What a Girl Wants (Christina Aguilera song)
"What a Girl Wants" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her self-titled debut album (1999). Written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche, the song was completed and pitched to RCA Records executive Ron Fair as "What a Girl Needs"; it was renamed "What a Girl Wants" and given to Aguilera.
"What a Girl Wants"
- "Too Beautiful for Words"
- "We're a Miracle"
- "Genio Atrapado"
- "Christina Aguilera Medley"
8 October 1999
- 1998 (album version)
- September 1999 (re-recorded version)[1]
- 3:52 (original version)
- 3:35 (video version)
- 3:20 (radio edit)
- Shelly Peiken
- Guy Roche
Guy Roche
The original version was released as the album's second single in Japan on 8 October 1999, by Arista Records Japan.[2] However, a newly produced re-recorded version was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States on November 8, and later internationally instead.[3][4] 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". It 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 also topped the charts in Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and Spain; the song is recognized as the first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single of the 2000s. The single eventually earned gold certifications in countries including Australia, Belgium and Sweden, as well as being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
A music video was directed by Diane Martel, who had also directed her previous video for "Genie in a Bottle". The video features Aguilera dancing in a room with female friends whilst being viewed by their boyfriends, and includes a scene where she is 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,[5] as well as her tours including the Christina Aguilera: In Concert (2000–2001), the Stripped Live... on Tour (2003), the Back to Basics Tour (2006–2008), the Liberation Tour (2018), and most recently on both The X Tour and Christina Aguilera: The Xperience in 2019.
Background[edit]
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.[6] 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'."[6] 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".[6] 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.[7]
Critical reception[edit]
Village Voice critic Robert Christgau called "What a Girl Wants" "clever" adding "but in a far less ingratiating way" than "Genie in a Bottle".[17] 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".[18] In retrospect, Billboard's Kenneth Partridge complimented the re-recorded version of the single as "a little harder and sexier" [than the original], and noted that "it's still pretty airy, but Christina hints at the soulfulness and sensuality she'd explore to greater degrees later on."[11] Chris Malone, also from the Billboard magazine, praised "What a Girl Wants" for its "starry-eyed lyrics" and empowering nature, and summarized it as "quintessential late-90s teen pop".[19] PopMatters editor Kimberley Hill named it a "glittering bubblegum number".[20]
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.[12] 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".[21] On a similar list for the Attitude magazine "What a Girl Wants" was ranked at number six; it was praised for Aguilera's "passionate" vocals.[22] Brock Radke from Las Vegas Magazine called it a "classic track".[23] The song was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 43rd Grammy Awards held on February 21, 2001.[12] It was Bill Lamb's number ten on the list of the best songs of 2000.[24]
Spanish version "Una Mujer" received positive reviews. Orlando Sentinel editor Parry Gettelman wrote that it holds up to her "out of my way" vocals.[25]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, the song spent 24 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 during which time it topped the chart,[26] 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 new number-one entry of the 2000s on the Hot 100.[12] On the Billboard component charts, the song peaked at number one on the US Pop Songs chart where it spent 26 weeks,[27] and peaked at number 18 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart where it spent 11 weeks.[28] The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[29] and has sold over 600,000 pure units in the US to date.[30] 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.[31] The track spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart, five of which were spent within the top ten.[31] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 39 on the singles chart, before jumping to number two the following week.[32] 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.[32] 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.[32]
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.[33] 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.[34] In Sweden, the song was certified Gold[35] 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.[36] The song was also certified Gold in Belgium,[37] 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 where it remained for three weeks.[38] 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.[39] The single was also successful in Mexico, where it reached number six on the international music chart (as reported by El Siglo de Torreón).[40]
Music video[edit]
Diane Martel, who had also directed the music video for her previous single "Genie in a Bottle", directed the music video for "What a Girl Wants", with Tina Landon providing choreography. Notably, the lighting in the video was more "defined" than the previous single's allowing a "clearer view" of Aguilera.[12] The video's narrative, featuring protagonists Aguilera and model Paul Forgues, unwinds as a performance given by Aguilera to thank her lover. An opening shot shows a group of young men cycling and DJing. Aguilera's troupe enters, moves the young men towards the far-end of the room, and, after asking Forgues and the other men to cover their eyes, breaks into a tightly choreographed dance as Aguilera introduces the song's hook. Solo shots of Aguilera seated atop speakers punctuate the dance sequence. As the dance sequence in the first room ends, the camera moves over the ceiling of the venue and cuts to Aguilera dressed in medieval garb[12] lying 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 Forgues who are intimately dancing. Actor and model Brandon Routh also appeared in the video as an extra.[41] The video made its debut on MTV the week ending on November 14, 1999.[42]
On December 16, 1999, the music video reached pole position on the music video chart, TRL.[12]
It received heavy rotation on VH1 and was the most played video on MTV for six straight weeks.[43]
Covers and legacy[edit]
In 2009, the song was covered by Lea Michele in "Mash-Up" — an episode of the American TV series Glee.[56] Kelly Clarkson covered the song in her own talk show in April 2021.[57]
Prince praised Aguilera after hearing the song,[58] and Bart Herbison, the executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, named "What a Girl Wants" "phenomenal", adding: "I think it's one of those songs that’s part of our culture".[59] "What a Girl Wants" inspired the title of the 2000 romantic comedy film What Women Want, having the track on its soundtrack[60] and on a scene.[61] It also inspired the title of the 2003 comedy film of the same name.[62] The song appears in the video game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol (2007).[63]