Stripped (Christina Aguilera album)
Stripped is the fourth studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on October 22, 2002, by RCA Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of her self-titled debut album (1999), Aguilera took creative control over her next album, both musically and lyrically. She also changed her public image and established her alter ego Xtina. Musically, the record incorporates pop and R&B with influences from many different genres, including soul, rock, hip hop, and Latin music. Lyrically, most of the songs from the album discuss the theme of self-respect, while a few other songs talk about sex and feminism. As an executive producer, Aguilera enlisted numerous new collaborators for the album.
Stripped
October 22, 2002
Late 2001–mid 2002
- Conway[a]
- Henson[b]
- NRG[c]
- Record Plant[d] (Los Angeles)
- The Enterprise[e] (Burbank)
- Electric Lady Studios[f]
- The Hit Factory[f] (New York City)
77:34
- Christina Aguilera
- Glen Ballard
- Rob Hoffman
- Heather Holley
- Alicia Keys
- Linda Perry
- Steve Morales
- Rockwilder
- Scott Storch
Upon its release, Stripped received polarised reviews from music critics; many criticized its lack of musical focus, while some of them called it "almost" an album for grown-ups, with comparisons made to Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson. Commercially, Stripped debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 330,000 copies. It was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping over five million copies in the United States. The album also charted within the top five of charts in Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It was Aguilera's best-performing album in the United Kingdom, becoming the 29th and 40th bestselling album of the decade and millennium there, respectively, with two million copies sold. Despite its initial critical reception, Stripped received multiple Grammy Award nominations, including one win, and has since gone on to receive critical praise and is commonly considered one of the most influential pop albums of all time, inspiring a generation of artists. The album has sold over 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.[1]
Five singles were released from the album. The lead single "Dirrty" was met with criticism and controversy due to its sexual music video but was an international hit on the charts. The follow-up "Beautiful" was praised by critics and garnered chart success worldwide. The last three singles, "Fighter", "Can't Hold Us Down" and "The Voice Within", became top-ten hits in various countries. Aguilera performed several songs from Stripped live during a number of shows, notably during the 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards, the American Music Awards of 2003 (January), and the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Two concert tours were held in 2003 to promote the album, The Justified & Stripped Tour (co-headlined with Justin Timberlake) and The Stripped Tour.
Recording and production[edit]
In late 2001, Aguilera started recording material for her fourth studio album.[3] The recording sessions took place in studios around California and New York City, including Electric Lady Studios and The Hit Factory in New York City, The Enterprise Studios in Burbank, and Conway Recording Studios, Record Plant and NRG Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[7] According to Aguilera, the recording sessions were much longer than she thought they would be.[3] She further explained that many issues arose during that time, including her first breakup with her first boyfriend Jorge Santos.[3] Aguilera also believed that the lyrics of Stripped were so personal, and her vocals "represent a rawer, more bare-bones approach as well, with less of the ostentatious riffing that has miffed critics in the past".[3] She stated, "I did the vocal gymnastics thing because it was fun. That's why I like blues, too, because you can experiment more with that side of your voice. But I thought the lyrics on this record are so personal, deep and good that I wanted to make them stand out more than what I could do with my voice technically".[3]
On Stripped, Aguilera enlisted a wide range of songwriters and producers, including Alicia Keys, Scott Storch, and Linda Perry.[2][8] Perry was one of the biggest influences to Aguilera during the making of the album.[2] The singer stated, "She taught me that imperfections are good and should be kept because it comes from the heart. It makes things more believable and it's brave to share them with the world."[2] Keys joined on the track "Impossible", which was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.[8] Another notable producer is Storch; he wrote and produced a total of seven songs from Stripped, including two singles.[9] He stated that during the making of Stripped, Aguilera was one of his friends that he cared most. However, Storch did not produce her fifth studio album Back to Basics (2006),[9] which started a feud between the two artists, which was stated by Aguilera in one of the track from Back to Basics, "F.U.S.S. (Interlude)".[10]
Music and lyrics[edit]
Musically, Stripped is a pop and R&B[11][12] record which incorporates elements of many different genres, including soul, hip hop, heavy metal, rock, rock and roll, gospel, and Latin.[4][11][13] The album broke her teen pop root from her self-titled debut studio album (1999).[2] According to Aguilera, she wanted to be "real" in her next records because she was "overworked" at the time she was "a part of the big craze pop phenomenon".[3] Multiple critics criticized its musical style, calling it a lack of musical concentration.[12][14] On Stripped, Aguilera became the writer of most of the songs.[7] She also revealed that Perry's songwriting on Pink's second studio album Missundaztood (2001) inspired Aguilera a lot.[13] She further commented: "I wasn't a big fan of the Dallas Austin songs, but I really, really loved the Linda Perry song".[13]
The album's opening track "Stripped Intro" describes her musical changes as she sings: "Sorry that I speak my mind / Sorry don't do what I'm told".[2] The follow-up "Can't Hold Us Down" featuring Lil' Kim is an R&B and hip hop song[2] which incorporates elements from dancehall toward its end.[19] Lyrically, it talks about the theme of feminism,[2] and was suggested that it is toward rapper Eminem[20] and Fred Durst.[2] The third track "Walk Away" is a piano ballad where she uses a "clever" metaphor to talk about an abusive relationship.[15] It is followed by the fourth track and third single from Stripped, "Fighter", which incorporates strong elements from heavy metal[15][21] and arena rock.[16] It talks about a woman wants to thank a man who has done something wrong to her, and was inspired by Aguilera's unhappy childhood.[17] It is followed-up by the interlude "Primer Amor Interlude",[7] the Latin pop and flamenco track "Infatuation",[14][22][23] and the interlude "Loves Embrace Interlude", respectively.[7]
"Loving Me 4 Me" is a "sultry" classic R&B and neo soul ballad.[14][15][23] The follow-ups "Impossible" and "Underappreciated" explore jazz and funk.[23] The first of these incorporates a piano theme performed by Keys,[8] while the second talks about the pain of a breakup.[2] The piano ballad "Beautiful", which talks about the theme of self-respect, was deemed as the album's highlight by many critics, who praised its overall production.[16][19] The next track "Make Over" is a salsa and dance-rock song that features a garage-rock beat.[21] It was sued in the United Kingdom for illegally sampling the Sugababes' song "Overload" (2000),[24] The Guardian also noted similarities between the two songs.[20] Later, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) added the songwriting credits of Sugababes to the song.[24] "Cruz" is a rock ballad that is musically similar to works of Michael Bolton.[25] "Soar" is one of two tracks written for Stripped by Rob Hoffman and Heather Holley centered around themes of self-empowerment. The second track "I Will Be" is the B-side to "Dirrty" in the UK. The two next tracks, "Get Mine, Get Yours", an R&B song, and "Dirrty", a R&B-leaning hip hop anthem talks about the theme of sexual intercourse,[26][27][15][18] and have been described as "majestically filthy".[20] The latter is the remake of Redman's "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)" (2001), and also features the rapper.[21] The follow-up is the interlude "Stripped Pt. 2".[7] The empowering ballad "The Voice Within" talks about trusting oneself.[18] "I'm OK" is a ballad which incorporates strings and discusses Aguilera's abusive childhood with her father,[2] and the final song from the album "Keep on Singin' My Song" incorporates elements from drum and bass with a gospel choir.[19][28]
Singles[edit]
"Dirrty" was serviced as the lead single from the album on September 3, 2002. Perry and Aguilera's management wanted to release "Beautiful" as the lead single.[21] However, Aguilera wanted to release a seriously "down and dirty" song to announce her comeback, so RCA Records decided to release it as the first single.[21] Upon its release, the song received mixed to negative reviews from critics; some of whom criticized its sound and negatively compared it to Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001),[11][12] while the others chose it as a standout track from Stripped.[15] Its accompanying music video, directed by David LaChapelle, was criticized due to its sexual content,[55] and sparked protests in Thailand.[56] However, it was an international hit, achieving certifications in Australia,[57] New Zealand,[58] Switzerland,[59] and the United Kingdom.[60]
The album's second single "Beautiful" was written solely by Perry.[7] Rush-released following the commercial underperformance and controversy surrounding previous single "Dirrty", "Beautiful" received universal acclaim from music critics.[11][12][15] Commercially, the single gained impact on charts worldwide, peaking within the top five in many countries,[61] as well as achieving certifications in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.[58][60][62][63] Its music video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, garnered critical acclaim from media outlets by touching on anorexia nervosa, homosexuality, bullying, self-esteem, and transgender issues.[64] The video was honored at the 14th GLAAD Media Awards (2003) due to its positive portrayal of the LGBT community.[64] "Beautiful" was listed as one of the greatest songs throughout the 2000s decade by Rolling Stone and VH1.[65][66]
"Fighter" was released as the third single from Stripped on March 10, 2003. The single was well received by most critics,[14][21] as well as achieving chart success in several countries and certifications in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.[61][62][63] Its accompanying music video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, was inspired by the director's dark theatrics and moths.[67]
The album's fourth single "Can't Hold Us Down", featuring Lil' Kim, was released on July 8, 2003. It garnered mixed reviews from music critics,[14][19] and gained moderate success commercially, receiving a gold certification in Australia.[61][63] Its accompanying music video was directed by LaChapelle.[68]
"The Voice Within" was released on October 27, 2003 as the fifth and final single. Critics complimented the simple piano ballad, which talks about the theme of self-respect.[18] Its accompanying music video was directed by LaChapelle.[69]
"Infatuation" was released as a promotional single in Spain on September 22, 2003.[70] "Walk Away" peaked at number 35 in Denmark on March 14, 2008, despite never being released as a single.[71]
Commercial performance[edit]
Stripped debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 330,000 copies, only behind Eminem's 8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture, which debuted at number one with first-week sales of 702,000 copies.[92] The album stayed on the chart until 2004,[9] and was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[62] By December 2009, Nielsen SoundScan reported that Stripped had sold 4,234,000 copies in the country, becoming her second highest-selling album in the United States, only behind her self-titled debut studio album (1999), which had sold 8,207,000 copies.[93] As of 2018, the album has sold over 4,423,000 copies in the country alone.[94] In Canada, Stripped debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 14,000 copies,[95] and was eventually certified triple platinum by Music Canada.[96]
Elsewhere, Stripped was a sleeper hit, debuting low in many countries and eventually turning into a commercial success. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart,[97] peaking at number two.[98] It became Aguilera's best-performing album in the country, spending 102 weeks within the top 100 of the chart,[98] and was certified sextuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[60] The album became the 29th bestselling album there throughout the 2000s decade in the United Kingdom,[99] also becoming the second highest-selling album by an American female artist in the country during the decade, only behind Norah Jones' Come Away with Me (2002).[99] As of 2006, the album had sold 1,850,852 copies in the United Kingdom, and was ranked at number 73 on the list of 100 bestselling albums in the United Kingdom during the same time.[100] As of April 2021, Stripped has sold a total of 2,050,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[101] In March 2015, the Official Charts Company (OCC) revealed that Stripped had become the 40th bestselling album of the millennium in the country.[102]
Throughout Europe, Stripped also peaked within the top ten in several countries, including Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Switzerland. It was one of the bestselling albums in Poland in the first half of 2003.[103][104] Stripped was certified triple platinum in Europe by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipping over three millions copies in the continent and was the bestselling pop album by a female artist of 2003.[105][106] In Oceania, Stripped debuted at number thirty-three on the Australian ARIA Albums chart on November 10, 2002 and peaked at number seven in October 2003, spending a total of 67 weeks on the chart.[107] In New Zealand, Stripped peaked at number five. It spent 46 weeks on the chart and became Aguilera's longest-charting album there.[108] It was certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 280,000 copies in the country,[109] and was certified double platinum by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), shipping over 30,000 copies in the country.
It was the eighth best-selling international album of 2002 in South Korea, according to the Korean Music Content Industry Association.[110] In Japan, the album reached number thirteen on the Oricon's chart.[111] According to the RIAA, Stripped sold over 12 million copies worldwide.[1]
Notes
Sample credits