Wind It Up (Gwen Stefani song)

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This article documents a current single.
Information is likely to change as the song remains in the charts.

"Wind It Up"

Single by Gwen Stefani
from the album The Sweet Escape
Released	October 2006 (North America) December 2006 (elsewhere)
Format	Digital download Vinyl single
Genre	Pop
Length	3:09
Label	Interscope
Writer(s)	Gwen Stefani, Pharrell
Producer(s)	The Neptunes
Chart positions
#2 (New Zealand) #6 (U.S.) #8 (Australia, UK) #18 (Canada) #39 (Sweden)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"Crash" (2006)	"Wind It Up" (2006)	"The Sweet Escape" (2007)

"Wind It Up" is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani and Pharrell originally for inclusion on Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005. Because of favorable reception, the song was rerecorded for her second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006). "Wind It Up" was released as the album's first single in late 2006 (see 2006 in music) and has charted highly across the world.

1 Background and writing
2 Critical reception
3 Music video
4 Chart performance
5 Charts
6 Formats and track listings
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links

Background and writing

The lyrics of "Wind It Up" include references to Stefani's clothing line, L.A.M.B., and chronicles Stefani's feelings on how boys are infatuated with staring at her. The song features yodelling and a sample of "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music (1965), which it takes heavy influence from.

Stefani considers The Sound of Music her favorite film,^[1] and she had wanted to incorporate a beat to one of its songs all her life.^[1] "Wind It Up" was originally written for the first L.A.M.B. fashion show^[2] and was not intended to appear on The Sweet Escape until Stefani heard the entire composition. "I literally cried, and I'm not exaggerating," she said.^[2]

Critical reception

"Wind It Up" received generally negative reviews by contemporary pop music critics, and many criticized the inclusion of the The Sound of Music sample. All Music Guide said that the song's producers (The Neptunes) forced the sampling "into one of their typical minimalist tracks, over which Gwen spouts off clumsy material-minded lyrics touting her fashion line and her shape".^[3] Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine referred to the song as "a musical brain aneurysm",^[4] while Bill Lamb of About.com stated that it "gets high marks for entertainment value ... but [it] sounds almost like a retread of old ground".^[5]

Music video

The music video features a key motif and incorporations of The Sound of Music.

The song's music video was directed by Sophie Muller and filmed in Chicago, United States and some neighboring towns. Although it does not follow a substantial plot, it features outfits and scenery inspired by The Sound of Music. Stefani and her Harajuku Girls are often dancing in front of fields of flowers and a background of key-like symbols comprised of two G's placed back to back. Throughout the video, Stefani is portrayed as a seamstress and submerged escape artist accompanied by dancers and the Harajuku Girls. In another scene everyone is dressed in pajamas. The song's title is visualized by a colorful sign that reads "wind it up".

"Wind It Up" premiered on MTV's top-ten chart program Total Request Live on November 10, 2006, where it reached number two. After its November 17 debut on MuchMusic's Countdown, it peaked at number ten. On VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown, it also peaked at number ten.

Chart performance

"Wind It Up" was released to Canadian and U.S. radio on October 31, 2006. It debuted on the U.S. Hot 100 at number forty, Stefani's career-highest debut (with and without No Doubt). In Canada "Wind It Up" debuted at number eighty-eight on the BDS Airplay Chart. The song debuted at number eight in Australia and the UK and has since peaked within the top forty elsewhere.

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	6
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	7
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	2
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	8
UK Singles Chart	8
Canadian BDS Airplay Chart	18
Irish Singles Chart	23
Swiss Singles Chart	31
Swedish GLF Singles Chart	39