Wild Wild West (Will Smith song)

"Wild Wild West"
Single by Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee
from the album Wild Wild West and Willennium
B-side Chasing Forever
Released May 4, 1999
Format CD single
Recorded 1998
Genre Hip hop, funk
Length 4:28 (album version)
4:07 (single version)
Label Overbrook/Interscope/Columbia
Writer(s) Moe Dewese, Rob Fusari, Will Smith, and Stevie Wonder
Producer(s) Rob Fusari & Mark Wilson
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Will Smith singles chronology
"Miami"
(1998)		 "Wild Wild West"
(1999)		 "Will 2K"
(1999)

"Wild Wild West" is the title of a hip hop song co-written by Will Smith as the theme song for Smith's film of the same name. The song also appears on Smith's 1999 album, Willennium. Will Smith's 1999 release was recorded specifically for Smith's planned summer blockbuster movie, Wild Wild West.

The song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and its extended music video, directed by Paul Hunter, was a hit on MTV. Will Smith's "Wild Wild West" single samples Stevie Wonder's 1976 hit song "I Wish", with parts of the chorus from Kool Moe Dee's song of the same name as well. Kool Moe Dee re-performs that chorus for the song, with additional guest vocals from the group Dru Hill. The album version of the song also features, as an introduction, a brief spoken word conversation between Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith in which Will asks his son what song he should perform next, and Jaden suggests this one. The song won Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song. This song appeared in the video game Just Dance 4.

Critical reception and parodies

Despite its pop success, the song was criticized for both sampling Wonder's song and for its incongruity with the western for which it serves as the theme. It won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst "Original" Song of 1999.

In the South Park episode "Cat Orgy", Eric Cartman sings a parody of "Wild Wild West".

Music video

The high-profile music video for the single directed by Paul Hunter, running seven minutes and including several dialog sequences, featured Smith, Kool Moe Dee, Dru Hill, and guest appearances from Stevie Wonder, as well as interspersed clips from the film featuring, as their Wild Wild West characters, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek and Kenneth Branagh. Hayek also appears as her character in the video's dialog sequences, as does an actor resembling Branagh and his character of Dr. Loveless. Fellow popstar Enrique Iglesias also appeared in the video playing a Prince. Moreoever, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star and tap dancer Alfonso Ribeiro appeared in the music video as one of the dancers. Other cameos include actor Larenz Tate, Shari Headley, singer/writer/producer Babyface and female rapper MC Lyte. The "Wild Wild West" video notably was a star-making vehicle for Dru Hill lead singer Sisqó, while relegating the other three members of the quartet to the background. Dru Hill member James "Woody" Green quit the group on the set of the video, feeling a need to return to his gospel music roots.

Track listing

UK CD1
  1. "Wild Wild West" – 4:05
  2. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" (album version) – 3:48
  3. "Big Willie Style" (Left Eye Remix) – 3:35
UK CD2
  1. "Wild Wild West" – 4:05
  2. "Miami" (Jason Nevins' Live on South Beach Dub) – 5:11
  3. "Chasing Forever" – 4:16
Thailand maxi single
  1. "Wild Wild West" – 4:05
  2. "Wild Wild West" (radio version) – 3:29
  3. "Wild Wild West" (a cappella) – 4:05
  4. "Miami" (Miami Mix) – 4:40
  5. "Just the Two of Us" (Rodney Jerkins Remix featuring Brian McKnight) – 4:14
US maxi single
  1. "Wild Wild West" (album version) – 4:08
  2. "Wild Wild West" (radio version) – 3:28
  3. "Wild Wild West" (instrumental) – 4:09
  4. "Wild Wild West" (a cappella) – 4:05

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
scope="row"Australia (ARIA)[1] 8
Canada (Canadian Singles Chart)[2] 9
scope="row"New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] 2
scope="row"Norway (VG-lista)[4] 2
scope="row"Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[5] 4
scope="row"UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[6] 2
scope="row"US Billboard Hot 100[7] 1
scope="row"US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[8] 3
scope="row"US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[9] 4

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[10] Gold 35,000^
France (SNEP)[11] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[12] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] Gold 7,500*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[14] Gold 25,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 480,000[16]
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000[18]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Will Smith – Wild Wild West". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Will Smith > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Will Smith – Wild Wild West". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Will Smith – Wild Wild West". VG-lista. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Will Smith – Wild Wild West". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2002-12-14" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Will Smith. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Will Smith. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Will Smith. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  10. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  11. ↑ "French single certifications – Will Smith – Wild Wild West" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  12. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Will Smith; 'Wild Wild West')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  13. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Will Smith – Wild Wild West". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.
  14. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Will Smith; 'Wild Wild West')". Hung Medien.
  15. ↑ "British single certifications – Will Smith – Wild Wild West". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Wild Wild West in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  16. ↑ Myers, Justin (July 11, 2014). "Official Charts Flashback 1999: Ricky Martin – Livin' La Vida Loca". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ "American single certifications – Smith, Will – Wild Wild West". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  18. ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard (BPI Communications Inc.) 112 (4): 63. January 22, 2000. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
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