"Rich Girl" | ||
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Single by Gwen Stefani featuring Eve from the album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | ||
Released | Jan. 2005: North America Feb., Mar. 2005: Elsewhere | |
Format | Digital download: U.S. 12" single: U.S. CD single: Elsewhere | |
Recorded | New York City, New York | |
Genre | Pop–Hip hop | |
Length | 3:56 | |
Label | Interscope | |
Writer(s) | Gwen Stefani Eve Dr. Dre Kara DioGuardi Chantal Kreviazuk Mike Elizondo Mark Batson Sheldon Harnick Jerry Bock | |
Producer(s) | Dr. Dre | |
Video director | David LaChapelle | |
Certification | 2× platinum (RIAA) | |
Chart positions | ||
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Professional reviews | ||
Gwen Stefani singles chronology | ||
"What You Waiting For?" (2004) |
"Rich Girl" (2005) |
"Hollaback Girl" (2005) |
"Rich Girl" is a pop–hip hop song written by singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani and a various number of collaborators for Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). The single features Eve. It was released as the second single in 2005 (see 2005 in music) and was a worldwide success, reaching number two in Australia, number four in both Canada and the United Kingdom, and peaking at number seven in the United States, where it became Stefani's first top-ten single.
Writing process
The song was co-written by Stefani, Eve, Dr. Dre, Kara DioGuardi, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Mike Elizondo, and produced by Dr. Dre. The song interpolates the song "If I Were a Rich Man" written by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock for the musical Fiddler on the Roof. The track features Eve, with whom Stefani had already previously done a song ("Let Me Blow Ya Mind", from Eve's second album which was also produced by Dr. Dre).
Although the song is based on "If I Were a Rich Man", it was also an adaptation of an earlier pop song by British reggae musicians Louchie Lou and Michie One. Eve maintained the reggae style used by the earlier duo and added in her own new rhymes, whereas Stefani added new lyrics and changed some of the melody from the older song. Louchie Lou and Michie One's 1993 version of "Rich Girl" was itself an adaptation of "If I Were a Rich Man". The melody of the chorus and many of the words were kept the same among all three songs.
"Rich Girl" was unusual for a Stefani track in that it was not based on her own personal experience. On her website, Stefani states: ""Dre was really pushing me to write in a new way and I'm not going to question him. The whole reason you work with someone like Dre is that you want to know what they think. He's such a great producer because he really knows how to get the best out of you and make you feel good about yourself. 'Rich Girl' is so fresh, so Dre, he just totally tricked the track out." (1)
The song also became a crossover success, and managed also ro cross over to the rhythmic, R&B, and Adult Top 40. Although the song failed to get airplay on R&B radio, its relatively high sales of its 12" single helped propel the song onto the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. "Rich Girl" was helped on the Hot 100 and Pop 100 by its strong digital downloads, peaking at number two and number three on the Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks respectively. Due to its high number of digital downloads, the song was awarded a double platinum single for sales of nearly 400,000 downloads.
"Rich Girl" was released on February 21, 2005 in Australia, and on March 14, 2005 in Europe.
Music video
The music video for "Rich Girl" was made by David LaChappelle. It features Stefani working on a ship and fantasising about shopping in an upmarket boutique in a Galliano gown while Eve wears an eyepatch. Stefani was also wearing a Rastafarian hat in the video. Cedella Marley, eldest daughter of Bob Marley, criticised Stefani and others in Entertainment Weekly for exploiting the culture saying "I wish they would stop." (2)
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Rich Girl".
European CD single
- "Rich Girl (Album Version)"
- "What You Waiting For? (Live)"
European CD maxi single
- "Rich Girl"
- "What You Waiting For? (Live)"
- "Harajuku Girls (Live)"
- "Rich Girl" (CD-ROM video)
Charts
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 7 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 4 |
U.S. Pop 100 | 3 |
U.S. Pop 100 Airplay | 7 |
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 78 |
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales | 25 |
U.S. Hot Digital Songs | 2 |
U.S. Hot Digital Tracks | 3 |
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 39 |
U.S. Dance Radio Airplay | 7 |
U.S. Top 40 Tracks | 15 |
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream | 4 |
U.S. Rhythmic Top 40 | 27 |
U.S. Adult Top 40 | 16 |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 2 |
U.K. Singles Chart | 4 |
Canadian Singles Chart | 4 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 10 |
Dannish Singles Chart | 3 |
Finnish Singles Chart | 7 |
German Singles Chart | 14 |
Italian Singles Chart | 7 |
Norweigan Singles Chart | 2 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 6 |
World Chart Show | 1 |
References
- "Gwen goes indie route: Stefani inks with UK publishing" Billboard Magazine April 16, 2005 v117 i16 p1(2) Accessed by VNU Media 8 December 2005
- "Gwen's secrets" Harper's Bazaar, March 2005 i3520 p322(6) Accessed 8 December 2005
Footnotes
(2) "What about Bob? Stars interpret Rasta style" Entertainment Weekly, March 18, 2005 i811 p14 Accessed 8 December 2005