Milkshake (song)
"Milkshake" | |
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Song |
"Milkshake" is a song by American recording artist Kelis and the lead single from her third studio album, Tasty. It was originally offered to Britney Spears for her fourth studio album In the Zone, but was rejected for unknown reasons. The song was released in the United States on August 27, 2003, by Star Trak and Arista Records, and internationally on November 24. It was written and produced by The Neptunes, a duo that had made the majority of Kelis' songs in the past. According to Kelis, "milkshake" in the song is used as a metaphor for "something that makes women special." The song is noted for its euphemistic chorus and low beat R&B sound.
The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in December, 2003,[3] becoming Kelis' best charting single in the country to this day. Outside the United States, the song topped the charts in the Republic of Ireland, and peaked inside the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. "Milkshake" was certified gold in the United States, where it has sold 883,000 paid downloads. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2004.
Background
"Milkshake" was written and produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, better known as The Neptunes. The song came out when Tasty was chosen as the album's title.[4] When making the song, Kelis "knew right away that it was a really good song", and she wanted it to be the album's first single.[5] Recording sessions took place at Hovercraft Studios in Virginia.[6] Phil Tan mixed the recordings at Right Track Studios in New York City.[6]
When asked about the meaning of the song, Kelis told The Observer that "It means whatever people want it to; it was just a word we came up with on a whim, but then the song took on a life of its own."[7] However, in an interview with the Associated Press, she likened one's milkshake to one's self-confidence; "A milkshake is the thing that makes women special. It's what gives us our confidence and what makes us exciting."
Composition
"Milkshake" is an R&B song,[1] and Joey Rivaldo of About.com described it as a "low beat dance song".[2] The song is noted for its chorus, in which Kelis sings "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard".[8] The line was referred to as a "sexy, euphemistic playground rap" by MTV News.[8] The song's riff was described as "blaring synth-funk".[9] Unlike many urban pop songs, which rely on drum machines, the beat consists of a lone darbuka playing a rhythm similar to a belly dance. A manjira sample resembling an order-up counter bell is used throughout the song.[1][10] Andy Kellman of Allmusic compared the song's suggestive lyrics to "Nasty Girl" by Vanity 6, "In My House" by Mary Jane Girls and "Touch It" by Monifah.[9] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Hal Leonard Corporation, "Milkshake" has a moderate beat rate of 113 beats per minute.[11]
Critical reception
"Milkshake" received critical acclaim upon its release, both for its inventive and groundbreaking production as well as Kelis' vocal performance. About.com's Joey Rivaldioloio rated the song four out of five stars, and stated: "Clearly this is the case of my milkshake is better than yours, so grab yours quick, or we'll have to charge."[2] While reviewing the soundtrack for the film Mean Girls (2004), in which "Milkshake" is featured, Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that the song describes "the movie's playfully menacing undercurrent," and called the song "fantastic", and that it is "basically a three-minute tutorial in sex appeal."[12] Rollie Pemberton of Pitchfork called the song "brilliant", and said: "Equal parts cantina gyration and future-funk, Kelis plays the coquette, enticing the entire American male populace with rhythmic coos while simultaneously providing an apt tutorial for aspiring temptresses."[13] Bjorn Randolph of Stylus said that the song "may well be remembered as their [The Neptunes'] masterpiece".[1]
Mark Danson of Contactmusic.com was not very fond of the song, criticizing the Neptunes' sound, and said: "as it sounds like [Pharrell] Williams has done this one in his sleep, it'll probably slip under the radar unless it has a fairly decent video to back it up. It’s obviously supposed to be a kind of sexy electronica, but it just ends up sounding slack."[14] Tony Naylor of NME called the song "probably the oddest track" on the Tasty album.[15] Adam Webb of Yahoo! Music UK said that the song "nestles in seamlessly, the rhythm as relentless as a parade of majorettes with Kelis upfront as the cheerleader."[16] Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly called the song a "lusty party anthem".[17] Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone called it "the superfreakiest song on the charts",[18] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called it "thick and creamy",[19] Steve Jones of USA Today called it "saucy",[20] and Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian said that in the song "Kelis exploits her husky croon like never before, pouring it over lascivious double entendre."[21]
The Observer named the song the best single of 2004.[7] In 2004, Pitchfork made a list of the top 50 singles of 2003 and listed the song at number eight.[13] In 2005, Pitchfork made a list of the top 100 singles of 2000–2004, listing "Milkshake" at number 21.[22] Stylus named the song the 13th-best single of 2000–2005.[1] In September 2011, VH1 ranked the song at #61 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s.[23] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 136 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[24]
Commercial performance
"Milkshake" debuted at number 73 on the September 6, 2003, chart of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,[25] and peaked at number four on January 3, 2004.[26] In October 2003, it debuted at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[27] It was Kelis' second entry on the chart, following "Caught out There", which spent twelve weeks on the chart between December 1999 and February 2000.[28] In its thirteenth week on the chart, "Milkshake" reached its peak of number three, and stayed there for five consecutive weeks.[26] The song charted on the Hot 100 for twenty-two weeks,[26] and was certified Gold on October 25, 2004, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[29] "Milkshake" also spent a week at number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart in December 2003.[30] The song has sold 883,000 paid digital downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[31] It was listed at number ten on the 2004 year-end chart of the Hot 100, and number fourteen on the year-end chart of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[32][33] In 2004, "Milkshake" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.[34]
The song performed well internationally, reaching the top ten on many charts. In Ireland, it debuted at number fifteen on the Irish Singles Chart, and later topped the chart for five consecutive weeks.[35] Due to the success, it was listed at number four on the year-end chart of 2004 by the Irish Recorded Music Association.[36] In the United Kingdom, "Milkshake" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for four consecutive weeks and it was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[35][37] In Australia, it was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart for five non-consecutive weeks.[35][38] It was also certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), and peaked at number three on the singles chart.[35][39] The song also peaked inside the top five in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.[35]
Music video
The music video for "Milkshake" was directed by Jake Nava.[40] In the video, Kelis enters a diner called Tasty's Yard. She dances suggestively, and puts her lips around a cherry, which causes a mother to cover her child's eyes. A cook, played by rapper Nas, starts delivering milkshakes to the customers while Kelis dances. A milkshake machine then starts spurting milkshake all over the customers, and more and more people enter the "yard".[8] FHM named the music video the 73rd sexiest music video by a female performer of all time and commented: "Here she's backed up by a posse of dancers wearing tiny diner uniforms. The way she sucks a milkshake and bites a cherry is just unfairly sexy", and said that the best part is when Kelis demonstrates a "perfect bending-over-oven technique".[41]
Usage in media
The song was featured several TV series and films including The Simpsons episode "The Great Simpsina", Jane the Virgin, South Park episode "Hummels & Heroin", Mean Girls, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, King's Ransom, Date Movie, Riverdale and Norbit.
Track listing
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Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
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Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United States[81] | August 25, 2003 | Digital download | |
Australia[82] | November 24, 2003 | EMI | |
New Zealand[83] | |||
Sweden[84] | |||
United Kingdom[42] | Virgin | ||
United States[43] | December 29, 2003 | Digital Radio Remix |
|
United Kingdom[85] | January 5, 2004 | CD single | Virgin |
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Top 50 Singles: 2000-2005". Stylus. 2005-01-10. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ a b c Rivaldo, Joey. "Kelis - Milkshake". About.com. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Billboard.
- ^ Slomowicz, DJ Ron. "Kelis Interview". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ Roberts, Michael (2008-02-14). "Vintage Q&A with Kelis". Denver Westword Blogs. Denver Westword, LLC. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ^ a b Tasty (Liner Notes). Kelis. Star Trak Entertainment, Arista Records. 2003.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "From glam to grime, the year in music". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. 12 December 2004. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ a b c Patel, Joseph (2003-10-07). "Kelis Turning Heads Again With Her Tasty 'Milkshake'". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Tasty > Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ "Shakethrus: 2003: Music Reviews". Shaking Through. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ "Kelis, 'Milkshake' – Composition Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Mean Girls > Overview". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ a b "Pitchfork: Staff Lists: Top 50 Singles of 2003". Pitchfork Media, Inc. 2003-12-30. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ Danson, Matt. "Kelis - Milkshake - Single Review". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ^ Naylor, Tony (2004-01-23). "Kelis : Tasty - Album Review". NME. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ Webb, Adam (2003-12-12). "Kelis - 'Tasty'". Yahoo! Music UK. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Drumming, Neil (2003-12-12). "Tasty". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Hardy, Ernest (January 22, 2004). "Kelis: Tasty". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (2003-12-06). "Kelis: Tasty". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Jones, Steve (2003-12-08). "Kelis, Tasty". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ Lynskey, Dorian (2003-12-04). "Kelis, Tasty". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- ^ "Pitchfork: Staff Lists: The Top 100 Singles of 2000-04". Pitchfork Media, Inc. 2005-01-31. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ Anderson, Kyle (September 29, 2011). "U2, Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters fill out VH1's '100 Greatest Songs of the '00s'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
- ^ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". NME.COM.
- ^ "Top Hip-Hop and R&B Songs & Singles - Week of September 6, 2003 - Biggest Jump". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ a b c "Milkshake - Kelis - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ "'Baby' Kicks 'Tailfeather' From Chart Roost". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ^ a b "Kelis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database: Kelis - Milkshake". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Trust, Gary (2010-03-11). "Chart Beat Thursday: Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Peter Gabriel". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ Concepcion, Mariel (2009-12-01). "Exclusive: Kelis Signs To will.i.am Music Group/Interscope". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ^ a b "2004 Year End Charts - Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ^ a b "2004 Year End Charts - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ^ "2004 Grammy Winners". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e "Kelis - Milkshake - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
- ^ a b "Irish Charts - Best of 2004". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "BPI Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations 2004 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
- ^ "RIANZ - Top 40 Singles Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) Note: The reader must select Chart #1405 - Monday 26 April 2004 to show the certification. - ^ "Milkshake - Kelis - Music Video". MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ "Kelis — Milkshake | The 100 Sexiest Music Videos". FHM. Bauer Media. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Milkshake - Single by Kelis". iTunes Store UK. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ a b "Milkshake (feat. Pharrell & Pusha T)". iTunes Store US. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Kelis - Milkshake (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Kelis - Milkshake (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Kelis - Milkshake (Dance Mixes)". Discogs. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Kelis - Milkshake (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 7. February 14, 2004. p. 53. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Kelis: Milkshake" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 5, 2004". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kelis" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 1,2018.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". VG-lista. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1,2018.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis – Milkshake". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Kelis Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ "Annual Top 50 Singles Chart 2004". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Sverigetopplistan - Årslista 2004" (in Swedish). Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-09-23. Note: The reader must select "Sök alla listor", "Årslistor", "2004" and "Visa!"
- ^ "The Official UK Year-End Top 200 Charts 2004" (PDF). The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ McCabe, Kathy (2010-01-07). "Delta Goodrem's talents top the charts". news.com. News Limited. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Kelis – Milkshake". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- ^ "British single certifications – Kelis – Milkshake". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Milkshake in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American single certifications – Kelis – Milkshake". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "Kelis - Milkshake". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ "Milkshake - Single by Kelis". iTunes Store Australia. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ "Milkshake - Single by Kelis". iTunes Store New Zealand. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ "Milkshake - Single by Kelis". iTunes Store Sweden. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
- ^ "Kelis - Milkshake [Single]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- 2003 singles
- 2004 singles
- Billboard Dance Club Songs number-one singles
- Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
- UK R&B Singles Chart number-one singles
- Kelis songs
- Music videos directed by Jake Nava
- Song recordings produced by The Neptunes
- Songs written by Chad Hugo
- Songs written by Pharrell Williams
- Songs about sexuality
- 2003 songs
- Star Trak Entertainment singles
- Arista Records singles