Official Girl
| "Official Girl" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Official Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Cassie, released on August 5, 2008 by Bad Boy and Atlantic Records. It features a guest verse from American rapper Lil Wayne.
Background
Cassie stated that she was more vulnerable in her new songs, and that her vocals could be heard better. She felt there was "real emotion and a much realer connection with [her] fans". Cassie said that her first single would be "a club record — something fun and danceable", and cited "My House", "Push It" and "Thirsty" as possible single choices for the album.[2]
Lyrics
Cassie said that "Official Girl" was a great first single for her because it said something. Cassie hoped that the song could spread the message of girl power and empower girls to stand up and take control of their romantic relationships. She said that she "fell in love with records like [Beyoncé's] 'Irreplaceable', where you could emotionally attach yourself to the record as soon as you heard it. I didn't want something so vague and so clubby, because I wanted people to see me as a woman with something to say." Cassie defined an official girl as "someone in a relationship. You're attentive, you're honest, but at the same time you can let go a little bit [...] To be an official girl, you just have to ride for your significant other and support them 100 percent."[3]
Music video
Cassie filmed the video in April 2008 and premiered the music video for "Official Girl" on August 22, 2008 on MTV's FNMTV.[4][5] The music video was directed by Chris Robinson. Cassie says her choreography is at a whole new level, and that she has "never seen myself dance like this before". Cassie said that Diddy surprised her with Lil Wayne's verse and cameo, who she described as "one of the best rappers out right now". She said that she was very excited Wayne "decided on his platinum day to be [with her]".[6] Cassie described the video's plot as "a series of things", where she is in the "crazy-girl stage". She said that it was "about the fly chick, she's going into the hotel, feeling out her situation, talking to the guy who she thinks is there, but it's really not. You have to see it. It's hard to explain."Also Cassie can be seen in a Bugatti Veyron in the video.[6]
Although the song was not a hit on the Billboard charts, its video was a hit on BET's 106 & Park, reaching the #3 spot on the countdown. The video debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks chart on the September 13 edition of Billboard charts, becoming the first to do so.[7] It immediately fell off the chart the next week, to re-enter at number eleven on the November 1 chart edition.[8]
Reception
August Brown of The Los Angeles Times felt that while "Official Girl" was not Cassie's best work, the fact that "she's such an aggressive non-presence in any song still makes for striking radio singles."[5] Jocelyn Vena of MTV felt that Cassie's "personality comes through on her latest single."[3]
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norway Digital Songs (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| US Hot Videoclip Tracks (Billboard)[10] | 1 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 5, 2008[11] | Digital download | |
| September 22, 2008[12] | Rhythmic radio | ||
| Ireland[13] | February 22, 2009 | Digital download | Warner |
| United Kingdom[14] |
References
- ^ ASCAP Work ID: 750407064
- ^ "Cassie Grows Up on Sophomore Album". Billboard, January 11, 2008.
- ^ a b Vena, Jocelyn (August 18, 2008). "Cassie's Single With Lil Wayne, Official Girl, Shows Personality, Sensuality Of Singer's Sophomore LP". MTV. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
- ^ Behind the Scenes of first single "Official Girl"
- ^ a b Brown, August (August 22, 2008). "FNMTV's Season Finale: Premieres from John Legend, Cassie and Pink; Ne-Yo Slays the Ladies Live". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (June 20, 2008). "Cassie Snags The In-Demand Lil Wayne For "Official Girl" Video — With A Little Help From Diddy". MTV. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ "Official Girl" (Hot Videoclip Tracks)) at Billboard online, September 13, 2008.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/cassie/chart-history/hot-videoclip-tracks
- ^ "Norway Digital Songs – September 20, 2008". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2016. (subscription required)
- ^ "Hot Videoclips". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 13, 2008. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DU0GW8
- ^ http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/22/2008&Format=9
- ^ http://ie.7digital.com/artist/cassie/release/official-girl-feat-lil-wayne
- ^ http://www.7digital.com/artist/cassie/release/official-girl-feat-lil-wayne