge: "This shit is ]s, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" The word is excised in the radio and ] versions of the song. | |||
| Stefani |
Stefani also wrote some of the lyrics about ], who disparaged Stefani as the music industry's "cheerleader", which upset her. When asked about inspiration for writing "Hollaback Girl", Stefani responded without mentioning Love's name, "The song came about after somebody once called me a cheerleader in a negative light. So I said, 'well fuck you, I am a cheerleader, watch me on stage. I’m gonna make a big cheerleader song and you can fuck off.'"{{ref|CourtneyLove}} | ||
| ⚫ | The line "There can only be one" is a reference to the film '']'', and during the line "Another one bites the dust", the bassline from ]'s "]" is played. | ||
| :"Both of us want to be the winner | |||
| :But there can only be one | |||
| :So I'm gonna fight, gonna give it my all | |||
| :Gonna make you fall, gonna sock it to you | |||
| :That's right, I'm the last one standing | |||
| :Another one bites the dust" | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==Critical response== | |||
| "Hollaback Girl" generally received exceptional response from music critics. ]'s Jennifer Nine hailed the song as "the stomping, stripped-back track",{{ref|Launch}} while '']'' called it the "thumping, minimal beats of The Neptunes."{{ref|AMG}} Richard Smirke also commented along the lines of ''All Music Guide'', emphasing, "...Hollaback Girl ."{{ref|PlayLouder}} | |||
| Jason Damas, in a review for ''PopMatters'', characterized the song as sounding "almost exactly like ], which perhaps recognizes that The Neptunes are no longer the most innovative producers in modern hip-hop", and added, "Lyrically, this is where Gwen sinks the lowest here, especially on a breakdown where she repeats "This shit is bananas/ B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" several times."{{ref|PopMatters}} A negative backlash came from Eric Greenwood, who called the song "moronic and embarrassingly tuneless. I’d quote the lyrics, but they’re so bad, I almost feel sorry for her. A 35-year old woman singing about pom-poms and 'talking shit' in high school betrays such a delusional self-image that it’s hard not to be taken aback. And on top of that, The Neptunes’ beats are clunky and the production is senselessly bombastic."{{ref|DrawerB}} | |||
| ==Chart performance== | ==Chart performance== | ||
| ⚫ | "Hollaback Girl" was officially solicited to radio in ] on ] ], however the music video had been released two weeks earlier on ]. Within six weeks of its release, "Hollaback Girl" had reached the top of the ], which made it the fastest-rising single to reach the top in 2005. It maintained the top position for four weeks. After dropping from number one, "Hollaback Girl" remained in the top ten of the Hot 100 for an additional two months, including six weeks at number two. In total, the single spent thirty-three weeks on the Hot 100, with thirty-two weeks in the top fifty. It finally slid off the chart for the week ending ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Stefani reaching number one with "Hollaback Girl" was notable as it became the first non-R&B, non-hip hop, or non-'']'' song to reach number one on the Hot 100 since ]'s "How You Remind Me" in late ] (although some argue that "Hollaback Girl" is a hip hop song, or at least influenced by hip hop, due to its production). It also reached number one the ] for eight weeks, and topped its ], the ], for several weeks. The song also climbed to number one for six weeks on a non-Billboard chart, the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | "Hollaback Girl" was officially |
||
| ⚫ | Stefani reaching number one with "Hollaback Girl" was |
||
| The song was |
The song was a crossover success, reaching number four on the ], and number eight on the ] chart. Both of these positions were the highest that a non-African-American/Urban Latino solo artist had ever attained on those charts in the ]. On the opposite spectrum, even though the song has minimal hip hop influence, it was able to crossover and chart on the Hot ] at number eighteen. This position is notable as the Hot AC is usually an extremely conservative chart, and will not play urban music or any music influenced by hip hop. Because of these positions, "Hollaback Girl" has become one of the most successful crossover hits of all time, and lead to Stefani being labelled as an urban artist for a short period of time. However, her succeeding single, "]", returned her to her pop and dance music roots. | ||
| Digitally, "Hollaback Girl" broke many records. It was the best-selling digital single for the latter three weeks of May 2005, and broke the record for the most downloads sold ever in a week, selling over 60,000 (this record was later broken by ]'s "]"). |
Digitally, "Hollaback Girl" broke many records. It was the best-selling digital single for the latter three weeks of May 2005, and broke the record for the most downloads sold ever in a week, selling over 60,000 (this record was later broken by ]'s "]"). By week ending ], the song had exceeded sales of one million. This made "Hollaback Girl" the first song ever to gain digital sales of one million, and it was certified ]. It should noted that this is the equivalent of the certification level of a regular commercial single. Because of its sales, it topped both digital charts, the ] and ], concurrently. The song's downloads were mainly responsible for its longevity on the Billboard Hot 100 after airplay had begun to decline. | ||
| The success of "Hollaback Girl" was |
The success of "Hollaback Girl" was duplicated worldwide, as it reached number one in Australia for one week, number one in Canada for three weeks, and number one in ] for two weeks. However, surprisingly, in the U.K., it did not perform as well as its two predecessors, "]" and "]", which both reached number four. "Hollaback Girl" entered at number eight, staying there for two weeks. Although its success was limited in the U.K., widespread airplay guaranteed that it would remain the top forty for another ten weeks. It also reached the top five in ] and ], and the top ten in the ]. | ||
| ==Music video== | ==Music video== | ||
| The music video depicts Stefani spending a day with some pupils at a local ]. Stefani initially encounters the students when she is taking a picture of her entourage of colorfully-dressed ]s, and the teenagers call out to her. |
The ] depicts Stefani spending a day with some pupils at a local ]. Stefani initially encounters the students when she is taking a picture of her entourage of colorfully-dressed ]s, and the teenagers call out to her. Stefani begins singing, and the teenagers—augmented by a a marching band and some cheerleaders—follow Stefani and her Harajuku Girls to the local high school's outdoor campus, where they cause controversy by barging in on a football game. They are also seen at a grocery store, marching down one of the aisles, throwing ] around. | ||
| The video is intercut with filmed sequences against a black background in which Stefani, the Harajuku Girls, and the cheerleaders dance along to the marching band |
The video is intercut with filmed sequences against a black background in which Stefani, the Harajuku Girls, and the cheerleaders dance along to the marching band. The cheerleaders visualise the song's bridge by spelling out the word "banana" with cue cards; the video is also known for Stefani covering her mouth whenever she says the word "shit". At the end of the video, the Harajuku Girls perform a choreographed dance, where Stefani rises from the ground with her hands in the air. | ||
| == Formats and track listings == | == Formats and track listings == | ||
| ===U.S. digital download=== | ===U.S. digital download=== | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Dancehollaback |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal) | ||
| ===U.S. 12" maxi single |
===U.S. 12" maxi single 1=== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| # "Hollaback Girl ( |
# "Hollaback Girl" (radio clean version) | ||
| # "Hollaback Girl ( |
# "Hollaback Girl" (instrumental) | ||
| # "Hollaback Girl ( |
# "Hollaback Girl" (a cappella — radio clean version) | ||
| # "Hollaback Girl ( |
# "Hollaback Girl" (dirty album version) | ||
| # "Hollaback Girl ( |
# "Hollaback Girl" (instrumental) | ||
| # "Hollaback Girl ( |
# "Hollaback Girl" (a cappella — dirty album version) | ||
| ===U.S. 12" maxi single |
===U.S. 12" maxi single 2=== | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Dancehollaback |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Dancehollaback |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal — clean) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Dancehollaback |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal — radio) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Hollatronix |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Hollatronix |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix — instrumental) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Hollatronix |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix — a cappella) | ||
| ===European CD single=== | ===European CD single=== | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl ( |
#"Hollaback Girl" (album version) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl (Hollatronix |
#"Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix by Diplo) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl ( |
#"Hollaback Girl" (instrumental) | ||
| #"Hollaback Girl" (CD-ROM video) | #"Hollaback Girl" (CD-ROM video) | ||
| Line 168: | Line 154: | ||
| ==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
| #<small> {{note|CourtneyLove}} . Contactmusic.com. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2005. </small> | #<small> {{note|CourtneyLove}} . Contactmusic.com. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2005. </small> | ||
| #<small> {{note|Launch}} Nine, Jennifer. ]. November 25, 2004. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2005.</small> | |||
| #<small> {{note|AMG}} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. . '']''. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2005.</small> | |||
| #<small> {{note|PlayLouder}} Smirke, Richard. ''PlayLouder''. November 23, 2004. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2005. | |||
| #<small> {{note|PopMatters}} Damas, Jason. . ''PopMatters''. November 29, 2004. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2005.</small> | |||
| #<small> {{note|DrawerB}} Greenwood, Eric. . ''DrawerB''. Retrieved Oct. 31, 2005.</small> | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 23:15, 1 November 2005
"Hollaback Girl" is a pop song written by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani and rapper Pharrell Williams for Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). Released as the third single in 2005 (see 2005 in music), the song was an international hit, peaking at number one in Australia and Canada for one and three weeks respectively, number eight in the United Kingdom, and number one in the United States, where it became Stefani's first number-one single.
Writing process
The single was co-written by Stefani and Pharrell Williams and produced by Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. Stefani had worked with The Neptunes in early stages of work on her album, but a mild case of depression from writer's block left early collaborations uninspired and fruitless. Stefani regained her confidence as her album neared completion, approached The Neptunes for a second attempt, and produced "Hollaback Girl". In this eclectic beat-driven anthem, Stefani declares that although she has been around the "track" a few times, she "ain't no hollaback girl". The song is best known for its repeated use of the word "shit", which appears the most frequent in the bridge: "This shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" The word is excised in the radio and music video versions of the song.
Stefani also wrote some of the lyrics about Courtney Love, who disparaged Stefani as the music industry's "cheerleader", which upset her. When asked about inspiration for writing "Hollaback Girl", Stefani responded without mentioning Love's name, "The song came about after somebody once called me a cheerleader in a negative light. So I said, 'well fuck you, I am a cheerleader, watch me on stage. I’m gonna make a big cheerleader song and you can fuck off.'"
The line "There can only be one" is a reference to the film Highlander, and during the line "Another one bites the dust", the bassline from Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" is played.
Chart performance
"Hollaback Girl" was officially solicited to radio in North America on April 5 2005, however the music video had been released two weeks earlier on March 21. Within six weeks of its release, "Hollaback Girl" had reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, which made it the fastest-rising single to reach the top in 2005. It maintained the top position for four weeks. After dropping from number one, "Hollaback Girl" remained in the top ten of the Hot 100 for an additional two months, including six weeks at number two. In total, the single spent thirty-three weeks on the Hot 100, with thirty-two weeks in the top fifty. It finally slid off the chart for the week ending October 29.
Stefani reaching number one with "Hollaback Girl" was notable as it became the first non-R&B, non-hip hop, or non-American Idol song to reach number one on the Hot 100 since Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" in late 2001 (although some argue that "Hollaback Girl" is a hip hop song, or at least influenced by hip hop, due to its production). It also reached number one the Billboard Pop 100 for eight weeks, and topped its component chart, the Billboard Pop 100 Airplay, for several weeks. The song also climbed to number one for six weeks on a non-Billboard chart, the ARC Weekly Top 40.
The song was a crossover success, reaching number four on the Rhythmic Top 40, and number eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Both of these positions were the highest that a non-African-American/Urban Latino solo artist had ever attained on those charts in the 2000s. On the opposite spectrum, even though the song has minimal hip hop influence, it was able to crossover and chart on the Hot Adult Top 40 at number eighteen. This position is notable as the Hot AC is usually an extremely conservative chart, and will not play urban music or any music influenced by hip hop. Because of these positions, "Hollaback Girl" has become one of the most successful crossover hits of all time, and lead to Stefani being labelled as an urban artist for a short period of time. However, her succeeding single, "Cool", returned her to her pop and dance music roots.
Digitally, "Hollaback Girl" broke many records. It was the best-selling digital single for the latter three weeks of May 2005, and broke the record for the most downloads sold ever in a week, selling over 60,000 (this record was later broken by Kanye West's "Gold Digger"). By week ending October 4, the song had exceeded sales of one million. This made "Hollaback Girl" the first song ever to gain digital sales of one million, and it was certified 5x platinum. It should noted that this is the equivalent of the certification level of a regular commercial single. Because of its sales, it topped both digital charts, the Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks, concurrently. The song's downloads were mainly responsible for its longevity on the Billboard Hot 100 after airplay had begun to decline.
The success of "Hollaback Girl" was duplicated worldwide, as it reached number one in Australia for one week, number one in Canada for three weeks, and number one in Ireland for two weeks. However, surprisingly, in the U.K., it did not perform as well as its two predecessors, "What You Waiting For?" and "Rich Girl", which both reached number four. "Hollaback Girl" entered at number eight, staying there for two weeks. Although its success was limited in the U.K., widespread airplay guaranteed that it would remain the top forty for another ten weeks. It also reached the top five in Germany and China, and the top ten in the Netherlands.
Music video
The video depicts Stefani spending a day with some pupils at a local high school. Stefani initially encounters the students when she is taking a picture of her entourage of colorfully-dressed Harajuku Girls, and the teenagers call out to her. Stefani begins singing, and the teenagers—augmented by a a marching band and some cheerleaders—follow Stefani and her Harajuku Girls to the local high school's outdoor campus, where they cause controversy by barging in on a football game. They are also seen at a grocery store, marching down one of the aisles, throwing cereal around.
The video is intercut with filmed sequences against a black background in which Stefani, the Harajuku Girls, and the cheerleaders dance along to the marching band. The cheerleaders visualise the song's bridge by spelling out the word "banana" with cue cards; the video is also known for Stefani covering her mouth whenever she says the word "shit". At the end of the video, the Harajuku Girls perform a choreographed dance, where Stefani rises from the ground with her hands in the air.
Formats and track listings
U.S. digital download
- "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal)
U.S. 12" maxi single 1
- "Hollaback Girl" (radio clean version)
- "Hollaback Girl" (instrumental)
- "Hollaback Girl" (a cappella — radio clean version)
- "Hollaback Girl" (dirty album version)
- "Hollaback Girl" (instrumental)
- "Hollaback Girl" (a cappella — dirty album version)
U.S. 12" maxi single 2
- "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal — clean)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback remix by Tony Kanal — radio)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix — instrumental)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix — a cappella)
European CD single
- "Hollaback Girl" (album version)
- "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix remix by Diplo)
- "Hollaback Girl" (instrumental)
- "Hollaback Girl" (CD-ROM video)
Charts
| Chart | Position (2005) |
|---|---|
| U.S. Singles Chart | #1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | #2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales | #10 |
| U.S. Pop 100 | #1 |
| U.S. Pop 100 Airplay | #1 |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | #8 |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales | #7 |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay | #9 |
| U.S. Hot Digital Songs | #1 |
| U.S. Hot Digital Tracks | #1 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #15 |
| U.S. Dance Radio Airplay | #3 |
| U.S. Mainstream Top 40 | #1 |
| U.S. Rhythmic Top 40 | #4 |
| U.S. Adult Top 40 | #18 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | #1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | #1 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | #1 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | #8 |
| Iceland Singles Chart | #1 |
| Germany Singles Chart | #3 |
| China Singles Chart | #4 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | #7 |
| World Chart Show | #1 |
Notes
- Hollaback Girl. Contactmusic.com. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2005.
References
- Jeckell, Barry A., managing ed. (2005). Billboard.com. Retrieved from http://www.billboard.com on October 30, 2005. Information from Billboard magazine charts.
- "Hollaback Girl". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved from http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/gwenstefanix28x04x05 on October 30, 2005. Stefani discusses her inspiration for writing "Hollaback Girl".
- (2005). Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved from http://top40-charts.com on October 30, 2005. International charting information.
External links
- "Hollaback Girl" lyrics
- "A Probing Analysis of Gwen Stefani's 'Hollaback Girl'" — by Greg Stacy.
- GwenStefani.com — official site.