Girl (Destiny's Child song)
Encyclopedia
"Girl" is an R&B
song performed by R&B
girl group Destiny's Child
. It was written by Beyoncé Knowles
, Kelly Rowland
, Michelle Williams
, Rodney Jerkins
, Ric Rude, Angela Beyince, Sean Garrett
, and Patrick Douthit for Destiny's Child
fourth studio album Destiny Fulfilled
(2004). Produced by Knowles, and 9th Wonder
, the song contains elements and samples from the song "Ocean of Thoughts and Dreams" as written by Don Davis and Eddie Robinson, and performed by The Dramatics
. Released as the album's third single, the single peaked at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100, making it Destiny's Child's lowest charting single since 1999's "Bug a Boo
".
. After the mock credits, Beyoncé and Michelle meet Kelly for lunch. Throughout the video, the women at home respond to the events of the program through gestures and actions, while, on the television, the dialogue of the song matches the conversation of the women in the restaurant.
Beyoncé confronts Kelly about her sad demeanor and suspected boyfriend problems, but Kelly feigns shock and insists that nothing is wrong. Neither Michelle nor Beyoncé is convinced. Viewers can see that, on one occasion, her boyfriend took hours to come home without explanation and, when he finally arrived, a hurt Kelly threw his food away before running upstairs to cry. Kelly admits to some problems, while making excuses for her boyfriend, such as his busy schedule and her own moodiness. Beyoncé, however, rolls her eyes at the thin excuses, and assures Kelly that she and Michelle love her and she need not suffer alone. At this, Kelly begins to cry and laugh at the same time. Michelle goes on to tell her of the day she confronted Kelly's boyfriend when she saw him browsing through jewelry with another woman.
Later on, Kelly can seen be seen looking cold and angry as her boyfriend comes home. He arrives apologetic, but Kelly perks up, dangling a pair of fuzzy handcuffs. He smiles and begins to follow her upstairs. In the immediately following scene, he is naked except for a pair of boxers (in some versions, his rear-end is blurred out
) and handcuffed to the balcony. With her bags packed and the handcuff key in hand, she leaves—laughing happily. The girls are finally seen walking down the city street, holding hands, as an image of them passes by on a city bus.
The music video is featured on the Bonus DVD of the Destiny Fulfilled Tour edition as well as on the Japanese version of the DVD Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta.
" in a vote at Destiny's Child's official site. However, the song underperformed in comparison with earlier singles, peaking at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
singles chart and number 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The single suffered from low downloads, which kept it from reaching the top 20. After "Girl" underperformed, Destiny's Child released "Cater 2 U
" as the fourth single from the album.
Despite "Girl" peaking at a disappointing position in the U.S., the single picked up strong airplay and videoplay in the UK. It became a top 10 entry for the band, gaining a number six peak. "Girl" was the group's final single on the European music market, as subsequent singles, "Cater 2 U
" and "Stand Up for Love
" were both cancelled due to their underperformance in the American charts. In Australia, "Girl" became a top 5 hit in both the Urban and ARIA official charts.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
song performed by R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
girl group Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
. It was written by Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
, Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (singer)
Tenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Ric Rude, Angela Beyince, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, and Patrick Douthit for Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
fourth studio album Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled is the fourth and final studio album by American R&B trio Destiny's Child, first released in North America on November 16, 2004. It marked the return of Destiny's Child after it went into hiatus, which allowed each member to release solo albums...
(2004). Produced by Knowles, and 9th Wonder
9th Wonder
Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...
, the song contains elements and samples from the song "Ocean of Thoughts and Dreams" as written by Don Davis and Eddie Robinson, and performed by The Dramatics
The Dramatics
The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1962. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs "In the Rain" and "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get", both of which were #1 R&B and Top 10 Pop hits.-Career:The Dramatics originally formed in 1962 recording as the...
. Released as the album's third single, the single peaked at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100, making it Destiny's Child's lowest charting single since 1999's "Bug a Boo
Bug a Boo
"Bug a Boo" is a song by Destiny's Child, which appears on their second album The Writing's on the Wall. It peaked at number thirty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
".
Music video
The video is split into two "universes": Destiny's Child in Beyoncé's apartment and the same trio on a fictional television show. The video begins with Beyoncé, Michelle, and Kelly entering Beyoncé's apartment and settling down with snacks and wine as they watch a fictional show styled after Sex and the CitySex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
. After the mock credits, Beyoncé and Michelle meet Kelly for lunch. Throughout the video, the women at home respond to the events of the program through gestures and actions, while, on the television, the dialogue of the song matches the conversation of the women in the restaurant.
Beyoncé confronts Kelly about her sad demeanor and suspected boyfriend problems, but Kelly feigns shock and insists that nothing is wrong. Neither Michelle nor Beyoncé is convinced. Viewers can see that, on one occasion, her boyfriend took hours to come home without explanation and, when he finally arrived, a hurt Kelly threw his food away before running upstairs to cry. Kelly admits to some problems, while making excuses for her boyfriend, such as his busy schedule and her own moodiness. Beyoncé, however, rolls her eyes at the thin excuses, and assures Kelly that she and Michelle love her and she need not suffer alone. At this, Kelly begins to cry and laugh at the same time. Michelle goes on to tell her of the day she confronted Kelly's boyfriend when she saw him browsing through jewelry with another woman.
Later on, Kelly can seen be seen looking cold and angry as her boyfriend comes home. He arrives apologetic, but Kelly perks up, dangling a pair of fuzzy handcuffs. He smiles and begins to follow her upstairs. In the immediately following scene, he is naked except for a pair of boxers (in some versions, his rear-end is blurred out
Pixelization
Pixelization is a video- and image-editing technique in which an image is blurred by displaying part or all of it at a markedly lower resolution. It is primarily used for censorship...
) and handcuffed to the balcony. With her bags packed and the handcuff key in hand, she leaves—laughing happily. The girls are finally seen walking down the city street, holding hands, as an image of them passes by on a city bus.
The music video is featured on the Bonus DVD of the Destiny Fulfilled Tour edition as well as on the Japanese version of the DVD Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta.
Chart performance
The song was chosen to be a single over "Cater 2 UCater 2 U
"Cater 2 U" is a song by American recording trio Destiny's Child, taken from their fourth studio Destiny Fulfilled . It was written by band members Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller, with Knowles, Rude and...
" in a vote at Destiny's Child's official site. However, the song underperformed in comparison with earlier singles, peaking at number 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart and number 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The single suffered from low downloads, which kept it from reaching the top 20. After "Girl" underperformed, Destiny's Child released "Cater 2 U
Cater 2 U
"Cater 2 U" is a song by American recording trio Destiny's Child, taken from their fourth studio Destiny Fulfilled . It was written by band members Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller, with Knowles, Rude and...
" as the fourth single from the album.
Despite "Girl" peaking at a disappointing position in the U.S., the single picked up strong airplay and videoplay in the UK. It became a top 10 entry for the band, gaining a number six peak. "Girl" was the group's final single on the European music market, as subsequent singles, "Cater 2 U
Cater 2 U
"Cater 2 U" is a song by American recording trio Destiny's Child, taken from their fourth studio Destiny Fulfilled . It was written by band members Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller, with Knowles, Rude and...
" and "Stand Up for Love
Stand up for Love
"Stand Up for Love" was the last song of the group and first and only single from Destiny's Child's greatest hits album, #1's. Released in 2005, the single became Destiny's Child's first single to fail to chart in the United States...
" were both cancelled due to their underperformance in the American charts. In Australia, "Girl" became a top 5 hit in both the Urban and ARIA official charts.
Track listings
- Australian Single
- "Girl" (Radio Version)
- "Girl" (JS Club Mix)
- "Girl" (Junior Vasquez Club Dub)
- "Girl" (The Freshman Remix)
- "Got's My Own"
- European Single COL 675808 2
- "Girl" (Radio Version)
- "Girl" (Junior Vasquez Club Dub)
- "Girl" (JS Club Mix)
- "Girl" (The Freshman Remix)
- "Got's My Own"
- Remixes Single
- "Girl" (Single Version)
- "Girl" (Maurice Joshua "U Go Girl" Remix)
- "Girl" (Single Version Instrumental)
- "Girl" (Junior Vasquez Club Dub)
- "Girl" (JS Club Mix)
- UK CD Part 1
- "Girl" (Radio Edit)
- "Girl" (Kardinal Beats Remix)
- UK CD Part 2
- "Girl" (Radio Edit)
- "Girl" (JS Club Mix - Maurice Joshua Remix)
- "Got's My Own"
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
5 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 56 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 26 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
11 |
| German Singles Chart | 38 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
8 |
| Italian Singles Charts | 12 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 6 |
| Romanian Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 49 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 26 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
23 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
10 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
12 |
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals: Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
(1 verse, ad-libs), Kelly RowlandKelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
(1 verse) and Michelle WilliamsMichelle Williams (singer)Tenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
(1 bridge) - Vocal production: Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland
- Recorded by: Jim Caruna at Sony Music StudiosSony Music StudiosSony Music Studios was a well-known former music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The music and broadcasting complex was located at 460 W. 54th St., at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan...
, NYC - Audio mixing: Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado
- Mastered by: Tom Coyne
Official versions
- "Girl" (Radio Edit)
- "Girl" (Instrumental)
- "Girl" (Junior Vasquez Club Dub Mix)
- "Girl" (Maurice's Junior Club Mix)
- "Girl" (Maurice's Classic U GO GIRL Vocal Mix)
- "Girl" (Maurice's Classic U GO GIRL Extended Mix)
- "Girl" (Maurice's Classic U GO GIRL Remix Radio Edit Part 1)
- "Girl" (Maurice's Classic U GO GIRL Remix Radio Edit Part 2)
- "Girl" (Maurice's Js Club Mix)
- "Girl" (The Freshman Remix)
- "Girl" (The Freshman Remix - Extended Version)
- "Girl" (Kardinal Beats Remix)