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Stupid Girls

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"Stupid Girls"
Song
B-side"Heartbreaker"

"Stupid Girls" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Pink from her third studio album I'm Not Dead (2006). It was released in February 2006 as the first single from her third studio album by LaFace Records. The song marked Pink's return to LaFace Records under Zomba Label Group via Sony BMG, after Arista Records consolidated LaFace's operations into its own in mid-2001. "Stupid Girls" was written by Pink, Billy Mann, Niklas Olovson, and Robin Mortensen Lynch, Mann and MachoPsycho both produced the track. Recorded in 2005, the song introduces a more provocative, feminist, and explicit side of Pink, it lyrically condemns sexism and motivates intelligence in women.

The song was well received by critics for its sound, its lyrical content, and that it was "sexy". Due to the lyrical content, Zomba Label Group (a division of Sony BMG) was reluctant to release the song as the first single, until finally the officials saw the music video for the song and decided to release the music video first before soliciting the track to radio markets. According to Zomba, over eight million people downloaded the video immediately after it was available online, but also "went online to download the audio from the video in order to get it on radio".

The song was also responsible for reviving her popularity, following her decline between 2003 and 2005, reaching the top ten in fifteen countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and majority of Europe. The song was a moderate success in the United States, reaching the position of thirteen and the top forty on its component charts. A music video was filmed and premiered on MTV's Overdrive in January 2006. It features Pink as a variety of roles, both as an angel and a demon, variety of celebrities, a random woman getting plastic surgery, a lady with a purging disorder, and others. The song earned Pink a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

Composition

Written in the key of E minor, "Stupid Girls" lyrically condemns sexism and promotes intelligence in women and girls.[1]

Commercial performance

The single entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in the week of February 25 at number twenty-four, the week's highest debut[2] and the highest debut of Pink's career (later topped by her 2008 single, So What[3]). In the week of March 4, it climbed to number thirteen, becoming Pink's eighth top twenty single in the United States and her highest peaking single since "Just Like a Pill" (2002). Its peak on the Top 40 Mainstream airplay chart, however, did not match that of most of her previous singles. "Stupid Girls" remained on the Hot 100 for sixteen weeks, and it reached the top twenty on the Pop 100 and appeared on the Adult Top 40. It received airplay in nightclubs, peaking inside the top twenty on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Stupid Girls" was certified Gold by RIAA on February 13, 2008.[4]

The single was a bigger chart hit elsewhere—it reached number two on the Canadian Singles Chart, and on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, it entered at number four and is certified gold for sales of over 35,000. It was ranked number thirty-ninth on ARIA's top 100 singles of 2006 list.[5] It also peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Pink's highest charting single in the UK since "Feel Good Time" (2003). It reached the top ten in most countries in Europe.

"Stupid Girls" was nominated in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards.[6]

Critical reception

The single was praised by Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling on her official website. She wrote, "'Stupid Girls', is the antidote-anthem for everything I had been thinking about women and thinness."[7] About.com praised the song and highlighted it: "she has rarely been as pointed in her socio-political views as in the hit "Stupid Girls" (...) "Stupid Girls" is musically a dance/hip hop gem."[8] Allmusic praised her delivery when she's taunting and teasing this song and it was titled as one of the standouts on album.[9] Entertainment Weekly noted that this song has some verve.[10] The Guardian was less positive noting that her vocals are superficial as the starlets she attacks.[11] LA Times wrote that this song fuses many genres greatly and called it "hilarious feminist romp."[12] Jon Pareles was favorable: "the pop-reggae of Stupid Girls snidely dismisses the bimbos she sees everywhere, though she apparently has studied their habits closely."[13] PopMatters was positive: "On "Stupid Girlz", she rails against the idea that women have to choose between being smart and being sexy, as if the two are mutually exclusive.[14] Sal Cinqeman was favorable, too: "As always, Pink's ragged vocals are better than she's often given credit for and there's still a rebel sensibility, at least lyrically, on the catchy lead single "Stupid Girls" ("Where, oh where, have all the smart people gone?" she begs, lambasting "porno paparazzi girls"—which would have made for a more fun title—the way she took aim at Britney two albums ago)."[15] Rolling Stone praised the collaboration with Lilth Fair and added that she takes on 'stupid girls' with these lyrics "What happened to the dream of a girl president?/She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent."[16]

Feminist website Feminspire were considerably more critical, naming the song in 2014 as one of "the top ten most sexist songs that aren't rap or hip hop from the last 20 years". Author Noor Al-Sibai remarked that: "Pink shits on these women who are too stupid to break out of the chains of patriarchy by harshly judging their promiscuity and blaming them for 'giving in' to sexist tropes. Because obviously, women are to blame for their sexist objectification."[17]

Music video

The single's video was directed by Dave Meyers and premiered on MTV's broadband channel Overdrive on January 26, 2006.[18] Meyers and Pink shot the videos for "Stupid Girls" and "U + Ur Hand", the album's third single, before the decision was made as to which would become the album's lead single. Pink described the video as "sick and twisted and insane" and said of Meyers, "He has an insane imagination. I don't think everyone else is going to laugh, but just know that we all did." Pink did her own stunts for the video.[19] According to Barry Weiss, president of Zomba Music Group, executives at Pink's label were reluctant to release the song as the album's first single until the video "hit a chord" with them.[20] They decided to release the video before issuing the song to radio, and 8.6 million people downloaded the video when it was made available on the internet. Zomba's senior vice president of marketing Janet Kleinbaum said that radio programmers "went online to download the audio from the video in order to get it on radio".[20]

The video shows Pink as an angel and a demon who try to influence the future of a young girl. The angel shows her a series of images demonstrating the stupidity of current trends in female celebrities, and the images feature Pink in various roles, including a dancer in a 50 Cent video, a girl attempting to attract the attention of an instructor at the gym, a girl who uses her emergency inflatable breasts at a bowling alley, a girl at a tanning salon, a girl with purging disorder who considers calories "so not sexy", an old woman in a pink tracksuit who looks as if she is trying too hard to look young, a girl getting plastic surgery, a girl making a sex tape, a girl washing her car and rubbing a facecloth and soap all over herself, and a girl who goes into what looks like a pet shop, buys an "itsy bitsy doggy" with the advertisement that it "stays younger longer", and drives her car so carelessly while putting on makeup that she runs over two people. Pink also plays characters meant to represent the opposite of "stupid girls", such as a female president and a girl winning a game of football. The video ends with the girl choosing a football (fitness), a computer (work), books (knowledge and adequate education), dance shoes (love), and a keyboard (leisure) over makeup (vanity) and a set of dolls (children) as she wants a normal life and the images are too overwhelming for her; the demon is defeated.

Pink parodying Mary-Kate Olsen in the music video for "Stupid Girls".

Some of the negatively portrayed characters in the video are parodies of young female celebrities such as Mary-Kate Olsen, who provides the basis for the Boho-chic dressing style of the girl who visits a Fred Segal clothing store.[21][22] The redheaded girl who accidentally hits pedestrians with her car is a parody of Lindsay Lohan.[21][22] The scene in which Pink washes a car in a bikini is a parody of similar scenes in the video for Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (2005)[21][22] and a 2005 Carl's Jr. television commercial featuring Paris Hilton.[22] The digital video shots showing Pink in bed with a man parallel those in the Paris Hilton sex tape 1 Night in Paris.[21][22] The scene where Pink portrays a blonde coming into a bathroom throwing up food in order to be skinny (portraying bulimia) is reported to be portraying Nicole Richie.[23] Towards the end in the video, a middle-aged woman with leathery skin appears next to a hot pink Honda S2000, which is exactly the same car driven by Devon Aoki in the film 2 Fast 2 Furious.[24]

The video debuted on the U.S. MTV Total Request Live countdown on January 31 and peaked at number six; it remained on the countdown for fourteen days, until February 23.[25] The video was retired on the Poland version of MTV's Total Request Live, and it won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video in August 2006 (see 2006 MTV Video Music Awards).[26] When she was receiving the award, Pink parodied Paris Hilton by talking in a higher pitched voice and acting overly excited. Nicole Richie co-presented the award.[27]

Track listings and formats

  • UK CD1
  1. "Stupid Girls" – 3:16
  2. "Heartbreaker" – 3:08
  • UK CD2
  1. "Stupid Girls – 3:16
  2. "Stupid Girls" (D-Bop's 3am at Crash Mix) – 6:51
  3. "Stupid Girls" (Junior Vasquez & Dynamix Club Remix) – 8:59
  4. "Stupid Girls" (Noize Trip Remix) – 3:13
  5. "Stupid Girls" (video) - 3:25
  • UK 12"
  1. "Stupid Girls" (Junior Vasquez & Dynamix Club Remix) – 8:59
  2. "Stupid Girls" (Noize Trip Remix) – 3:13
  3. "Stupid Girls" (D-Bop's 3am at Crash Mix) – 6:51
  4. "Stupid Girls" (Kardinal Beatz Remix) – 3:23
  5. "Stupid Girls" (Eddie Baez Big Room Anthem Radio Mix) – 3:18
  • Remixes
  1. "Stupid Girls" (Hani Stupid Radio Edit) - 3:28
  2. "Stupid Girls" (D-Bop's 3am at Crash Radio Edit) – 4:11
  3. "Stupid Girls" (Junior Vasquez & Dynamix Radio Edit) – 4:02
  4. "Stupid Girls" (Eddie Baez Big Room Anthem Radio Edit) – 3:18
  5. "Stupid Girls" (Kardinal Beatz Remix) – 3:35
  6. "Stupid Girls" (Noize Trip Remix) – 3:13
  7. "Stupid Girls" (Hani Stupid Club Mix) – 8:26
  8. "Stupid Girls" (D-Bop's 3am at Crash Club Mix) – 6:51
  9. "Stupid Girls" (Junior Vasquez & Dynamix Club Mix) – 9:00
  10. "Stupid Girls" (Eddie Baez Big Room Anthem Club Mix) – 7:37
  11. "Stupid Girls" (Soul Seekerz Club Mix) - 6:04

Live performances

Pink has performed "Stupid Girls" on her I'm Not Dead Tour and her Funhouse Tour.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[61] Gold 40,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[62] Gold 0^
United States (RIAA)[63] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0055737. Retrieved 13 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Hope, Clover. "'Check On It' Nets Fourth Week At No. 1". Billboard. February 16, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  3. ^ Bronson, Fred. "Chart Beat - As 'Stupid' Does". Billboard. February 16, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  4. ^ "Gold & Platinum - January 19, 2011". RIAA. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  5. ^ a b ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2006
  6. ^ "FOX Facts: Complete List of Grammy Award Nominations". Associated Press. December 7, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
  7. ^ "Section: Extra Stuff - For Girls Only, probably". jkrowling.com.
  8. ^ Linda Perry - Profile of pop music producer and songwriter Linda Perry
  9. ^ I'm Not Dead - P!nk | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic
  10. ^ I'm Not Dead | EW.com
  11. ^ CD: Pink, I'm Not Dead | Music | The Guardian
  12. ^ Think of Pink as a spectrum - latimes
  13. ^ Critic's Choice - New CD's - NYTimes.com
  14. ^ Pink: I'm Not Dead | PopMatters
  15. ^ Pink I’m Not Dead | Album Review | Slant Magazine
  16. ^ I'm Not Dead - Rolling Stone
  17. ^ Al-Sibai, Noor (June 18, 2014). Payne, Rhiannon (ed.). "The Top 10 Most Sexist Songs (That AREN'T Rap or Hip Hop)". Feminspire. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Pink Asserts Vitality On New Album". Billboard. January 24, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  19. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer and Bowyer, Patrick. "Pink Would Rather Fall Off A Car Than Get Glammed Up For Her Videos". MTV News. December 21, 2005. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  20. ^ a b Conniff, Tamara. "Think Pink". Billboard. March 10, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  21. ^ a b c d Vineyard, Jennifer. "Pink's 'Stupid' New Video Features Fake Breasts, Fake 50 Cent". MTV News. January 18, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  22. ^ a b c d e Gardner, Elysa. "Pink's video pokes fun at 'Stupid Girls'". USA Today. February 14, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  23. ^ Hollywood Feuds Lindsay Lohan VS Paris Hilton VS Hilary Duff and others - YouTube
  24. ^ http://www.leakecarauction.com/filesRecentNews/1/ReleaseTulsa20092fast1.pdf
  25. ^ "The TRL Archive - January 2006", "The TRL Archive - February 2006". popfusion.net. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  26. ^ Cohen, Jonathan and Hope, Clover. "Upsets, Upstarts Prevail At Quirky VMAs". Billboard. September 1, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  27. ^ Amos, Joel D. "The VMA's best moment of 2006: Pink and 'Stupid Girls'". SheKnows. September 1, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2006.
  28. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  29. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  30. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  31. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  32. ^ "P!nk Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  33. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  34. ^ "P!nk: Stupid Girls" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  35. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  36. ^ "Chart Track: Week 25, 2006". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  37. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". Top Digital Download. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  38. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  39. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  40. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". VG-lista. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  41. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  42. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  43. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  44. ^ "P!nk – Stupid Girls". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  45. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  46. ^ "Pink Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  47. ^ "Pink Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  48. ^ "Pink Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  49. ^ "Pink Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  50. ^ Jahreshitparade 2006 - austriancharts.at
  51. ^ ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS
  52. ^ ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS
  53. ^ http://www.top40.nl/pdf/top100/top100-2006.pdf
  54. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 16 December 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  55. ^ Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 2006
  56. ^ http://www.hitlistan.se/netdata/ghl002.mbr/lista?liid=43&dfom=20060001&newi=0&height=420&platform=Win32&browser=MSIE&navi=no&subframe=Mainframe
  57. ^ Swiss Year-End Charts 2006 - swisscharts.com
  58. ^ http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2006.pdf
  59. ^ http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/2006.php
  60. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  61. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Pink – Stupid Girls". Music Canada.
  62. ^ "Paid music certification for 2013" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.
  63. ^ "RIAA - Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 April 2013. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
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