"Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004). It is a pop, hip-hop and post-R&B song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The song was written by Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Chad Hugo, with the latter two handling production as the Neptunes. The song was released as the album's third single on March 22, 2005, and was one of the year's most popular songs, peaking inside the top 10 of the majority of the charts it entered. It reached number one in Australia and the United States, where it became the first digital download to sell one million copies.
"Hollaback Girl" received several award nominations, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year at the 48th Grammy Awards. The song divided pop music critics, with some praising its minimalistic production and others declaring it embarrassing. The men's magazine Maxim named it as the "Most Annoying Song Ever". In the United States, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks it was ranked at number two on the Year-End Hot 100. The single topped the charts in Australia and reached the top-ten in several other countries, including Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It has since been certified six-times Platinum in United States by the RIAA, and in Australia by the ARIA.
A music video with Stefani as a cheerleader at a California high school was released on March 21, 2005, and was directed by Paul Hunter. The video received four nominations at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and ultimately won for Best Choreography. Stefani has performed "Hollaback Girl" on numerous occasions, including on all three of her concert tours, and on several televised appearances.
Writing and inspiration
upright|left|thumb|150px|Stefani performing "Hollaback Girl" in 2007 at [[The Sweet Escape Tour]]
As part of Gwen Stefani's vision of creating "a silly dance record", she had worked with the Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo) during the early stages of writing songs for her debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.. However, a case of writer's block resulted in reportedly uninspired collaborations. When she returned to the studio, Pharrell began to play Stefani his first solo album, the then-unreleased In My Mind, and she became envious. Stefani discussed the song's inspiration in the March 2005 issue of NME: "Y'know someone one time called me a cheerleader, negatively, and I've never been a cheerleader. So I was, like, 'OK, fuck you. You want me to be a cheerleader? Well, I will be one then. And I'll rule the whole world, just you watch me. The song uses a lyrical and a melodic interpolation of "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, referencing the common usage of the song at sporting events, aimed at losing opponents, with Stefani's antagonistic stance likely aimed at Love.
Stefani believed that some No Doubt fans would be upset with her solo effort, commenting, "[They] were probably like, 'Why is she doing this record? She's going to ruin everything'." She revealed that she too did not know why she was recording a solo album. The most commonly accepted meaning is that a "hollaback girl" responds positively to the "catcalls" or hollers of men, but it might mean to Stefani that she would rather take the initiative and "step it up". In March 2021, it was revealed that a comment made by British supermodel Naomi Campbell served as inspiration for the chorus. In an appearance on Campbell's YouTube talk show No Filter, Pharrell stated that she had responded to someone trying to speak, "I'm sorry, I have a name. I ain't no Holla Back girl", the latter phrase apparently referencing the Fabolous song "Young'n (Holla Back)"; Pharrell was inspired by the overheard conversation and incorporated the lyric into the chorus of "Hollaback Girl".
Composition and musical style
"Hollaback Girl" is a pop, hip-hop and post-R&B song, that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. A moderately fast song, with a tempo of 110 beats per minute, it is played in the key of D minor. Like the majority of pop music, it is set in common time. The main chord pattern of the song alternates between B major and D minor triads. A guitar plays the song's riff, a six-note pattern as Stefani repeats "this my shit" during the chorus, and a brass section joins during the second chorus.
Critical reception
170px|thumb|right|Stefani performing "Hollaback Girl" on the [[Harajuku Lovers Tour]]
"Hollaback Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics. Yahoo! Music's Jennifer Nine described it as a "stomping, stripped-back" track, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that it had the "thumping, minimal beats" of the Neptunes. In his review of Love. Angel. Music. Baby., Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the song a positive review, writing that "Stefani's gum-snapping sass brings out the beast in her beatmasters, especially the Neptunes in 'Hollaback Girl'." Blender listed it as the 11th best song of 2005, and the song tied with Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" for number five on the 2005 Village Voice Pazz & Jop, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau.
On the other hand, Jason Damas, in a review for PopMatters, felt that the song sounds "almost exactly like Dizzee Rascal", and added, "Lyrically, this is where Gwen sinks the lowest here, especially on a breakdown where she repeats, 'This shit is bananas / B-A-N-A-N-A-S!' several times". Eric Greenwood of Drawer B called the song "moronic and embarrassingly tuneless," while also writing "I'd quote the lyrics, but they're so bad, I almost feel sorry for her. A 35-year-old woman singing about pom-poms and 'talking shit' in high school betrays such a delusional self-image that it's hard not to be taken aback. And on top of that, the Neptunes' beats are clunky and the production is senselessly bombastic." Nick Sylvester of Pitchfork also criticized the track, referring to it as a "Queen pastiche [...] which has about as much club potential as a 13-year old with a milk moustache and his dad's ID". However, despite this initial negative review, Pitchfork would later place the track at number 35 on its list of the Top 50 Singles of 2005, and at number 180 on its list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. Maxim was unimpressed with the song, and in its October 2005 issue, published a list of the "20 Most Annoying Songs Ever" with "Hollaback Girl" in first place. Cat Conway of Drowned in Sound gave the song a negative review, saying "'Hollaback Girl' sees Gwen Stefani getting a big lick off , delivering vocals that sound like she needs a Sudafed."
Commercial performance
"Hollaback Girl" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 82 on the issue dated April 2, 2005, and within six weeks of its release, it had reached the top of the chart, becoming Stefani's first and only US number one. "Hollaback Girl" ranked second on the 2005 Hot 100 year-end chart. "Hollaback Girl" peaked at number one on the Billboard Pop 100 chart for eight weeks and at number 15 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. In October 2005, "Hollaback Girl" was the first single to ever sell one million digital downloads and later went on to sell a total of 1.2 million downloads. It was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was later re-certified platinum, for the same sales, due to the change of the RIAA certification criteria for singles. On the year-end list for Hot Digital Songs in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" topped the chart.
"Hollaback Girl" was successful in Canada, where the song debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Canadian Singles Chart. However, Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), later argued that based on Canada's population relative to the US, the single should have sold around 120,000 copies and that the comparatively lower sales of 25,000 were a sign that the Canadian copyright law should be tightened to discourage non-commercial peer-to-peer file sharing. Columnist Michael Geist disputed the comparison, arguing that the Canadian online music market was still developing. The song was released in Australia on May 23, 2005, debuting at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, but it did not perform as well as Stefani's previous releases. The song's predecessors, "What You Waiting For?" and "Rich Girl" featuring Eve, had both reached number four, while "Hollaback Girl" debuted at number eight and remained at the same position the following week. It opens with a scene of Stefani taking a picture of her four Harajuku Girls, when a crowd of students appears. Stefani and the Harajuku Girls then drive down Sherman Way past Magnolia Science Academy to Birmingham High School in a 1961 Chevrolet Impala, accompanied by the crowd. Stefani and the group cause a commotion when they disrupt a football game by walking onto the field and when they go to a 99 Cents Only Store and throw cereal and other food products down an aisle. Throughout the video, there are intercut sequences of choreographed dancing filmed in a sound stage, intended to represent Stefani's imagination. Stefani and the Harajuku Girls are outfitted in cheerleading uniforms, accompanied by several Californian spirit groups: the Orange Crush All Stars, a cheerleading squad from Orange County; a marching band from Fountain Valley High School in Fountain Valley; a pep flag team named the Flaggies from Carson High School in Carson; and a drill team from Stephen M. White Middle School in Carson. It debuted on MTV's Total Request Live on March 31 at number 10 and remained on the program for a total of 50 days, becoming what Rolling Stone called "a staple of MTV's TRL". The video reached the top of the chart and was retired at number four on June 23, becoming Stefani's first video to retire. VH1 listed the video at number five on its Top 40 Videos of 2005, and at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the video received four nominations, but only won the award for Best Choreography. Stefani did not attend the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, prompting rumors that she was protesting her lack of nominations the previous year, her multiple losses to Kelly Clarkson, and her not having been asked to perform. Stefani denied the rumors, responding, "the only reason I am not attending the MTV Video Music Awards is because I will be recording and spending time with my family." However, in earlier shows, before the single's success, she sang it before tracks "Serious" and "Bubble Pop Electric". During The Sweet Escape Tour, she performed the song in the middle of the show wearing sparkly red shorts and an argyle jacket atop a L.A.M.B. black and white shirt. She also sported a belt buckle featuring the "G" motif frequently used in her subsequent album The Sweet Escape.
When Stefani agreed to be a judge on season 7 of the NBC music competition The Voice, she sang the track in May 2014 alongside Pharrell, who would also be appearing on the show as a judge. For the rendition, Stefani wore a black jumpsuit in contrast to Pharrell, who wore a Mickey Mouse-sweater and jeans. The performance prompted the song to enter the Billboard Pop Digital Songs component chart, where it re-entered at number thirty-four. On the May 4, 2016, episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, Stefani sang a snippet of the song alongside James Corden in his show's segment "Carpool Karaoke". In addition to Stefani and Corden, actor George Clooney and actress Julia Roberts sang along; when the song concluded, Clooney stated "this [bleep]'s bananas". More recently, the single was included on her 2016 concert series This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour. On November 27, 2019, Stefani performed "Hollaback Girl", alongside "What You Waitin’ For" and "Rich Girl", in a medley on The Voice in season 17 to commemorate Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s 15th anniversary.
Remixes and cover versions
Diplo made a remix for the track after M.I.A. turned down an offer to produce one. Tony Kanal, fellow No Doubt member, also produced a remix titled the Dancehollaback Remix. The track features reggae singer Elan Atias, whose debut album Kanal produced. It appears as a single on iTunes, on the CD single for "Cool", and on the bonus CD of the deluxe edition of Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Stefani later requested to contribute vocals on "I Wanna Yell" from Atias's debut album Together as One, and was featured on his song "Allnighter".
"Weird Al" Yankovic reportedly had plans to record a parody of the song for his new album Straight Outta Lynwood in 2006, called "Holodeck Girl", but it never came to fruition. Later that year, Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship recorded a parody of the song titled "Hollaback Boy". Stefani also performed a "countrified version" of "Hollaback Girl" part of a skit on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where Jimmy Fallon portrayed the character Buck Pinto promoting a fictitious album Gwen's Gone Country.
Track listings
- European two-track CD single
- "Hollaback Girl" (Album Version) – 3:19
- "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix Remix by Diplo) – 2:44
- Australian and European CD maxi single
- "Hollaback Girl" (Album Version) – 3:19
- "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronix Remix by Diplo) – 2:44
- "Hollaback Girl" (Instrumental) – 3:19
- "Hollaback Girl" (Video) – 3:28
- US 12-inch single
:A1. "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback Remix featuring Elan) – 6:53
:A2. "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback Remix Clean featuring Elan) – 6:52
:A3. "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback Remix Radio featuring Elan) – 4:02
:B1. "Hollaback Girl" (Hollatronic Remix) – 2:44
:B2. "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback Remix Instrumental) – 6:50
:B3. "Hollaback Girl" (Dancehollaback Remix A Capppella) – 6:19
Personnel
Personnel are adapted from the liner notes of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
- Gwen Stefani – lead vocals, songwriting
- Andrew Coleman – recording
- Jason Finkel – assistant engineering
- Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
- Chad Hugo – songwriting
- The Neptunes – production
- Phil Tan – mixing
- Pharrell Williams – songwriting
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for "Hollaback Girl"
! scope="col"| Chart (2005)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"| Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)
| 1
|-
!scope="row"| Canada Hot AC Top 30 (Radio & Records)
| 22
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)
| 5
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Greece (IFPI Greece)
| 13
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Romania (Romanian Top 100)
| 22
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| US Pop 100 (Billboard)
| 21
|-
! scope="row"| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)
| 39
|-
! scope="row"| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
| 44
|-
! scope="row"| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)
| 67
|-
!scope="row"| Brazil (Crowley)
| 45
|-
! scope="row"| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)
| 44
|-
! scope="row"| Germany (Media Control GfK)
| 41
|-
! scope="row"| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)
| 54
|-
! scope="row"| Netherlands (Single Top 100)
| 64
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand (RIANZ)
| 19
|-
! scope="row"| Romania (Romanian Top 100)
| 52
|-
! scope="row"| Sweden (Hitlistan)
| 29
|-
! scope="row"| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)
| 34
|-
! scope="row"| UK Singles (OCC)
| 47
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard Hot 100
| 2
|-
!scope="row"| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)
| 45
|-
! scope="row"| US Dance Radio Airplay (Billboard)
| 42
|-
! scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)
| 55
|-
!scope="row"| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)
| 7
|-
! scope="row"| US Pop 100 (Billboard)
| 2
|-
! scope="row"| US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)
| 22
|}
Decade-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Decade-end chart performance for "Hollaback Girl"
! scope="col"| Chart (2000–09)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard Hot 100
| 41
|}
Certifications
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for "Hollaback Girl"
|-
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Format
! scope="col"| Label
! scope="col"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| United States
| March 22, 2005
| Digital download
| rowspan="5"| Interscope
|
|-
| April 4, 2005
| Contemporary hit radio
|
|-
| April 5, 2005
| 12-inch vinyl
|
|-
! scope="row"| Australia
| rowspan="2"| May 23, 2005
| rowspan="2"| CD
|