What a Girl Wants (Christina Aguilera song)

"What a Girl Wants"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Christina Aguilera
B-side "Too Beautiful for Words" "We're a Miracle" "Genio Atrapado" "Christina Aguilera Medley"
Released November 28, 1999
Format CD single
Recorded 1998 (Album version)
September 1999 (Re-recorded version)[1]
Genre
Length 3:52 (Original version)
3:35 (New album version)
3:20 (Radio edit)
Label RCA
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Guy Roche
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Genie in a Bottle"
(1999)		 "What a Girl Wants"
(1999)		 "I Turn to You"
(2000)

"What a Girl Wants" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album (1999). A re-recorded version was released on November 28, 1999 by RCA Records as the second single from the album, following the commercial success of the lead single "Genie in a Bottle". The song was written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche. The song was completed and pitched to RCA executive Ron Fair as "What a Girl Needs" and was renamed "What a Girl Wants"; Fair later gave the track to Aguilera. A Spanish version of the song, titled "Una Mujer," was included on Aguilera's second studio album Mi Reflejo (2000).

The song was described as a pop and R&B track and had similarities to "Genie in a Bottle". The song received positive reviews from music critics, who described it as a "light" song and compared Aguilera's vocals on the track to those of Mariah Carey. Commercially, the song became her second consecutive US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, and topped the charts in New Zealand and Spain. The single eventually earned gold certifications in countries including Australia, Belgium, Sweden and the US.

A music video was released directed by Diane Martel who had also directed her previous video for "Genie in a Bottle". The video presented Aguilera dancing in a room with female friends whilst being viewed by their boyfriends and saw a scene of her dressed as a medieval-style princess. In December 1999, the video reached pole position on the US music video chart TRL. Aguilera has performed the song at events such as the US Jingle Ball and the MTV New Year's Eve Special in 1999, as well as her tours including the 2000–01 Christina Aguilera: In Concert, the 2003 Stripped Live... on Tour, and her 2006–07 Back to Basics Tour.

Background

After what was described as an "incredible" response to her debut single, the interest in Aguilera began to grow at which point her record label decided it was time to release a second single.[2] The label and Aguilera disputed over which track should be released, with Aguilera recalling: "You know, some people do want me to stay in the pop scene, [but] I want to grow from there. I always want to continue growing and getting to that level of, 'Oh, she's a real singer, a real ballad-singer, she can do it'."[2] However the announcement then came that "What a Girl Wants" would be released as the follow-up single, with Aguilera saying "The next single will be 'What a Girl Wants', but a totally cool remix of it".[2] The single was not chosen by Aguilera, but instead her record label RCA and label executive Ron Fair. Aguilera herself had little control over the entire project, and a marketing strategy foresaw that Aguilera would have better success as a "teen idol" so in an effort to maintain her persona, music was chosen and recorded under the basis that she would become the next pop phenomenon.[3]

Writing and recording

"I had a little cassette running, a work tape in case you can't remember something but you know it was good. A lot of hooks come out of making mistakes and then you can't remember what you did. I went home that night and got into bed with my husband. I was listening to our work tape. I knew there was a real gem there in a very raw form that was going to be something one day."

Writer Peiken talks about the development of the track.[4]

Shelly Peiken was the writer behind "What a Girl Wants". One day the pair were working with a cassette tape, experimenting with vocals and hooks, after which she decided that the work-in-progress had potential and she would return to it at a later date.[4]

"What a Girl Wants" was the first track recorded for Christina Aguilera in June 1998. Fair liked the song and after the decision was made to release it as the second single the label called for a second recording of the track, changing the original key in addition to editing rhythmic changes.[4] The second recording came in September 1999 after the success of her debut single "Genie in a Bottle", with Aguilera's label wanting to produce a similar tone.[4]

Composition
"What a Girl Wants"
A 19-second sample of "What a Girl Wants"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"What a Girl Wants" is a teen pop[5]-R&B track with some similarities to her debut single "Genie in a Bottle".[6] Written in the key of C major the track begins with the lyrics "What a girl wants, what a girl needs, whatever makes me happy sets you free" and is set at a tempo 120 beats per minute. The vocal range is F#3-Eb6.[7] Anthony Violanti from Buffalo News described the track as a "light hip-hop song" in comparison to the previous single.[8] Aguilera's vocals have been compared to that of Mariah Carey, with Carey's single "Emotions" being the grounds for these comparisons.[6] In Aguilera's vocal performance she starts singing in a lower register and "carefully" scales notes until she reaches "the highest echelon of her upper register".[6] During the track Aguilera performs the lyrics "A girl needs somebody sensitive but tough, Somebody there when the going get rough."[8] The track that was released as a single was a revised version of the song, it focused more upon the "funky R&B edge", and with Aguilera taking participation in the revision her additions made the track lighter and a mix of "pop and R&B".[6] But despite this Aguilera was disappointed in her lack of input into the single saying;

"I was held back a lot from doing more R&B ad-libbing. They clearly wanted to make a fresh sounding young pop record and that's not always the direction I wanted to go in. Sometimes they didn't get it, didn't want to hear me out because of my age, and that was a little bit frustrating. But I want to write more about experiences I've gone through. I've gone through bad situations. I come from a divorced home. I've been around abuse. I've lived a different life, been on the outside."[9]

Critical reception

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau called "What a Girl Wants" "clever" adding "but in a far less ingratiating way" than "Genie in a Bottle".[10] Anthony Violanti from Buffalo News discussed the success behind the record, citing the formula that incorporated teen idols with R&B and pop music releases; Violanti discussed the track calling it a "light track", and despite saying the track had been "buried in production" he concluded it "has a way of selling a song".[11]

Author Pier Dominquez of A Star is Made called the song "a lightweight but pleasant Pop/R&B confection" and stated Aguilera performed "vocal acrobatics" and labelled it a "less effective" Mariah Carey style vocal performance.[6] Nana-Adwoa Ofori of the AOL Radio blog compiled a list of Aguilera's ten best tracks in which she listed "What a Girl Wants" at number nine writing "The huge success of this Christina Aguilera song solidified her as a strong musical force".[12] The song was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 43rd Grammy Awards held on February 21, 2001.[6]

Spanish version "Una Mujer" received positive reviews. Orlando Sentinel editor Parry Gettelman wrote that it holds up to her "out of my way" vocals.[13]

Chart performance

In the United States, the song spent 24 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 during which time it topped the chart,[14] becoming her second consecutive US number one single after topping the chart on the issue date of January 15, 2000 for two consecutive weeks, becoming the first #1 song of the 2000s.[6] On the Billboard component charts, the song peaked at number one on the US Pop Songs chart where it spent 26 weeks,[15] and peaked at number 18 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart where it spent 11 weeks.[16] The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[17] and has sold over 600,000 copies in the US to date.[18] In Oceania, the song performed well. In Australia, the track debuted at number 21 on the issue date of January 9, 2000, where it stayed for a further week. For the next two weeks the single rose up the charts before making its peak at number five on the charts.[19] The track spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart, five of which were spent within the top ten.[19] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 39 on the singles chart, before jumping to number two the following week.[20] In its third week the track topped the chart on the issue date of February 6, 2000, the single fell to number two the following week, before making its second run at number one on February 20, 2000 and once again falling to number two.[20] On the issue date of March 3, 2000, the track made its third run at number one spending three weeks atop the chart before falling to number three spending a total of 13 weeks on the chart.[20]

In Europe, the song became a number one single in Spain. After debuting at number three, the song topped the chart in its second week on the issue date of January 29, 2000 where it spent just one week before returning to number three and spent eight weeks on the chart.[21] In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number three on the issue date of February 26, 2000, the song spent two weeks inside the top ten and thirteen weeks on the chart.[22] In Sweden, the song was certified Gold[23] after spending twelve weeks on the chart and in its seventh week it made its peak at number 24 where it spent two weeks before falling out of the chart four weeks later.[24] The song was also certified Gold in Belgium,[25] after debuting at number 40 on the Flanders chart on the issue date of January 1, 2000 and after spending six weeks on the chart it entered the top ten at number nine before making its peak of number eight were it remained for three weeks.[26] On the Wallonia charts, the song also debuted at number 40 and on its sixth week in the chart it made its peak of number 16 spending just that one week inside the top 20.[27]

Music video

Brandon Routh cameo in music video.
Aguilera in the music video for "What a Girl Wants". The video shows her and her female friends perform in front of their on-screen boyfriends.

The music video for "What a Girl Wants" was directed by Diane Martel who had also directed the music video for her previous single "Genie in a Bottle" and it was choreographed by Tina Landon with the lighting in the video more "defined" than the previous single's allowing a "clearer view" of Aguilera.[6] The video starts with a shot showing men inside a room, performing activities such as cycling and DJ-ing until Aguilera and other females enter the room at which the men turn to watch them enter. The women move the men towards the far-end of the room and after asking the men to cover their eyes, the music begins and the women and Aguilera begin to dance. The video shows solo shots of Aguilera performing in-between footage of the dance, and increasingly the men get excited before getting up to dance as shots of Aguilera atop large speakers is shown. As the dance sequence in the first room ends, the screen moves over the ceiling of the venue and shows Aguilera in a different room dressed similarly to a medieval princess[6] laying on a chaise longue whilst women dance around her with fans. After the bridge section finishes the video cuts back to the dancers in the first room and the video ends with a bird-eye-view shot of everyone in the room surrounding Aguilera and a male character who are intimately dancing. On December 16, 1999 the music video reached pole position on the music video chart, TRL.[6] It features appearance then-unknown Superman actor Brandon Routh.

Live performances

Aguilera performing the song during her Back to Basics Tour.

Aguilera performed the track during the promotional campaign of Christina Aguilera.[28] Aguilera performed the track in a Milwaukee high school called Franklin High; the performance saw her live in front of 1,300 teenagers in a set list that consisted of three tracks: "Genie in a Bottle", "The Christmas Song" and "What a Girl Wants".[28] Aguilera performed the song on the Jingle Ball for radio station Kiss 108 just days after the release of the music video, continuing promotion for the album.[6] Later in December 1999, Aguilera was chosen to perform on MTV's live New Year's Eve Special, which she commented on beforehand, saying "I'm nervous about what's going to go on that night. Everything's going to be so chaotic", wearing tight leather pants. Aguilera started with a performance of "Genie in a Bottle", continuing into "What a Girl Wants".[29] Aguilera performed the song during the time in which she supported the band TLC on their FanMail concert tour.[30] She also performed the song at the American Music Awards in a medley with the third single from Christina Aguilera, "I Turn to You"; wearing a "tummy-baring bodice", she removed the skirt before performing "What a Girl Wants" in the medley-style performance.[30]

Aguilera performed the track on the VH1 special Men Strike Back, where she once again performed a medley of "I Turn to You" and "What a Girl Wants"; she entered the stage "amid total darkness" with a spotlight aiming at her wearing a black suit. VH1 critic Michael Hill positively commented on her performance, writing "Young Christina Aguilera has a set of diva's pipes already and can cram more notes into a single line than a trio of Mariah's. Though she delivered hits, 'I Turn to You' and 'What a Girl Wants,' with great technical prowess, the real surprise of her set was a rendition of the pre-rock'n'roll-era pop standard 'At Last' with a small jazz combo".[31] After performing with band TLC, Aguilera announced her debut headlining tour, Christina Aguilera in Concert, in which she performed "What a Girl Wants" which she dedicated to the female fans in the audience saying "Girls, I hope you're getting everything you want".[32]

In 2000, Aguilera performed the track on the ABC Christmas Special with "carefully choreographed" dance routines, she sang eight songs, including "Gene in a Bottle" and "I Turn to You" ending the special with a performance of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain".[33] She performed the song on Stripped Live... on Tour and it was included on her video release of the concert tour titled Stripped Live in the U.K. which was filmed live in London's Wembley Arena.[34] She also performed the track on her following concert tour titled the Back to Basics Tour; the track was featured on the live video release of the show titled Back to Basics: Live and Down Under.[35] In 2010, while promoting her sixth studio album Bionic on The Early Show, she performed the track in a medley with her debut single "Genie in a Bottle" after a performance of her single "Not Myself Tonight". CBS News commented that the performance was commended by fans.[36]

Track listings and formats

  1. "What a Girl Wants" (radio edit) – 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants" (smooth mix) – 3:20
  3. "Christina Aguilera medley" ("I Turn To You", "So Emotional", "Somebody's Somebody", "Genie in a Bottle", "Come On Over") – 4:55
  1. "What a Girl Wants" (radio edit) – 3:22
  2. "We're a Miracle" – 4:09
  3. "What a Girl Wants" (video enhancement) – 4:06
  • UK Cassette single[39]
  1. "What a Girl Wants" (radio edit) – 3:20
  2. "Christina Aguilera medley" ("I Turn To You", "So Emotional", "Somebody's Somebody", "Genie in a Bottle", "Come On Over") – 4:55
  • Australian maxi single[40]
  1. "What a Girl Wants" (radio edit) – 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants" (smooth mix) – 3:20
  3. "Too Beautiful for Words" – 4:11
  • US CD single
  1. "What a Girl Wants" (radio edit) – 3:20
  2. "We're a Miracle" – 4:10
  1. "What a Girl Wants" (Thunderpuss Fiesta club mix) – 6:16
  2. "What a Girl Wants" (Thunderpuss Dirty club mix) – 6:36
  3. "What a Girl Wants" (Eddie Arroyo long dance mix) – 8:10
  4. "What a Girl Wants" (Eddie Arroyo tempo mix) – 4:11

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[42] 22
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[26] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[27] 5
Canadian Singles Chart[43] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[45] 9
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[46] 12
France (SNEP)[47] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 17
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[15] 1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[16] 18
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[49] 31
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[50] 1
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[43] 29
US Tropical Songs (Billboard)[43] 25

Year-end charts

Chart (2000) Position
Australia (ARIA)[51] 74
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[52] 66
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia[53] 87
France (SNEP)[54] 95
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[55] 98
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[56] 32
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[57] 84
US Billboard Hot 100[58] 19

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Gold 35,000^
Belgium (BEA)[60] Gold 25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Gold 15,500*
Sweden (GLF)[23] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Silver 200,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[63] Gold 605,000[64]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Christina Aguilera carving out her own niche". Jam!. Sun Media. September 29, 1999. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Dominguez 2003, p. 88
  3. ↑ Dominguez 2003, p. 58
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bronson 2003, p. 890
  5. ↑ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Dominguez 2003, p. 89
  7. ↑ "Digital Sheet Music – Christina Aguilera What a Girl Wants". Alfred Publishing Company. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Christina Aguilera review". Worcester Telegram and Gazette. September 12, 1999. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ Dominguez 2003, p. 54
  10. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Christina Aguilera Reviews". Robert Christgau. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  11. ↑ Violanti, Anthony. "News Archive: The Total package, Christina Aguilera, a calculating teen queen". Buffalo News. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  12. ↑ Ofori, Nana-Adwoa. "Top 10 Christina Aguilera Songs". AOL Radio.
  13. ↑ "Aguilera Must Not Know Spanish Word For Subtlety". Orlando Sentinel.
  14. 1 2 "Christina Aguilera – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Christina Aguilera. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Christina Aguilera – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Christina Aguilera. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  16. 1 2 "Christina Aguilera – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Christina Aguilera. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  17. ↑ "RIAA – Recording Industry of America "What a Girl Wants"". RIAA. 2000. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Ask Billboard: Who's The Hot 100's King? Elvis Presley Vs. Lil Wayne". Billboard. September 24, 2012.
  19. 1 2 3 "Australian-charts.com – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Charts.org.nz – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  21. 1 2 "Spanishcharts.com – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Christina Aguilera | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  23. 1 2 "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2000" (PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  24. 1 2 "Swedishcharts.com – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop Awards 2000". Ultratop. 2000. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  26. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  27. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  28. 1 2 Dominguez 2003, p. 90
  29. ↑ Dominguez 2003, p. 91
  30. 1 2 Dominguez 2003, p. 102
  31. ↑ Dominguez 2003, p. 105
  32. ↑ Dominguez 2003, p. 148
  33. ↑ Dominguez 2003, p. 181
  34. ↑ "Christina Aguilera – Stripped Live In The U.K. [DVD]". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Back To Basics Live And Down Under [2007] [DVD]". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Rocks the "Early Show" Stage". CBS News. June 11, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  37. ↑ What a Girl Wants (CD Single liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA. 2000.
  38. ↑ What a Girl Wants (UK CD single liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA. 2000.
  39. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - What A Girl Wants". Discogs.
  40. ↑ What a Girl Wants (US maxi single liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA. 1999.
  41. ↑ What a Girl Wants (US remix EP liner notes). Christina Aguilera. Sire Records. 1999. 9 20212-0 A.
  42. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  43. 1 2 3 "Christina Aguilera – Christina Aguilera | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  45. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Christina Aguilera search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Christina Aguilera: What a Girl Wants" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  49. ↑ "Christina Aguilera – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Christina Aguilera. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  50. ↑ "Christina Aguilera – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Christina Aguilera. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  51. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2000". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  52. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2000
  53. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2000
  54. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20131113190313/http://www.snepmusique.com/fr/page-259376.xml?year=2000
  55. ↑ "Dutch Chart Portal" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  56. ↑ http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/?chart=4107
  57. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000" (in German). Schweizer Hitparade. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  58. ↑ http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/2000.php
  59. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  60. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2000". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  61. ↑ "RIANZ Top 50 Singles Archive". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013.
  62. ↑ "British single certifications – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 17, 2015. Enter What a Girl Wants in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  63. ↑ "American single certifications – Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 2, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  64. ↑ Trust, Gary (September 1, 2014). "Ask Billboard : Taylor Swift Out-'Shake's Mariah Carey". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 2, 2014.

External links

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