Wind It Up (Gwen Stefani song)

"Wind It Up"
Single by Gwen Stefani
from the album The Sweet Escape
Released October 13, 2006
Format
Recorded 2005; South Beach Studios (Miami Beach)
Genre
Length 3:09
Label Interscope
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"Crash"
(2006)		 "Wind It Up"
(2006)		 "The Sweet Escape"
(2006)

"Wind It Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani. Originally for inclusion on Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005, because of favorable reception, the song was later recorded for her second studio album, The Sweet Escape (2006). The track contains an interpolation of The Sound of Music song "The Lonely Goatherd".

"Wind It Up" was negatively received by music critics, who criticized the song's use of yodeling and found the track to be over the top. It was released as the album's lead single in late 2006 and reached the top twenty in most music markets. The corresponding music video, which became popular on stations such as Total Request Live, was directed by Sophie Muller and takes influence from The Sound of Music.

Background and writing

In July 2005, Stefani began writing and recording material with Pharrell Williams in Miami, Florida.[1][2] During one of their sessions, they penned "Wind It Up" for a September 2005 fashion show revealing the 2006 collection of Stefani's fashion line L.A.M.B.[2]

Stefani asked DJ Jeremy Healy to create a mashup of the song and "The Lonely Goatherd", a song from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and 1965 film The Sound of Music.[3] Stefani considered The Sound of Music her favorite film, and she had wanted to incorporate a beat to one of its songs all her life.[4] Stefani commented, "I literally cried, and I'm not exaggerating, when I heard the mash-up."[2] Williams, however, did not like the addition of yodeling and The Sound of Music to the track.[3]

The lyrics are not narrative, and Stefani stated, "A song like 'Wind It Up' isn't about anything."[5] In the song, Stefani discusses how boys watch girls dance.[6] The song includes a reference to Stefani's fashion line, with Stefani going, "They like the way that L.A.M.B. is going 'cross my shirt".[7]

Critical reception

"Wind It Up" received overwhelmingly negative reviews by contemporary pop music critics. Entertainment Weekly‍ '​s Michael Slezak found the bassline "rubbery" and criticized the song for lacking a melody as well as its reference to Stefani's own clothing line.[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic stated that The Neptunes had 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".[8] Bill Lamb of About.com rated the song three and a half stars, giving it "high marks for entertainment value", but commented that it sounded like a retread of "Rich Girl" from Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.[9] Charles Merwin of Stylus Magazine was mixed on the track, writing that "it's preventing something far less interesting from getting played."[10] John Murphy from musicOMH called the track "just horrible, and possibly the worst start to an album this year".[11] Spence D. from IGN characterized the song as "a bugged out Sound Of Music bhangra blitz that sounds like part M.I.A. and part Julie Andrews".[12]

Many criticized the inclusion of yodeling and "The Lonely Goatherd" sample. In a review for Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield called the track "yodel-trocious" and argued that "the problem isn't the Swiss Miss motif so much as the fourth-rate Neptunes track.[13] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian was pleased with the track, describing the yodeling as "off-her-head", and referred to the track as "a pinnacle of madness".[14] IndieLondon's Jack Foley noted "Wind It Up" as a highlight of The Sweet Escape and called it "Stefani's gift that she can take something that, on paper, sounds cheesy and make it utterly, utterly cool."[15] USA Today‍ '​s Ken Barnes, however, found the track "campy" and "a tacky attempt at sexiness", adding that the combination of yodeling and the interpolation was "awkward".[16] Alex Miller of the NME also found the song campy, commenting that its "dumb sexual bravado has all the sophistication of a teenage boy's wet dream", and compared the yodeling, interpolation, and "erotic rap" to "a trench foot which screams for amputation from the tracklisting".[17]

In the face of criticism, Stefani has defended the track:

I knew some people wouldn't get it but I think I am enough down the line to not care. The people that did get it are Sound Of Music fans and really got a lot of pleasure from it.

I still think it's brilliant and I stand by it. Why can't you do something weird for a while? These songs are all about having fun, silly records that are to be enjoyed and not taken too seriously.

—Gwen Stefani, The Sun[18]

Chart performance

"Wind It Up" was moderately successful in North America. In the United States, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number forty on the issue dated November 18, 2006.[19] It peaked at number six after four weeks and remained on the chart for eighteen weeks.[20] It peaked at number seven on the Pop 100 but was less successful on the Pop 100 Airplay, only reaching number nineteen. The single performed well in clubs, reaching number five on the Hot Dance Club Play, and charted at number eighteen on the Mainstream Top 40.[21]

Stefani performing "Wind It Up" during the 2007 Sweet Escape Tour.

"Wind It Up" had similar success in Europe, reaching number five on the European Hot 100 Singles.[22] In the United Kingdom, the single debuted at number eight and peaked at number three the next week behind Take That's Patience and Cliff Richard's 21st Century Christmas, leaving the chart after ten weeks.[23] It had less success across the continent, reaching the top ten in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway and the top twenty in Austria, France, Sweden, and Switzerland.[24]

The song was generally successful elsewhere. In Australia, "Wind It Up" debuted at number eight and spend its first seven weeks within the top ten.[25] It peaked at number five in its fifth week on the run, spending nineteen weeks on the chart,[25] and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[26] The song topped the New Zealand Singles Chart in its third and fourth week and stayed on the chart for twenty weeks altogether.[27] Three years later, on March 14, 2010, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand certified "Wind It Up" gold.[28]

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. Although it does not follow a substantial plot, it features outfits and scenes 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 composed of two G's placed back to back. In a scene mimicking The Sound of Music, Stefani portrays Maria von Trapp while the dancers, dressed in pajamas, portray her children and jump on a bed. In another scene, Stefani uses curtains to create sailor suits for the Harajuku Girls. Stefani also appears as a nun and an orchestra conductor. One scene uses smoke to create the illusion that Stefani is a submerged escape artist searching for a key.[29] She pulls the key, a symbol of "the sweet escape", from her mouth as an allusion to performances by escapologist Harry Houdini.[30] The song's title is often visualized by a colorful sign that reads "wind it up". Another video was produced in 3-D, but this version was never released. After seeing the video, Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records, decided to work with James Cameron to produce other 3-D music presentations.[31]

The stage was designed like a hill with sheep for performances on The Sweet Escape Tour, as a reference to a scene from The Sound of Music.

The video was successful on music video television programs. "Wind It Up" was first aired November 10, 2006 on MTV,[29] and it premiered on the station's top-ten chart program Total Request Live four days later.[32] The video debuted at number eight on the countdown and reached a peak at number two.[33] After its November 17 debut on MuchMusic's Countdown, it reached number two for the week of January 26, 2007.[34] In a review of the music video, The Guardian‍ '​s Anna Pickard poked fun at the number of personas that appear in the video, referring to some of them as "Nunzilla", "Gweninatrix", and "CinderGwennie", and commented that "your speakers have a mute setting for good reason."[35]

Track listings

  1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix) – 3:11
  2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Mix) – 3:08
  1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix) – 3:11
  2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Mix) – 3:08
  3. "Wind It Up" (Instrumental Mix) – 3:02
  4. "Wind It Up" (Video) – 3:11
A1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix) – 3:11
A2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Mix) – 3:08
B1. "Wind It Up" (Instrumental Main Mix) – 3:11
B2. "Wind It Up" (Instrumental Neptunes Mix) – 3:10

Personnel

  • Gwen Stefani – lead vocals
  • Pete Davis – additional programming, additional keyboards
  • Alex Dromgoole – assistant engineer
  • David Emery – assistant engineer
  • Ron Fair – orchestra producer
  • Brian Garten – engineer
  • Hart Gunther – assistant engineer
  • The Neptunes – producers
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing, additional producer
  • Talent Bootcamp Kids – additional vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2006–07) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[25] 5
Austrian Singles Chart[36] 18
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[24] 8
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[37] 7
Czech Airplay Chart[38] 9
Danish Singles Chart[39] 14
Dutch Top 40[40] 4
European Hot 100 Singles[22] 5
Finnish Singles Chart[41] 6
French Singles Chart[42] 12
German Singles Chart[43] 21
Hungarian Dance Chart[44] 38
Irish Singles Chart[45] 10
Italian Singles Chart[46] 6
New Zealand Singles Chart[27] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[47] 7
Slovak Airplay Chart[48] 23
Swedish Singles Chart[49] 20
Swiss Singles Chart[50] 14
UK Singles Chart[23] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 6
US Pop Songs[51] 18
US Pop 100[21] 7
US Hot Dance Club Songs[21] 5
US Digital Songs[21] 4


Certifications

Country Certification
Australia Gold[26]
New Zealand Gold[28]

Year-end charts

Chart (2006) Position
Australian Singles Chart[52] 67
Chart (2007) Position
Australian Singles Chart[53] 83
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[54] 56
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[55] 38
Dutch Top 40[56] 70
European Hot 100 Singles[57] 52
US Billboard Hot 100[58] 83

References

  1. ↑ "For The Record: Quick News On Gwen Stefani, Gang Of Four, Korn, Christina Aguilera, Jewel, 'Idol' & More". MTV News. MTV Networks. July 25, 2005. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Vineyard, Jennifer (October 23, 2006). "Gwen Stefani's New LP, The Sweet Escape, Set For December". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Pharrell Hated Stefani's Yodelling". MTV UK. MTV Networks Europe. February 27, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  4. ↑ Infantry, Ashante (November 30, 2006). "Stefani has it all, baby". Toronto Star. Star Media Group. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  5. ↑ Collis, Clark (November 22, 2006). "Holla Back". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  6. ↑ Flynn, Paul (November 12, 2007). "Hot tunes". The Observer. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Slezak, Michael (October 24, 2006). "Snap judgment: Gwen Stefani's 'Wind It Up'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  8. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Sweet Escape – Gwen Stefani – Review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 7, 2006.
  9. ↑ Lamb, Bill. "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". About.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  10. ↑ Merwin, Charles (December 6, 2006). "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  11. ↑ Murphy, John. "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape (Polydor)". musicOMH. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  12. ↑ D., Spence (December 5, 2006). "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape". IGN. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  13. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (December 12, 2006). "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  14. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (December 1, 2006). "Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  15. ↑ Foley, Jack. "Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape". IndieLondon. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  16. ↑ Barnes, Ken (December 4, 2006). "This week's reviews: Gwen, Ciara, 'Dreamgirls,' Eminem proteges, McKnight and more". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  17. ↑ Miller, Alex (December 1, 2006). "Gwen Stefani: The Sweet Escape". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  18. ↑ Swift, Jacqui (February 23, 2007). "Has Gwen really got it all?". The Sun. News Group Newspapers. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Hot 100 – Week of November 18, 2006". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Wind It Up – Gwen Stefani". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 "The Sweet Escape – Charts & Awards – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Gwen Stefani Album & Song Chart History – European Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". Australian Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. RadioScope New Zealand. March 14, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Vineyard, Jennifer (November 10, 2006). "Gwen Stefani Makes The Hills Come Alive In 'Wind It Up' Clip". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  30. ↑ Hooper, Joseph (February 7, 2007). "L.A.M.B. Chops". Elle. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  31. ↑ "Music videos get 3-D treatment". NME. IPC Media. March 5, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  32. ↑ "The TRL Archive – Debuts". ATRL. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
  33. ↑ "The TRL Archive – Recap: November 2006". ATRL. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
  34. ↑ "MuchMusic Countdown". MuchMusic. CHUM Limited. January 26, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2007.
  35. ↑ Pickard, Anna (December 14, 2006). "Gwen Stefani – Wind it up". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  36. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up" (in German). IFPI Austria. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  38. ↑ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální – Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  39. ↑ "Track Top-40 – 01/2007" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Hitlisten.NU. January 12, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  40. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1 – 2007" (in Dutch). Radio 538. top40.nl. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  41. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". IFPI Finland. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  43. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Stefani,Gwen / Single" (in German). Media Control. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  44. ↑ "Dance Top 40 lista – 2007. 3. hét" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  45. ↑ "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 14 December 2006". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  46. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". Verdens Gang. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  48. ↑ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiálna – Stefani Gwen – Wind It Up" (in Slovak). IFPI Slovakia. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  49. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". Swedish Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  50. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Wind It Up". Media Control. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  51. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/2006-12-09/pop-songs?order=gainer
  52. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  53. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2007". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  54. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2007" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  55. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2007" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  56. ↑ "Jaarlijsten 2007" (in Dutch). Radio 538. top40web.nl. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  57. ↑ "2007 Year End Charts – European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  58. ↑ "2007 Year End Charts – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 17, 2010.

External links

Preceded by
"My Love" by Justin Timberlake featuring T.I.		 New Zealand Singles Chart number-one single
December 25, 2006 – January 1, 2007 		Succeeded by
"Smack That" by Akon featuring Eminem