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Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani song)

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"Rich Girl"
Song

"Rich Girl" is a pop-ragga song performed by singer Gwen Stefani featuring Eve. It was primarily written by Dr. Dre, Eve, and Stefani with other collaborators for Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). The song is based on the Louchie Lou and Michie One 1993 song of the same name, which is an adaptation of the Fiddler on the Roof song "If I Were a Rich Man". In the song, Stefani discusses her dreams of fame and riches from the perspective of "when she was just an Orange County girl".[1]

The track was released as the album's second single in late 2004 (see 2004 in music) to mixed reviews from music critics. It was a commercial success, reaching number two in Australia and the top twenty on the majority of the charts it entered. At the 48th Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Writing process

When Stefani first began recording solo material, Eve showed interest in working with Stefani again, having previously worked with her on "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", and commented, "She's fly, she's tight and she is talented. It's going to be hot regardless."[2] The two decided to work together again after talking in Stefani's laundry room during a party.[3] After Stefani had helped pen over twenty songs for her solo debut, she approached Dr. Dre.[4] Dre had produced "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", and Stefani had worked with him during her time with No Doubt to produce "Wicked Day", which was excluded from the group's 2001 album Rock Steady.[5]

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end After playing some of the songs on which she had been working, Dr. Dre told her, "You don't want to go back there."[4] Instead of using one of the tracks, Dr. Dre instead suggested using reggae duo Louchie Lou and Michie One's 1993 song "Rich Girl", which itself interpolated "If I Were a Rich Man" from the 1964 musical Fiddler on the Roof.[4] Stefani and Eve helped each other with their parts, but when they presented Dr. Dre with the track, he told them to rewrite the song again.[4] The idea which became the final version came to Stefani while brainstorming on her treadmill.[4] She commented that the troubles in writing the song came because "Dre was really pushing me to write in a new way" but when she presented him with the song, "he just totally tricked the track out".[6]

Music and structure

The chorus, which draws directly from "If I Were a Rich Man", is backed by a repeating dyad.

"Rich Girl" is a ragga song composed in the key of C minor.[7] It is written in common time and moves at a moderate 100 beats per minute.[7] The beat is accompanied by an alternating perfect fifth dyad and an accented piano trichord.[7][8] The song is written in verse-chorus form,[7] and its instrumentation includes the electronic keyboard, guitar, and keyboard bass.[9]

The introduction consists of the repeated use of the word na.[7] Stefani reaches her highest note of the song, E5, as part of a trichord and her lowest, G3, during this section.[7] After the first chorus, Stefani discusses dreams of wealth and luxury,[10] and she namechecks fashion designers Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano. Stefani commented that the references were not product placement but that she included them "because I think they're rad and want to talk about them…I'd give all my money to [Westwood] and buy all her clothes!"[11] A bridge, in which Stefani's voice is overdubbed, precedes the second chorus.[7] During the second verse Stefani discusses her Harajuku Girls, and she then repeats the bridge.[7] Following Eve's rap, Stefani sings the chorus and closes the song with a coda, which like the introduction consists of repeating the word na.[7]

Critical reception

"Rich Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics. PlayLouder said that it brought "a much-needed element of diversity" to L.A.M.B. and called it a "potential hit single".[12] The NME, however, called it a "playground chant featuring a tough-girl ragga cameo from Eve".[13] OMH Media gave it an overall positive review, calling it "a great fun song, and far superior to some of the dross that comes out these days" but also commented that it did not live up to "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and found the references to the Harajuku Girls "slightly creepy".[14] The BBC called the song "disco gold, impossibly girly and very easy to dance to".[15] The song drew comparisons to the No Doubt album Rock Steady,[16] and Stylus magazine described it as "a lite version of 'Hey Baby'".[17]

I could tell I had ruffled Gwen's feathers when we spoke before the disc came out. It was the first time I took her to task for disingenuousness – for being ungodly rich yet still singing, "If I were a rich girl … ."
"What do you mean by that?" she snapped. I said the song could be seen as absurd, even untrue. She explained its lyrics were about when she was just an Orange County girl – ah, that troubling phrase! – dreaming of such wealth.
-Ben Wener, The Orange County Register[1]

Several reviewers found it ironic that Stefani, who had already sold 26 million records with No Doubt,[18] discussed having money in the counterfactual conditional. Pitchfork Media found the view contradictory and classified the song as "camp-hop".[19] Neumu called the lyrics insipid and noted that "the incredibly wealthy pop-starlet wonders what it'd be like to be, uh, incredibly wealthy".[20] A reviewer for The Orange County Register told Stefani that the song was disingenuous and "absurd", to which Stefani responded the point of view was from before she was famous.[1] Stefani later refused to issue credentials to the newspaper[1] after the same reviewer wrote that "while posting a reported $90 million via her clothing lines…she's no more 'just an Orange County girl' than Best Buy is just a shack that sells Commodore 64s" in response to a track titled "Orange County Girl" from Stefani's sophomore album.[21]

The interpolation of "If I Were a Rich Man" also drew mixed reviews. PopMatters argued that the track "turns it into an anthem of urban bling-lust" and that its "simple pounding piano chord makes for great percussive backing".[8] The Villager found the interpolation "innovative" and noted the song's take on "the current style of shout-out rap songs".[22] Entertainment Weekly disagreed, stating that the interpolation was used awkwardly,[10] and Rolling Stone called the interpolation a goof.[23] About.com called the track "a dancehall/classic house teardown of 'If I Were a Rich Man'" and commented, "if this is what Jay-Z’s fudging with Annie has wrought, I say, be glad of it."[24]

Sales and chart performance

File:RichGirlCrop.jpg
Stefani performing "Rich Girl" during the Harajuku Lovers Tour.

"Rich Girl" performed moderately well in North America. The single debuted at number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 1, 2005 and reached a peak position ten weeks later at number seven, remaining on the chart for over six months.[25] The song did well on pop-oriented charts, reaching number three on the Pop 100, number four on the Top 40 Mainstream, and number sixteen on the Adult Top 40.[26] The single had little crossover success in the urban charts, only reaching number twenty-seven on the Rhythmic Top 40 and number seventy-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.[26] "Rich Girl" was helped on the Hot 100 and Pop 100 by its strong digital downloads, peaking at number two on the Hot Digital Songs.[26] Due to its high number of digital downloads, the song was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[27] On the 2005 year-end chart, the song was listed at number thirty-one,[28] and at the 2006 Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration but lost to Jay-Z and Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore".[29] The single was less successful in Canada, where it debuted at number twenty-eight and reached a peak of number twelve for two non-consecutive weeks.[30]

Across Europe, "Rich Girl" was largely successful, reaching number two on the Eurochart Hot 100.[31] It reached the top five in Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden and the top ten in Austria, Finland, Greece, Italy, and Switzerland.[30] The song also charted highly in the UK, debuting at number four on March 21, 2005.[32] The track was unable to reach a higher position and remained on the chart for twelve weeks.[25]

Stefani (far left) in a pirate-themed performance of "Rich Girl".

Elsewhere, "Rich Girl" peaked within the top twenty on the majority of the charts it entered. In Australia, it debuted February 28, 2005 at number two under Nelly's "Over and Over" featuring Tim McGraw.[33] It was unable to reach number one and dropped off the chart after thirteen weeks.[25] On the ARIA end of year chart, the track charted at number twenty-six,[34] and the single was certified platinum.[35] The song was generally successful in Latin America, entering the Latin America Top 40 at number twenty on March 13, 2005[36] and peaking at number five ten weeks later.[37] It reached the top twenty in most South American countries, including Argentina and Chile.[30] On the United World Chart, the single debuted at number twenty-nine February 12, 2005.[25] It reached number three for five non-consecutive weeks and stayed on the chart for twenty-three weeks, during fourteen of which it was in the top ten.[25]

Music video

Gwen Stefani, flanked by her Harajuku Girls, dancing in the treasure trove from the music video.

The music video for "Rich Girl" was directed by David LaChapelle and features a pirate theme. The video opens with four Japanese schoolgirls playing with a toy pirate ship and Bratz dolls of Stefani and Eve, while the girls discuss what they would do if they were a "rich girl". The video features several sequences. Stefani is first shown below the deck of a pirate ship, dancing on a table and singing to the song. She is surrounded by pirates and wenches and is soon joined by Eve, wearing an eyepatch. Above deck Stefani, the Harajuku Girls, Eve, and more pirates dance on the deck and rigging. Stefani is also seen dancing with the Harajuku Girls in a treasure trove, often carrying a sword, and swinging from an anchor. When the girls dunk the toy ship in a fish tank, the galleon engages in cannonfire, causing Stefani and the pirates to fall all over the ship, and Stefani and the Harajuku Girls are soon shipwrecked.

The music video was a success on video channels. The video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on December 13, 2004 at number nine.[38] It worked its way to number four, staying on the chart for a total of fourteen days.[38] The video also reached number four on the MuchMusic countdown, remaining on the chart for sixteen weeks.[30]

Charts

Chart (2004)[26][30] Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 7
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 4
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks 15
Chart (2005) Peak
position
Argentine Singles Chart 1
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 2
Austrian Singles Chart 10
Canadian Singles Chart 12
Dutch Top 40 3
Finnish Singles Chart 7
French Singles Chart 4
German Singles Chart 14
Irish Singles Chart 2
Chart (2005)[26][30][37] Peak
position
Italian Singles Chart 7
Latin America Top 40 5
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 3
Norwegian Singles Chart 2
Swedish Singles Chart 4
Swiss Singles Chart 6
UK Singles Chart 4
United World Singles Chart 3
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 16
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play 39
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 78
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 3
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 27

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Rich Girl".

European CD single

  1. "Rich Girl" (album version)
  2. "What You Waiting For?" (live)

European CD maxi single

  1. "Rich Girl" (album version)
  2. "What You Waiting For?" (live)
  3. "Harajuku Girls" (live)
  4. "Rich Girl" (video)

Credits and personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wener, Ben. "Pop Life: A critic gets locked out". The Orange County Register. April 20, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
  2. ^ Moss, Corey and Downey, Ryan J. "Gwen Stefani Recording Solo Material". MTV News. April 18, 2003. Retrieved March 3, 2007.
  3. ^ "Gwen Stefani: 'Rich Girl'". MTV News. January 31, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e Vineyard, Jennifer. "Gwen Stefani: Scared Solo". MTV News. Retrieved March 3, 2007.
  5. ^ VanHorn, Teri. "Dre, Timbaland Beats Will Be Absent On No Doubt LP". MTV News. October 16, 2001. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
  6. ^ "Gwen Stefani". Rebel Waltz. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sheet music for "Rich Girl". Alfred Publishing. 2005.
  8. ^ a b Damas, Jason. "Gwen Stefani: Love.Angel.Music.Baby." PopMatters. November 29, 2004.
  9. ^ Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (CD liner notes). Interscope Records. November 2004.
  10. ^ a b Browne, David. "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | Music Review". Entertainment Weekly. November 23, 2004. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  11. ^ Soghomonian, Talia. "Gwen Stefani - A L.A.M.B. In Wolf's Clothing". OMH Media. January 2005. May 9, 2007.
  12. ^ Smirke, Richard. "Gwen Stefani: Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) review". PlayLouder. November 23, 2004. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  13. ^ Murison, Krissi. "Reviews - Gwen Stefani : Love Angel Music Baby". NME. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  14. ^ Murphy, John. "Gwen Stefani - Rich Girl : single review". OMH Media. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
  15. ^ Haines, Lisa. "Rock/Indie Review - Gwen Stefani, Love Angel Music Baby". BBC. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  16. ^ Cinquemani, Sal. "Music Review: Gwen Stefani: Love. Angel. Music. Baby." Slant. 2004. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  17. ^ Merwin, Charles. "Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby - Review". Stylus. November 24, 2004. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  18. ^ Collis, Clark. "Holla Back". Entertainment Weekly, issue 909. November 22, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  19. ^ Sylvester, Nick. "Gwen Stefani: Love Angel Music Baby". Pitchfork Media. November 24, 2004. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
  20. ^ Carew, Anthony. "44.1 kHz". Neumu. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  21. ^ Wener, Ben. "Memo to Gwen: Just get real, and get back". The Orange County Register. November 1, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  22. ^ McCroy, Winnie. "A sound that pops, and more". The Villager, volume 74, number 35. January 5–11, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  23. ^ Sheffield, Rob. "Rolling Stone : Love Angel Music Baby : Review". Rolling Stone. December 9, 2004. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  24. ^ Shawhan, Jason. "Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby". About.com. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
  25. ^ a b c d e "Gwen Stefani and Eve - Rich Girl: Charts". Music Square. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  26. ^ a b c d e "Love.Angel.Music.Baby. > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. Retrieved March 5, 2007.
  27. ^ "The Future of Music Achieves Major Landmark as Gwen Stefani Makes Digital History with One Millionth Commercial Download of 'Hollaback Girl'". Universal Music Group. October 3, 2005. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  28. ^ "Billboard 2005 Year In Music". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  29. ^ "Complete list of 2006 Grammy winners". The Baltimore Sun. February 9, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  30. ^ a b c d e f "Gwen Stefani Rich Girl". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved March 3, 2007.
  31. ^ "Gwen Goes Indie Route: Stefani Inks with UK Publishing". Billboard. April 16, 2005: volume 117, issue 16, page 1(2). Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  32. ^ "UK Singles Top 75 (12/2005): Charts". Music Square. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  33. ^ "Australia Singles Top 50 (09/2005): Charts". Music Square. Retrieved May 2, 2005.
  34. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  35. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2005 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  36. ^ "Ranking del 13 de marzo del 2005 (Semana 10)". Top Latino. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
  37. ^ a b "Ranking del 22 de mayo del 2005 (Semana 20)". Top Latino. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
  38. ^ a b "The TRL Archive - Debuts". Popfusion. Retrieved March 3, 2007.


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