London Bridge (Fergie song)

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"London Bridge"
Single by Fergie
from the album The Dutchess
Released	July 18, 2006 (US) September 11, 2006 (UK)
Format	CD single
Recorded	2006
Genre	Pop/Hip-hop
Length	3:29
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Stacy Ferguson, Sean Garrett, Jamal Jones, Mike Hartnett
Producer(s)	Polow Da Don
Chart positions
#1 (United States, New Zealand & Brazil) #2 (United World Chart) #3 (UK, Australia & Germany) #4 (Italy) #61 (Latin America)
Fergie singles chronology
	"London Bridge" (2006)	"Fergalicious" (2006)
Alternate cover
Original Single Cover

"London Bridge" is a pop-hip hop song co-written and performed by American singer Fergie for her debut album, The Dutchess (2006). It was released as the first single from the album, on July 18, 2006.

Contents 1 Song information 2 Tracks 3 Video 4 Charts 5 Trivia 6 References

[edit] Song information

The song was produced by Polow Da Don (who produced The Pussycat Dolls's "Buttons") with lyrics by Sean Garrett, (who helped on the writing of Usher's "Yeah!"). Fergie describes the song as being "kind of like a punch in the face to let people know I'm coming out.. I've been getting way too into myself nowadays and I just wanna have fun with as many men as I can possible." The song is a club track that only lightly touches on personal lyrics about fame and celebrity ("It's like every time I get up on the dude/Paparazzi put my business in the news").

It was released to radio on July 13, 2006, however it was leaked on internet June 29, 2006. The music video premiered on MTV's Total Request Live on July 18, 2006 and peaked on TRLs countdown at number five. The song was released on iTunes on July 25, 2006. After only five days on iTunes it reached number one on the countdown.

It is amusing to note that the bridge featured on the alternative cover of the single is not in fact London Bridge but the Tower Bridge. This is presumably because the actual current London Bridge is of no particular architectural significance, and consequently many people confuse the two. This mistake is also made in the ending of the video for the song (British audiences have noted this after her video debuted in the UK [1]). The use of this bridge has been said to be intentional many times by Fergie herself as well as people who worked on the video.

On most stations, a radio edit changes the subtitle (normally "Oh Shit!" to "Oh Snap!", to prevent bleeping or blanking). This edit was also used in the music video.

Fergie performed the song at the beginning of 2006 MTV Video Music Awards's Pre-Show On The Rock. It was also performed during the second season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Also, on the same show, a dance set to "London Bridge" was choreographed by Shane Sparks, and performed on July 19 by Travis Wall and Donyelle Jones.

There is also a version sung by 50 Cent, with Fergie doing the back-up vocals.

[edit] Tracks

UK Single

1. "London Bridge" (LP Version) 3:28
2. "London Bridge" (Instrumental) 3:25

UK Version 12"

Side A

1. "London Bridge" (Dirty Version) 3:28
2. "London Bridge" (A Capella) 3:15
3. "London Bridge" (Radio Edition) 3:28
4. "London Bridge" (Instrumental) 3:25

Australian Single

1. "London Bridge" (Normal Dirty Version) 3:28
2. "London Bridge" (Instrumental) 3:25
3. "London Bridge" (A Capella) 3:15
4. "London Bridge" (VIDEO Closed Caption "Oh Snap")

[edit] Video

Fergie collaborated with her fellow member of Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am on the clip's concept to make it more distinctive than another-female-solo-singer-does-a-dance-routine. She describes the concept as follows: "We're doing this androgynous-type thing where [my girls and I] go into a gentlemen's club and pull them into a bathroom and come back out in their clothes. They're going to be dressed up really dapper and looking really handsome."

For the video, which was filmed at the Woolwich Army Barracks in London, she brought in backup dancers who double as bodyguards, dressed like cholas — tough Mexican girls known for wearing dark lipstick and big hair — to make the clip "have a bit more edge, be very distinct, be very mixed." Fergie swears she used to want to be a chola growing up.

Fergie designed one of her outfits for the video from her family's crest and tartan — she is partially of Scottish descent — but not exactly, though. She wanted it to be modernized. She also wears a tiara cocked to the side of her head to play off the royal name of her album, as well as the similarity between her real name (Stacy Ferguson) and that of the Duchess of York (Sarah Ferguson).

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	69
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	1
Australia ARIA Top 50 Singles[1]	3
Brazil Hot 100 Singles[2]	1
Dutch Top 40	31
Euro 200 Singles Chart[3]	6
Finland Top 20 Singles	9
Germany Top 100	3
Ireland Top 50 Singles	8
Mexico Top 100 Airplay[4]	45
Polish National Top 50 Singles[5]	7
U.K. Top 75 Singles	3
World's Most Requested	21
United World Chart	2
Japan Oricon Singles Chart	6
Czech IFPI Chart	7

[edit] Trivia

• The band Bowling for Soup covered this song for Yahoo Pepsi Smash.
• 50 Cent also covered this song.
• Will.i.am, Apl.de.ap, and Taboo made a cameo in the video.

[edit] References

Preceded by "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single August 19, 2006	Succeeded by "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake
Preceded by "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake	RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single October 2, 2006- October 9, 2006	Succeeded by "You Really Got Me" by Boyband