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In 1998 <ref>http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oph%E9lie+Winter&titel=Privacy&cat=a</ref><ref>http://books.google.nl/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&pg=PT9&dq=christina+aguilera,+ce+que+je+suis&hl=nl&ei=IIUeTaTRKsqy8gPQtYypBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA</ref>, [[Ophélie Winter]] released the album ''Privacy'' containing the song ''Ce que je suis''. Released a year prior to the commercial availability of ''What a girl wants'' (on the album [[Christina Aguilera (album)|'''''Christina Aguilera''''']]), ''Ce que je suis'' is nearly identical to ''What a girl wants'', with somewhat different lyrics. Given the fact that writers Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche are credited with the production of Ophélie Winter's song<ref>http://opheliedisco.skyrock.com/440148794-Ce-que-je-suis.html</ref> (as well as the album ''Privacy'' in general<ref>http://musique.ados.fr/Ophelie-Winter.html</ref>) it is most likely that the song was retooled and eventually used as a single by Christina Aguilera at a later point. In ''The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums''<ref>[http://books.google.nl/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&pg=PT9&dq=christina+aguilera,+ce+que+je+suis&hl=nl&ei=IIUeTaTRKsqy8gPQtYypBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA]The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums (Third edition, 2004), pg. 52. Authors: Neil Warwick, Jon Kutner and Tony Brown. Publisher: Omnibus Press. ISBN: 1844490580.</ref> authors Warwick, Kutner and Brown mention ''Ce que je suis'' as the original recording of Aguilera's song.
In 1998 <ref>http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oph%E9lie+Winter&titel=Privacy&cat=a</ref><ref>http://books.google.nl/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&pg=PT9&dq=christina+aguilera,+ce+que+je+suis&hl=nl&ei=IIUeTaTRKsqy8gPQtYypBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA</ref>, [[Ophélie Winter]] released the album ''Privacy'' containing the song ''Ce que je suis''. Released a year prior to the commercial availability of ''What a girl wants'' (on the album [[Christina Aguilera (album)|'''''Christina Aguilera''''']]), ''Ce que je suis'' is nearly identical to ''What a girl wants'', with somewhat different lyrics. Given the fact that writers Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche are credited with the production of Ophélie Winter's song<ref>http://opheliedisco.skyrock.com/440148794-Ce-que-je-suis.html</ref> (as well as the album ''Privacy'' in general<ref>http://musique.ados.fr/Ophelie-Winter.html</ref>) it is most likely that the song was retooled and eventually used as a single by Christina Aguilera at a later point. In ''The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums''<ref>[http://books.google.nl/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&pg=PT9&dq=christina+aguilera,+ce+que+je+suis&hl=nl&ei=IIUeTaTRKsqy8gPQtYypBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA]The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums (Third edition, 2004), pg. 52. Authors: Neil Warwick, Jon Kutner and Tony Brown. Publisher: Omnibus Press. ISBN: 1844490580.</ref> authors Warwick, Kutner and Brown mention ''Ce que je suis'' as the original recording of Aguilera's song.


However, when ''What a girl wants'' made its worldwide release ''Ce que je suis'' became available as a single as well - two years after its initial release on album. In France, the songs hit the charts at the same time on February 26, 2000, with Aguilera's song staying on til June 2000, while Winter's song left the charts two months earlier <ref>http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oph%E9lie+Winter&titel=Ce+que+je+suis&cat=s</ref><ref>http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Christina+Aguilera&titel=What+a+Girl+Wants&cat=s</ref>.
However, when ''What a girl wants'' had its worldwide release ''Ce que je suis'' became available as a single as well - two years after its initial release on album. In France, the songs hit the charts at the same time on February 26, 2000, with Aguilera's song staying on til June 2000, while Winter's song left the charts two months earlier <ref>http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oph%E9lie+Winter&titel=Ce+que+je+suis&cat=s</ref><ref>http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Christina+Aguilera&titel=What+a+Girl+Wants&cat=s</ref>.


Although both songs clashed on the French music charts (''Ce que je suis'' seemingly did not chart elsewhere) there's no evidence at hand to suggest that the situation led to any kind of dispute, as both songs continue to be commercially available without any apparent restrictions.
Although both songs clashed on the French music charts (''Ce que je suis'' seemingly did not chart elsewhere) there's no evidence at hand to suggest that the situation led to any kind of dispute, as both songs continue to be commercially available without any apparent restrictions.

Revision as of 04:16, 2 January 2011

This article is about the Christina Aguilera song. For the B2K song, see What a Girl Wants (B2K song).
"What a Girl Wants"
Song
B-side"Too Beautiful For Words"

"What a Girl Wants" is the second single from Christina Aguilera's debut album, Christina Aguilera. The song was released on December 28, 1999, which was ten days after Aguilera's nineteenth birthday. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 15, 2000 for two weeks, becoming Aguilera's second number-one single. In the U.S., it became the first number-one single of the 2000s. The single peaked at number three in the UK and at number five in Australia. Often considered one of her signature songs[citation needed], the single is most known for establishing Aguilera's placement in the music industry. Many critics had written off the success of her last single, "Genie in a Bottle", as a fluke; "What a Girl Wants" served to prove that Aguilera was not a one-hit wonder. The single earned her five MTV Video Music Awards nominations;[3] Best Female Video, Best New Artist, Best Pop Video, Viewer's Choice, and Best Choreography (Tina Landon), and also a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001.

The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol.

The song's music video was directed by Diane Martel.

Song information

"What a Girl Wants" was written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche, and was produced by Roche as well. It is a retooled version of the song Ce que je suis, which was performed by Ophélie Winter (see below for more information).

In her first anthem dedicated to appreciating gentlemen, Aguilera wants to thank a man who stood by her, and did not abandon her while she was confused and needed time to 'breathe'. He knew exactly what his girl wanted and needed. To show her appreciation for the guy in her life, Aguilera sings, "What a girl wants, what a girl needs; Whatever makes me happy and sets you free, and I'm thanking you for knowing exactly..". Unlike her previous single, "Genie in a Bottle", this song is not meant to deal with the sexual aspect of relationships, but rather the romantic and loving part of them, despite the fact that a few of the lyrics suggest otherwise (e.g. "What I want is what you got, What you got is what I want").

Besides "Genie in a Bottle" and "Beautiful", the song is often considered to be one of her signature songs, but ironically, it almost did not become the second single. Aguilera's record company, RCA Records, had originally felt that the track "So Emotional" should become the second single. The label even promoted the song as if it were a single by having Aguilera perform the song on several occasions, such as on TRL and Soul Train. Aguilera felt that was a poor choice for the next single and that she would end up as a one hit wonder if it became the next single.

Originally her insecurities were brushed off by RCA, but Aguilera continued to fight. Her record company finally relented, and "What a Girl Wants" was given the go-ahead to be the next single. However, Aguilera was still not comfortable as she felt that the song did not have single potential in its current form. Instead, she decided that the song needed to be remixed and re-recorded (as the original album version of "What a Girl Wants" had been a slow jam unsuitable for pop radio at the time). When redone, the new version of "What a Girl Wants" kept much of the original melody, but showed new energy and zest as the song was now uptempo, had new lyrics, a new bridge, a Baroque-style breakdown and new powerful vocals (since the original album version had been recorded in June 1998, Aguilera's vocal strength had increased considerably).

As the new version of the song was not on the original album, the album was re-released with the video version of the new version replacing the original version. For fans of Aguilera who already had the album and did not want to buy it again, the Radio Edit of the new version was also released as one of the last major releases of CD singles in the U.S. The Spanish version, "Una Mujer" (English: "A Woman"), is included on Mi Reflejo. The Smooth Mix version of the song (a slower-tempo remix similar to the album version with different (primarily major) backing chords for the first and second verses) is still regularly featured on adult contemporary radio stations today.

Live version

Aguilera has sung "What a Girl Wants" differently from the previous album and single versions since around 2002. Her most noticeable change has been on the Justified and Stripped Tour, where she changed tempo, and sings the word knew in "You're the one who always knew" regularly, but built up into whistle register and whistle register vocal acrobatics. Aguilera also sang the song in her 2006 - 2007's tour Back to Basics Tour but sang it in a reggae style with no whistle notes.

Music video

The music video was directed by Diane Martel, who also done a music video for Aguilera's previous and chart topping single "Genie in a Bottle". The video begins with Aguilera and her friends walking into an arcade-themed room, dancing for a group of guys.

There are three remixed music videos (all remixes by Thunderpuss): one for the Fiesta Club Mix, one for the Dirty Club Mix and one for Dark Club Mix.

Remixes

A different version was used as the single version than the album version. In the video, a slightly altered version of the single version is used, which includes a classical-themed breakdown in the video and an extended ending in the video version as well. Four official remixes were released in the US on the CD maxi-single, including two each by Eddie Arroyo and Thunderpuss. Further remixes were released on international versions of the single.

Chart performance

After the massive success of Aguilera's number-one debut single "Genie in a Bottle", there was pressure for its follow-up to succeed, as well. "What a Girl Wants" proved to be another big hit, though not to quite the same degree as "Genie in a Bottle". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot 100 Singles Sales charts for two weeks, and peaked at number two on the Hot 100 Airplay; the single's strong sales would later assure it a gold certification. The song also topped the Billboard Top 40 Tracks, Top 40 Mainstream and Rhythmic Top 40 charts. The track was an international success, reaching number three in the UK and spending seven weeks within the top 40 and 13 weeks in the top 100. "What a Girl Wants" also entered the Top 10 in Canada, peaking at number 5.

A CD maxi single release late into the song's run helped the song peak at number two on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart; unfortunately in terms of club play, the song was not as successful peaking at number eighteen on Hot Dance Club Play. There are several different versions of "What a Girl Wants" including the Adult Contemporary Mix which includes lyrics from the video version, but a track closer the original album version.

Elsewhere, the single fared success within the top twenty in most countries. The single also reached number one in New Zealand, where it held that position for 5 consecutive weeks. During the week of March 13, 2000, Aguilera visited the country while the single remained at number one. "What a Girl Wants" was certified Gold in New Zealand for selling more than 7,500 units, and certified gold in Sweden. It landed at number 19 on the year-end charts in the United States and number 32 in New Zealand.

Ophélie Winter's Ce que je suis

In 1998 [4][5], Ophélie Winter released the album Privacy containing the song Ce que je suis. Released a year prior to the commercial availability of What a girl wants (on the album Christina Aguilera), Ce que je suis is nearly identical to What a girl wants, with somewhat different lyrics. Given the fact that writers Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche are credited with the production of Ophélie Winter's song[6] (as well as the album Privacy in general[7]) it is most likely that the song was retooled and eventually used as a single by Christina Aguilera at a later point. In The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums[8] authors Warwick, Kutner and Brown mention Ce que je suis as the original recording of Aguilera's song.

However, when What a girl wants had its worldwide release Ce que je suis became available as a single as well - two years after its initial release on album. In France, the songs hit the charts at the same time on February 26, 2000, with Aguilera's song staying on til June 2000, while Winter's song left the charts two months earlier [9][10].

Although both songs clashed on the French music charts (Ce que je suis seemingly did not chart elsewhere) there's no evidence at hand to suggest that the situation led to any kind of dispute, as both songs continue to be commercially available without any apparent restrictions.

Track listings

US Promo CD[11]

  1. What a Girl Wants [Radio Edit] 3:20
  2. What a Girl Wants [Album Version] 3:52
  3. What a Girl Wants [Suggested Callout Hook] 0:11

US 3-track Promo[12]

  1. What a Girl Wants [Smooth Mix]
  2. Radio Edit
  3. Callout Hook

US Promo CD (Remixes)

  1. What a Girl Wants - Fiesta Edit 3:25
  2. What a Girl Wants - Eddie Arroyo Dance Radio Edit 4:04
  3. What a Girl Wants - Eddie Arroyo Down Tempo Killer Mix 4:20
  4. What a Girl Wants - A Cappella 3:37

2 Track US CD single

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio version] - 3:20
  2. "We're a Miracle"

US/Germany single

  1. "What a Girl Wants [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants [Smooth Mix] - 3:30
  3. "Too Beautiful For Words" - 4:11

Maxi-CD

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss Fiesta Club Mix] - 6:16
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss Dirrty 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] - 4:20

US Promo Remixes

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss 2000 Dirty Club Mix] - 6:33
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss 2000 Fiesta Club Mix] - 6:13
  3. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss 2000 Dark Club Mix] - 8:49
  4. "What a Girl Wants" [Eddie Arroyo Long Dance Mix] - 8:07
  5. "What a Girl Wants" [Eddie Arroyo Down Tempo Killer Mix] - 4:07

UK Promo CD[13]

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio Edit] 3:20
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Smooth Mix] 3:27

UK CD 1'

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Smooth Mix] 3:30
  3. "Christina Aguilera Medley ("I Turn To You", "So Emotional", "Somebody's Somebody", "Genie in a Bottle", "Come On Over") 4:55

'UK CD 2

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "We're a Miracle" 4:09
  3. "What a Girl Wants" [Video Enhancment] - 4:06

Japanese Promo[14]

  1. What a Girl Wants 3:52

Germany Maxi-CD[15]

  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio Edit]
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Smooth Mix]
  3. "Too Beautiful for Words"

Awards

Year Award Category Result
2000 BMI Award Best Song Won
2000 Billboard Music Award Female Artist of the Year Won
2000 Teen Magazine Award Best Female Artist Won
2000 Best Girl-Power Song Won
2000 Teen Choice Awards Choice Music: Single Nominated
2000 Choice Love Song Nominated
2000 MTV Video Music Awards Best Female Video Nominated
2000 Best Pop Video Nominated
2000 Best New Artist in a Video Nominated
2000 Viewer's Choice Nominated
2000 Best Choreography in a Video Nominated
2001 Grammy Awards Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Nominated

Charts

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.amazon.com/What-Girl-Wants-Christina-Aguilera/dp/B00003W89W/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_lnk
  2. ^ http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/A/Aguilera_Christina/1999/09/29/pf-742789.html
  3. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5924156/n_sync_eminem_lead_mtv_awards_nominees,
  4. ^ http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oph%E9lie+Winter&titel=Privacy&cat=a
  5. ^ http://books.google.nl/books?id=ib4MyAIpe3MC&pg=PT9&dq=christina+aguilera,+ce+que+je+suis&hl=nl&ei=IIUeTaTRKsqy8gPQtYypBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA
  6. ^ http://opheliedisco.skyrock.com/440148794-Ce-que-je-suis.html
  7. ^ http://musique.ados.fr/Ophelie-Winter.html
  8. ^ [1]The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums (Third edition, 2004), pg. 52. Authors: Neil Warwick, Jon Kutner and Tony Brown. Publisher: Omnibus Press. ISBN: 1844490580.
  9. ^ http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Oph%E9lie+Winter&titel=Ce+que+je+suis&cat=s
  10. ^ http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Christina+Aguilera&titel=What+a+Girl+Wants&cat=s
  11. ^ http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=148347 eil.com
  12. ^ http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=154600 eil.com
  13. ^ http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=148967 eil.com
  14. ^ http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=148847 eil.com
  15. ^ http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:What%20a%20Girl%20Wants%20[Germany]:1921371476:upc=743217256623
  16. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  17. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  18. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  20. ^ "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Christina Aguilera. [dead link]
  22. ^ "Christina Aguilera: What a Girl Wants" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  23. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in French). Les classement single.
  24. ^ "Irish Singles Chart (Search)". irishcharts.ie. February 2000. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  25. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  26. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Top 40 Singles.
  27. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Singles Top 100.
  28. ^ "Christina Aguilera – What a Girl Wants". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. ^ "Christina Aguilera: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  30. ^ "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  32. ^ "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  33. ^ "ARIA charts — End of year charts". aria.com.au. 2000. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  34. ^ "Le Classement Singles". disqueenfrance.com. 1999. Retrieved 2008-10-10. [dead link]
  35. ^ "New Zealand certification (search)". rianz.org.nz. 2000. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  36. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart". billboard.com. 2000-12-31. Retrieved 2008-10-10. [dead link]
  37. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/Christina+Aguilera/chart-history/325726?f=379&g=Singles
  38. ^ "Australian certification". aria.com.au. 2000. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  39. ^ "New Zealand certification (search)". rianz.org.nz. 2000-04-16. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  40. ^ "U.S. certification (search)". riaa.com. 2000-02-28. Retrieved 2008-10-10.


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