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Sally Walker (song)

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"Sally Walker"
Azalea posing on the hood of a monster-truck hearse wearing a giant red veil.
Single by Iggy Azalea
from the album In My Defense
Released15 March 2019 (2019-03-15)
Genrehip hop
Length2:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)J. White Did It
Iggy Azalea singles chronology
"Kream"
(2018) 		"Sally Walker"
(2019) 		"Started"
(2019)
Music video
"Sally Walker" on YouTube

"Sally Walker" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea from her second studio album, In My Defense (2019). It was released as the lead single from the album on 15 March 2019, independently by her own label Bad Dreams Records via Empire Distribution. The song was written by Azalea alongside producer J. White Did It. The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, accompanied its release the same day. The song debuted and peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]

Background

On 11 December 2018, Azalea shared a preview of the single through Instagram.[2] In February 2019, the announcement of the single release was accompanied by a picture of Azalea in a "dramatic cobalt-blue eye makeup and a bold red lip" with a "Barbie-esque look" in front of a blood-orange background. The song title is in a cross shape above her head, and below Azalea are the words "A Celebration of Life" and the release date.[3] The official single cover was then unveiled a few days later and featured the rapper posing on the hood of a monster-truck hearse wearing a giant red veil.[4] The title is a reference to children's rhyme dance game Little Sally Walker. Internet personality and makeup artist James Charles, who did Azalea's makeup for the artwork, filmed a makeup tutorial with Azalea ahead of the release date.[5]

Composition

"Sally Walker" was written by Azalea alongside its producer J. White Did It, who also serves as the executive producer on In My Defense.[6] The track is two minutes and fifty-eight seconds long.[7] It is a trap-inspired hip hop song,[8][9] that includes a piano melody.[10] Its piano beat was noted to be similar to Cardi B's "Money" (2018), which was also produced by White, and Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" (2017), produced by Mike Will Made It.[11][12] The song interpolates the popular nursery rhyme of the same name and follows the same flow.[10] The "sassy, attitude-heavy" lyrics are described as showcasing "an Iggy that is unbothered by criticism as she's her own number one fan."[13]

Critical reception

"Sally Walker" received positive reviews from music critics. Mike Nied of Idolator said the song "puts a fresh spin on the much-loved kiddie anthem," describing it as "both twerkable and hummable".[14] Writing for V magazine, Julian Wright stated that Azalea "shows off her lyrical prowess and playful delivery" and the song "weaves through coy choruses of the game's repetitive nursery rhyme and clever bars delivered with heft".[15] HipHopDX commented that "Iggy has been making a huge effort with her career as of lately, and it has been paying off, as many of the work she puts out really slaps,"[16] while Rap-Up said "the twerk-ready banger marks a return to Iggy's mixtape roots."[17] Dani Blum of Pitchfork, in an otherwise negative review of its parent album In My Defense, praised "Sally Walker" as the best song on the album, comparing its "sparkling piano chords" to Cardi B's "Money".[18]

Music video

Background and release

Makeup artist James Charles appears in the video.

Azalea has been teasing the music video for "Sally Walker" since posting a call for the clip on Twitter.[8] She shared various pictures from the music video, which feature her sitting on top of cars in elaborate garments.[19][better source needed] The clip accompanied the song's release on 15 March 2019. It was shot in Atlanta and directed by Colin Tilley, who previously directed Azalea's videos for "Savior" (2018) and "Kream" (2018). It features cameo appearances by makeup artist James Charles and drag queens Shea Couleé, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, and Mayhem Miller.[8] The girl who dies in the video is believed to be allusive to American rapper Bhad Bhabie who Azalea once had an incident with.[20] As of July 2020, the video has over 75 million views on YouTube, becoming Azalea's 18th video to achieve this milestone.[21]

Synopsis

The music video has a funeral-themed storyline. It opens up with Couleé accidentally hitting the title character, Sally Walker, by her car. "Didn't her momma teach her not to play in the street?" she wonders. Mateo, Miller, and Charles appear later as the video moves to Sally's church-set funeral, where a lavender-haired Azalea is rapping from the pews.[8][22][unreliable source?] The video concludes with a preview of another song called "Started", which was released as the follow-up single.[23]

Live performances

The first televised performance of the song took place on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 4 April 2019 during the show's week-long stint in Las Vegas, with Azalea performing at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in front of the famed Stardust logo. After a solo intro from Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, who is also featured in the song's music video, Azalea emerged from inside a red coffin in a red bodysuit covered with pearls, along with female dancers, as neon logos for some iconic Strip landmarks flashed on stage throughout the performance.[24]

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA)[25] 43
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[26] 56
France Downloads (SNEP)[27] 140
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[28] 7
Hungary (Single Top 40)[29] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[30] 70
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[31] 9
Scotland (OCC)[32] 57
UK Singles (OCC)[33] 82
UK Independent Singles (OCC)[34] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[35] 62
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[36] 30
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[37] 27

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[38] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 15 March 2019
[14]
United States 19 March 2019 Rhythmic contemporary [39]

References

  1. ^ "Iggy Azalea". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Iggy Azalea Previews New Single 'Sally Walker'". 11 December 2018.
  3. ^ Acevedo, Angelica (28 February 2019). "Iggy Azalea Announces Release Date for New Single 'Sally Walker'". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  4. ^ Wass, Mike (6 March 2019). "Funeral Chic! Is This The Cover Of Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker"". Idolator. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  5. ^ Dommu, Rose (1 March 2019). "James Charles Turned Iggy Azaela Into a Drag Queen for Her New Single". Out.com. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Iggy Azalea Teases J. White-Produced Single "Sally Walker"". Idolator. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Sally Walker - Single by Iggy Azalea on Apple Music". iTunes. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d Zemler, Emily (15 March 2019). "See Iggy Azalea's Morbid New Video for 'Sally Walker'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  9. ^ Brandle, Lars (15 March 2019). "Iggy Azalea Shares Sassy 'Sally Walker' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b Was, Mike (6 March 2019). "Funeral Chic! Iggy Azalea Reveals "Sally Walker" Cover Art". Idolator. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  11. ^ Galbraith, Alex (15 March 2019). "Fans Are Wondering Why Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker" Sounds Similar to Cardi B's "Money"". Complex. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  12. ^ Coley, Jordan (15 March 2019). "Fans Accused Iggy Azalea Of Copying Cardi B's Sound On Her New Single 'Sally Walker'". Uproxx. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  13. ^ Marie, Erika (15 March 2019). "Iggy Azalea Releases Sassy Single "Sally Walker"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  14. ^ a b Nied, Mike (15 March 2019). "She's Back! Iggy Azalea Comes For Blood On "Sally Walker"". Idolator. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  15. ^ Wright, Julian (15 March 2019). "Iggy Azalea Introduces "Sally Walker"". V. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Watch Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker" Video". HipHopDX. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  17. ^ "New Music: Iggy Azalea - 'Sally Walker'". Rap-Up. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  18. ^ Blum, Dani (25 July 2019). "Iggy Azalea: In My Defense". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  19. ^ @IGGYAZALEA (6 March 2019). "SALLY WALKER March 15 2019" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 March 2019 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Fans Believe The 'Sally Walker' That Dies In Iggy Azalea's Music Video Is Referring To Bhad Bhabie". Inquisitr.com. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Iggy Azalea - Sally Walker (Official Music Video)". Retrieved 30 July 2019 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ Nolfi, Joey (15 March 2019). "Drag Race stars Miss Vanjie, Shea Couleé grace Iggy Azalea's 'Sally Walker' music video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  23. ^ Roth, Madeline (15 March 2019). "Iggy Azalea and a bunch of Drag Race faves party at a funeral in 'Sally Walker' video". MTV. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Iggy Azalea Performs 'Sally Walker' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'". Rap-Up. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  25. ^ "The ARIA Report (March 25, 2019)" (PDF). ARIA. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  26. ^ "Iggy Azalea Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  27. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 12, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Greece Digital Songs - March 30, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 27 March 2019.(subscription required)
  29. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  30. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  31. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  33. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  34. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  35. ^ "Iggy Azalea Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  36. ^ "Iggy Azalea Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  37. ^ "Iggy Azalea Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  38. ^ "American single certifications – Iggy Azalea – Sally Walker". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  39. ^ "Iggy Azalea's Sally Walker Debuts at #10 on Global Youtube Music Videos Chart". Headline Planet. 24 March 2019.
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