Stupid Girl (Cold song)
Encyclopedia
"Stupid Girl" is a song by American alternative metal
band Cold
and the lead single
from their third major label album, Year of the Spider
. It was the second song released for the album overall; "Gone Away" was released on the WWE Tough Enough 2
soundtrack while recognized as a Year of the Spider track a year prior to its release. "Stupid Girl" made its radio debut on March 18, 2003 and was the only Cold single to crack the Billboard Hot 100
. The song, as well as its music video
, were heavily played on MTV2
and Fuse TV
throughout the several months following its release.
The single was also included on the 2003 heavy metal
compilation, MTV2 Headbangers Ball
.
, a band that Cold had toured with earlier and befriended. Ward subsequently asked Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo
to lend a hand in the song's development for their first and only collaboration. The verse lyrics and opening/chorus guitar riff were then written by Cuomo. Originally the two singers planned to trade off vocals, but after Cuomo heard Ward's tracks, he decided to limit his own vocal contribution to the pre-chorus. The song blatantly revolves around relationship troubles with bits of tongue-in-cheek
phrasing commonly found in Cuomo's writing style.
The song begins with an electric guitar
intro followed by an increasingly louder snare beat. This carries into a verse emphasizing vocals of disdain over the subtle guitar and drum beat. The song's bridge
halts the established melody for a solo, acoustic
chord progression
. An anthemic vocal harmony
then ensues before returning to the chorus.
An acoustic
version of the song was performed on Sessions@AOL
which aired on Fuse TV in 2003. The CD single of "Stupid Girl" also includes a remix
by Chris Vrenna who hired a string
arranger
and used a complete string section as a basis for the mix.
was directed by Marc Webb
, who previously worked with Cold on "Just Got Wicked", on February 22, 2003 in Minneapolis. The band drafted fans for the video to meet at the Bancroft schoolyard in south Minneapolis. "Stupid Girl" has the band performing on a small outdoor stage in the cold February weather. Fans are shown tearing up signs with the names of their apparent former significant other
s. The song is generally recognized simply as a Cold song and Rivers Cuomo, who contributed to its development, does not appear in the video.
The band initially wanted shots of them performing on a frozen lake filled with fans, but with Geffen
worrying about the potential for injury, the band opted for the schoolyard instead.
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
band Cold
Cold (band)
Cold is an American post-grunge band, formed in 1996 in Jacksonville, Florida. With two gold-albums Cold has sold over 1.2 million records in the US alone. On November 17, 2006, Ward announced on MySpace that, after a period of uncertainty since that February, the group had decided to disband. In...
and the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from their third major label album, Year of the Spider
Year of the Spider
Year of the Spider is the third studio album by American post-grunge band Cold. It was released on May 13, 2003 through Geffen Records. The album was Cold's most commercially successful, debuting at #3 on the Billboard album charts, with over 101,000 copies sold in its first week...
. It was the second song released for the album overall; "Gone Away" was released on the WWE Tough Enough 2
WWE Tough Enough 2
WWE Tough Enough 2 is a compilation album of music related to the MTV reality TV series WWE Tough Enough. Cold's "Gone Away" served as the album's single with a popular music video released in mid-April 2002...
soundtrack while recognized as a Year of the Spider track a year prior to its release. "Stupid Girl" made its radio debut on March 18, 2003 and was the only Cold single to crack the 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...
. The song, as well as its music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, were heavily played on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
and Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
throughout the several months following its release.
The single was also included on the 2003 heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
compilation, MTV2 Headbangers Ball
MTV2 Headbangers Ball
MTV2 Headbangers Ball is a heavy metal compilation album released in conjunction with the MTV program, Headbanger's Ball. It is the first in a series of compilations and was released approximately five months after the program re-debuted on MTV2...
.
Overview
"Stupid Girl" marks a shift in Cold's style into a substantially more commercial direction. Frontman Scooter Ward began working on the song in 2002 and, although he liked the guitar riff, considered it too reminiscent of WeezerWeezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, a band that Cold had toured with earlier and befriended. Ward subsequently asked Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Weezer. Raised in an Ashram in Connecticut, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992...
to lend a hand in the song's development for their first and only collaboration. The verse lyrics and opening/chorus guitar riff were then written by Cuomo. Originally the two singers planned to trade off vocals, but after Cuomo heard Ward's tracks, he decided to limit his own vocal contribution to the pre-chorus. The song blatantly revolves around relationship troubles with bits of tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
phrasing commonly found in Cuomo's writing style.
The song begins with an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
intro followed by an increasingly louder snare beat. This carries into a verse emphasizing vocals of disdain over the subtle guitar and drum beat. The song's bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
halts the established melody for a solo, acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
. An anthemic vocal harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
then ensues before returning to the chorus.
An acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
version of the song was performed on Sessions@AOL
Sessions@AOL
Sessions@AOL is a special avenue of programming conducted by AOL Music. Originally an AOL exclusive, Sessions@AOL can now also be seen as an avenue for non-AOL users as well. Sessions@AOL consists of exclusive and intimate performances of songs by popular musicians, with likes of bands such as...
which aired on Fuse TV in 2003. The CD single of "Stupid Girl" also includes a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
by Chris Vrenna who hired a string
Strings (music)
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and used a complete string section as a basis for the mix.
Music video
The "Stupid Girl" videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
, who previously worked with Cold on "Just Got Wicked", on February 22, 2003 in Minneapolis. The band drafted fans for the video to meet at the Bancroft schoolyard in south Minneapolis. "Stupid Girl" has the band performing on a small outdoor stage in the cold February weather. Fans are shown tearing up signs with the names of their apparent former significant other
Significant other
Significant other is colloquially used as a gender-blind term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, or sexual orientation, as it is vague enough to avoid offense by using a term that an individual...
s. The song is generally recognized simply as a Cold song and Rivers Cuomo, who contributed to its development, does not appear in the video.
The band initially wanted shots of them performing on a frozen lake filled with fans, but with Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
worrying about the potential for injury, the band opted for the schoolyard instead.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
Year |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
4 | 2003 |
| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
6 | 2003 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 87 | 2003 |
External links
- "Stupid Girl" Music Video
- [ Allmusic database entry]