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Glam (Christina Aguilera song)

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"Glam"
Song

"Glam" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, taken from her sixth studio album Bionic (2010). The song was written by Aguilera, Claude Kelly and C. "Tricky" Stewart, with production was handled by Stewart. It is an electropop song with hip hop elements talks about getting glam and sexy before a night out. According to Aguilera and Kelly, "Glam" was a throwback to Madonna's "Vogue" (1990).

At first, the track was planned to be the lead single from Bionic, however "Not Myself Tonight" was released instead. "Glam" received mixed reviews from music critics, with some praised it as one of the best uptempo tracks on the album, while others named it dull and criticized that the song was not as good as "Vogue". Upon the release of Bionic, "Glam" peaked at number two on the South Korean International Download Chart and number 42 on the main South Korean Download Chart.

Background and composition

In January 5, 2010, Aguilera announced that "Glam" would be released as the lead single from Bionic during an interview with Marie Claire magazine.[1] She described the song as a "tentative" and "poppy" throwback to Madonna's "Vogue" (1990).[1] On an interview with Vibe, co-writer Claude Kelly described the song as "a party anthem but at the same time has underlying messages".[2] On March 23, 2010, after a 24-hour countdown on her official website ended, it was revealed that "Not Myself Tonight" would be released as the first single from the album, instead of "Glam".[3]

Recorded at The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, "Glam" was written by Aguilera, Claude Kelly and Christopher Stewart, while the production was handled by Tricky Stewart.[4] The song is preceded by a word-spoken interlude titled "Love & Glamour".[5] "Glam" was described by MTV News as "a poppy, hip-hop inflected throwback to Madonna's 'Vogue.'".[1] Entertainment Weekly writer Leah Greenblatt called it a "finger-snappy '90s flashbacks".[6] Lyrically, it talks about high fashion, getting glam and sexy before a night out.[2] At a part of the song, she dispenses fashion tips and sings, "Don't let the clothes wear you!".[7]

Critical reception

"Glam" received mixed reviews from music critics. Allison Stewart from The Washington Post named it "a great moment on the album".[8] Mesfin Fekadu from Boston.com website agreed, calling it "one of the disc's best uptempo tracks".[9] USA Today editor Elysa Gardner gave the song a positive review, writing that "[Aguilera] chants deadpan before letting loose a creamy belt that evokes an earthier version of Whitney Houston in her prime".[10] UK newspaper The Scotsman wrote that the song "is her blatant bid to produce a Vogue for our times",[5] while Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine labelled "Glam" as a "top-heavy cocktail that mixes one part 'Vogue' with two parts 'Technologic'".[11]

Brad Steirn from MuuMuse named it "dud",[12] while Michael Cragg from musicOMH called it "dated".[13] Omar Kholeif of PopMatters wrote a negative review, stating "Christina isn't afraid to shake, thrust, and hustle, as she professes on 'Glam', an obvious homage to 'Vogue' that isn't nearly as catchy or sultry as it thinks it is."[14] Jordan Richardson from Blogcritics agreed, writing that "The track is a frustrating and uncomfortable ode to Madonna's 'Vogue,' but Aguilera fails in recreating any of the slinkiness of the track she's trying to emulate".[15]

Credits and personnel

Recording locations
  • Recording – The Boom Boom Room, Burbank, California
  • Vocal recording – The Red Lips Room, Beverly Hills, California
Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bionic, RCA Records.[4]

Chart performance

Upon the release of the album Bionic, "Glam" debuted at number 2 on the Gaon International Downloads Chart on the chart issue June 13, 2010, becoming the best-charting song from the album on the chart.[16] "Glam" also peaked at number 42 on the Gaon Singles Chart in the week of June 20–27, 2010.[17] "Glam" was the 35th best-selling international single on the Gaon Chart in 2010, with 354,259 digital copies sold.[18]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
South Korean Singles (Gaon)[17] 42
South Korean International Downloads (Goan)[16] 2

References

  1. ^ a b c d Dihn, James (January 5, 2010). "Christina Aguilera Says New Album, Bionic, 'Is About The Future'". MTV News. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Murphy, Keith (April 18, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's Songwriter On Lady Gaga Comparisons: 'That's Crap'". Vibe. Vibe Media. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  3. ^ "Christina Aguilera fires up website, announces "big news" about 'Bionic'". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. March 23, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Bionic (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b "Album review: Christina Aguilera, Bionic". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. June 6, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  6. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (June 8, 2010). "Bionic (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  7. ^ Kot, Greg (June 7, 2010). "Turn It Up: Album review: Christina Aguilera, 'Bionic'". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  8. ^ Stewart, Allison (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera's new album 'Bionic' is a mish-mash of Gaga and blah". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  9. ^ Fekadu, Mesfin (June 7, 2010). "Review: Aguilera has an identity crisis on new CD". Boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Gardner, Elysa (June 8, 2010). "'Bionic' reveals the inner workings of Christina Aguilera". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  11. ^ "Christina Aguilera: Bionic | Music Review". Slant Magazine. June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  12. ^ Stern, Bradley (June 7, 2012). "CHRISTINA AGUILERA: BIONIC (ALBUM REVIEW)". MuuMuse. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  13. ^ Cragg, Michael (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera - Bionic | album reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  14. ^ Kholeif, Omar. "Christina Aguilera: Bionic". PopMatters. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  15. ^ Richardson, Jordan (June 25, 2010). "Music Review: Christina Aguilera - Bionic - Page 2". Blogcritics. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  16. ^ a b "Gaon International Download Chart - Issue date: June 13, 2010 - June 20, 2010" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  17. ^ a b "Search: Gaon Chart - Issue date: June 14, 2010 - June 20, 2010" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  18. ^ "Gaon Chart: Year-End 2010". Gaon Chart. Retrieved February 9, 2014.