"Goodies" is a song by American singer Ciara featuring American rapper Petey Pablo. It was released as Ciara's debut single and as the lead single from her first studio album, Goodies, in June 2004. "Goodies" was written by Ciara, Sean Garrett, LaMarquis Jefferson, Craig Love, and Lil Jon, who also produced the song. It was recorded as an answer song to Pablo's hit single, "Freek-a-Leek". The song's lead woman refuses men's sexual advances, proclaiming that they will not get her "goodies" because "they stay in the jar."

The single was well-received by critics, who acclaimed its whistling crunk beat and Ciara's breathy vocals. "Goodies" was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, becoming the longest-running number-one debut single by a female artist on the chart since Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" in 1977. Internationally, "Goodies" topped the charts in the United Kingdom and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The song gave Ciara the title as the "First Lady or Princess of Crunk&B."

The song's accompanying music video, directed by Benny Boom, featured guest appearances from Bone Crusher, Monica, Rasheeda, Jazze Pha, Young Jeezy, and Lil Jon. The video depicts Ciara dancing in front of a blue and white background with her backup dancers. This scene is where Ciara first does the "Matrix," which later became her signature move. The song was performed on BET's 106 & Park and at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards along with "1, 2 Step" and "Oh".

Background

After leaving the group Hearsay at the age of 15, Atlanta native Ciara earned a writing job via her manager, for Atlanta's Tricky Stewart and The-Dream's RedZone Entertainment, penning songs for Mýa and Fantasia among others. According to Ciara, no one believed in her dreams of hearing her own music on the radio until she met producer Jazze Pha in 2002. She began production on her debut album later that year. In early 2004, Ciara wrote a demo with Sean Garrett, co-writer of Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris' crunk hit "Yeah!". After hearing a demo, Lil Jon, who also produced and was featured on "Yeah!", began to work on the full record, to have it released on LaFace, which was also Usher's label. Called the female counterpart to "Yeah!" and fellow crunk hit "Freek-a-Leek" by Petey Pablo, Laface looked to capitalize on the success of the previous songs. In August 2020, Ciara revealed that her label almost shopped the song to Britney Spears.

Composition

"Goodies" drew comparisons to the Usher song "Yeah!" and Kelis's "Milkshake." The song makes use of a repeated whistle, "faux operatic vocals" in parts, and a western guitar riff near the end. The Situation declared the track as "a great dance tune with a solid beat." Also, it noted Ciara shows "a lot of attitude, with girl empowering lyrics." Slant published, "it's not the chorus that gets stuck in your head... but the incessant oscillating whistle (I swear you can hear dogs barking halfway through the song)." MusicOMH reviewed, "Goodies" as "an instantly recognisable tune" and called it a "typically upbeat benefiting from Lil' Jon." Rolling Stone listed it as the 68th best R&B song of the 21st century.

Hiphopgalaxy.com called the track an "ultimate party anthem of the summer, but it's one of the best singles of the year." The song has "an infectious chorus" and "a crunked up groove." Blender published that Ciara "sounds like she's rapping right back at him, delivering her lines in a measured, sultry cadence with hardly any variation in tone or pitch." In 2005, "Goodies" was nominated for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Song of the Year at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards and in 2006, it won the Best Performed Songs in the ASCAP Repertory for the 2005 Survey Year at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards, including "1, 2 Step" featuring Missy Elliott and "Oh" featuring Ludacris.

Chart performance

In the issue dated June 19, 2004, "Goodies" debuted at number 85 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks—now known as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It went on to peak at number one on the chart for six consecutive weeks. It reached three on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. It ranked number nine on the 2004 U.S. Billboard year-end chart.

In the United Kingdom, "Goodies" debuted at number 68 on the UK Singles Chart on January 9, 2005—for the week ending January 15, 2005. Two weeks later on the week ending January 29, 2005, it went at the top of the charts summit which interrupted Elvis Presley's three week chart reign with various rereleased singles.

  1. "Goodies" featuring Petey Pablo
  • UK CD single number one
  1. "Goodies" featuring Petey Pablo
  2. "Goodies"
  • UK CD single number two
  1. "Goodies" featuring Petey Pablo
  2. "Goodies" featuring T.I. and Jazze Pha
  3. "Goodies (Richard X Remix)" featuring M.I.A.
  4. "Goodies (Bimbo Jones Remix)"
  5. "Goodies" (video)
  6. "Goodies" (ringtone)
  • German and French maxi single
  1. "Goodies" featuring Petey Pablo
  2. "Goodies"
  3. "Goodies" featuring T.I. and Jazze Pha
  • French CD single
  1. "Goodies" featuring Petey Pablo
  2. "Goodies" featuring T.I. and Jazze Pha

Personnel

Recording

  • Hitco, Atlanta, Georgia and Circle House Studios, Miami, FL and Sony Music Studios, NYC

Credits

  • Ciara – vocals
  • Sean Garrett – vocal production
  • Petey Pablo – vocals
  • Lamarquis Jefferson – bass guitar
  • Lil Jon – additional vocals, production, mixing, drum programming, sound design
  • Craig Love – guitar
  • Steve Nowacynski – engineer
  • Charles Sanders – engineer
  • Ray Seay – mixing
  • Brian Stanley – engineer, mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+Weekly chart performance for "Goodies"

!Chart (2004–2005)

!Peak<br/>position

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!scope="row"|Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)

|align="center"|7

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!scope="row"|Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)

|align="center"|3

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!scope="row"|Greece (IFPI)

|align="center"|24

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Year-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+Year-end chart performance for "Goodies"

!Chart (2004)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Germany (Media Control GfK)

|align="center"|84

|-

!scope="row"|UK Urban (Music Week)

|align="center"|25

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!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

|align="center"|9

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!scope="row"|US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (Billboard)

|align="center"|12

|-

!scope="row"|US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)

|align="center"|35

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!scope="row"|US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)

|align="center"|2

|}

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

|+Year-end chart performance for "Goodies"

!Chart (2005)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

|align="center"|76

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!scope="row"|Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)

|align="center"|94

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!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

|align="center"|59

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!scope="row"|US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)

|align="center"|87

|}

Decade-end charts

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Decade-end chart performance for "Goodies"

!Chart (2000–2009)

!Position

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!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

|align="center"|31

|}

Certifications and sales

Release history

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Release dates and formats for "Goodies"

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!Region

!Release date

!Format

!Label

!

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!scope="row" rowspan="2"|United States

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|Digital download

|rowspan="6"|LaFace

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|August 24, 2004

|Mainstream radio

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!scope="row"|Germany

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|rowspan="2"|Maxi single

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!scope="row"|United Kingdom

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|rowspan="2"|CD single

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!scope="row"|France

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