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Genie in a Bottle

"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on 22 June 1999, by RCA Records as the album's lead single. It is a soul-pop, teen pop and dance-pop song with elements of R&B. "Genie in a Bottle" uses sexual references to address the themes of self-respect and abstinence.

For the Middle Eastern folktale, see Aladdin.

"Genie in a Bottle"

  • "Blessed"
  • "We're a Miracle"
  • "Don't Make Me Love You"

22 June 1999

3:36

  • David Frank
  • Steve Kipner

"Genie in a Bottle" received generally favorable reviews, most of whom praised the lyrics and Aguilera's vocals. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.[4] The single reached number one on the record charts of 21 countries.[5] In the United States, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified double platinum, for sales of more than two million copies.


The music video was directed by Diane Martel and shot in Malibu, California. The video was well received by media outlets and gained play on music channels including VH1, BET and was featured heavily on the MTV program Total Request Live. "Genie in a Bottle" is one of Aguilera's signature songs, and was credited with establishing her name and for playing a part in the teen pop craze of the late 1990s. A Spanish version of the song titled "Genio Atrapado" was included on Mi Reflejo (2000), and the electropop remake "Genie 2.0" was included on Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2008).

Background[edit]

After receiving notification that the final season of The New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–94) would air, cast member Aguilera became determined to release her debut studio album during her senior year in high school. She began recording sessions with producers Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown, but was displeased with the pace of her developing career.[6] Despite being offered free studio time with Alleca and Brown, Aguilera ventured to Japan in an effort to boost her career.[6] While there, the pair offered her the opportunity to collaborate with Japanese pop star Keizo Nakanishi on the track "All I Wanna Do" (1994), though the project failed to achieve commercial success.[6] As her international successes broadened, Aguilera caught the attention of future manager Steve Kurtz; she had previously had a verbal agreement with Ruth Inniss, which was never later formalized.[7]


Kurtz spent much of his time devoted to finding Aguilera a record deal, sending demos to multiple companies. Just as communications with RCA Records began, she was offered the chance to record "Reflection", the theme song for the 1998 Disney film Mulan. Its success landed her a multi-album recording contract.[8] RCA's financial state prevented them from contending with major labels at the time. In an attempt to encourage Aguilera to sign with them and maintain the hype surrounding "Reflection", they offered to record and release her debut studio album by January 1999, though such an arrangement ultimately failed to happen.[9][10] Originally, Aguilera "wasn't too crazy" about the demo recording for "Genie in a Bottle", though she eventually became "proud" of the result.[11] RCA executive Ron Fair sympathized with her reaction to the release and inclusion of the track, finding that the marketing decision would be to release a "sugar candy" number one single, something that was not necessarily a "great song" so that her career could strengthen.[12]

Recording[edit]

The demo track that the record company had heard was used as a basis for Aguilera's actual recording, as she only replaced the vocals on the demo with her own before the writers and producers edited it for improvement. However, after the first recording was completed they felt her vocals were too "hard" sounding; a second proved to deliver the "softer" quality they were after.[13] During the recording process, co-writer Kipner was impressed by Aguilera's performance of complex R&B lines, something he had only come to expect from older artists, and compared her vocal style to that of Chaka Khan, Etta James, and Mariah Carey.[12] Before Frank had met Aguilera most of "Genie in a Bottle" had already been completed, he had heard a tape delivered by RCA featuring Aguilera's performance of "Reflection" but Frank feared she could not perform in a "hip-hop oriented style".[17] The instrumental for "Genie in a Bottle" was almost complete before the entire composition had been finished, it was only when he was contacted by songwriter Pam Sheyne that they progressed in writing the track and later Frank contacted Steve Kipner, "a good friend" of his, and after agreeing to collaborate the three continued writing "Genie in a Bottle".[17]

Composition[edit]

Reviewers of "Genie in a Bottle" noted the youthful message with The New York Times saying "One of the summer's catchiest singles captures the moment's anxieties about teen-age sex".[18] The track has been described as "blue-eyed-soul" and has been labelled "a skittish dance hit, propelled by indecision "My body's saying let's go [...] but my heart is saying no". The chorus then plays with "bubbly dance beats" as Aguilera metaphorically describes herself as a Genie trapped, and can only be released when rubbed "the right way".[18] She explained "If you listen to the words "My body's saying let's go but my heart is saying no". My heart is saying no. So it's really a song about self-respect and treating me the way I want to be treated before I just give my love away to anybody".[18] Celebrities such as Debbie Gibson spoke out against the song saying she was "horrified" with the lyricism being performed by an 18-year-old; the comment went on to upset Aguilera who found her being a female was restricting what she could perform.[18] Lyricism in the track had sexual references which saw controversy arise, Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Fueled by a chugging groove and richly layered vocals, the tune is punctuated by a breathy command to 'rub me the right way.'" Aguilera said that "the song is not about sex, It's about self-respect. It's about not giving in to temptation until you're respected."[19] In Malaysia the controversial lyrics gained it a ban which led Aguilera to re-record some of the lyrics such as; "hormones racing" to "heart-beats racing" and "rub the right way" to "treat me the right way".[19]


"Genie in a Bottle" is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 84 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Fm – E – D, and Aguilera's vocals span from F3 to B4.[20] According to Billboard's Kenneth Partridge, a thirty-second note bass-drum pattern of the song "mimics the heart palpitations of a teenager in lust."[21]

(2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.

Bronson, Fred

Dominguez, Pier (2003). . Amber Communications Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-970-222-459.

Christina Aguilera: A Star is Made: The Unauthorized Biography

on YouTube

Christina Aguilera – "Genio Atrapado"