What a Girl Wants (song)
Encyclopedia
"What a Girl Wants" is the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 performed by Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

 from her self-titled debut album
Christina Aguilera (album)
Christina Aguilera is the self-titled debut studio album by American pop singer Christina Aguilera released on August 24, 1999 in the United States by RCA Records...

. The song was released on November 28, 1999, which was ten days after Aguilera's nineteenth birthday. The song peaked at number one on 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...

 on January 15, 2000 for two weeks, becoming Aguilera's second number-one single. In the U.S., it became the first number-one single of the 2000s; and, thus, the 21st century. The single peaked at number three in the UK and at number five in Australia. Often considered one of her signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

s, the single is most known for establishing Aguilera's placement in the music industry. Many critics had written off the success of her last single, "Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...

", as a fluke; "What a Girl Wants" served to prove that Aguilera was not a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...

. The single earned her five MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...

 nominations; Best Female Video, Best New Artist, Best Pop Video, Viewer's Choice, and Best Choreography (Tina Landon
Tina Landon
Tina Landon is an award-winning Mexican-American choreographer based in Los Angeles who has worked with Prince, Anastacia, Mýa, Pink, Jay-Z, Marc Anthony, Kristi Yamaguchi, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Pussycat Dolls, Tina...

), and also a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001.

Background

The teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....

 song was written by Shelly Peiken
Shelly Peiken
Shelly Peiken is a multi-platinum Grammy nominated songwriter who is best known for her #1 hits "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby ".Shelly and Meredith Brooks earned a Grammy nomination for Brooks's hit song "Bitch"....

 and Guy Roche
Guy Roche
Guy Roche is a record producer and songwriter who is best known for the hit singles he has co-written/co-produced for Christina Aguilera, which include but are not limited to "What a Girl Wants", "I Turn to You", and "Come on Over Baby . He also co-wrote Brandy's Never Say Never single "Almost...

, and was produced by Roche as well. It is a retooled version of the song Ce que je suis, which was performed by Ophélie Winter
Ophélie Winter
Ophélie Kleerekoper-Winter is a French singer and actress.- Biography :Her father David Alexandre Winter, was a Dutch pop singer during the 1970s, while her mother was a French fashion model, who is now her agent...

 (see below for more information).

In her first anthem dedicated to appreciating gentlemen, Aguilera wants to thank a man who stood by her, and did not abandon her while she was confused and needed time to 'breathe'. He knew exactly what his girl wanted and needed. To show her appreciation for the guy in her life, Aguilera sings, "What a girl wants, what a girl needs; Whatever makes me happy and sets you free, and I'm thanking you for knowing exactly..". Unlike her previous single, "Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...

", this song is not meant to deal with the sexual aspect of relationships
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...

, but rather the romantic and loving part of them, despite the fact that a few of the lyrics suggest otherwise (e.g. "What I want is what you got, What you got is what I want").

Besides "Genie in a Bottle" and "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...

", the song is often considered to be one of her signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

s, but ironically, it almost did not become the second single. Aguilera's record company, RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

, had originally felt that the track "So Emotional" should become the second single. The label even promoted the song as if it were a single by having Aguilera perform the song on several occasions, such as on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...

and Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...

. Aguilera felt that was a poor choice for the next single and that she would end up as a one hit wonder if it became the next single.

Originally her insecurities were brushed off by RCA, but Aguilera continued to fight. Her record company finally relented, and "What a Girl Wants" was given the go-ahead to be the next single. However, Aguilera was still not comfortable as she felt that the song did not have single potential in its current form. Instead, she decided that the song needed to be remixed and re-recorded (as the original album version of "What a Girl Wants" had been a slow jam unsuitable for pop radio at the time). When redone, the new version of "What a Girl Wants" kept much of the original melody, but showed new energy and zest as the song was now uptempo, had new lyrics, a new bridge, a Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

-style breakdown and new powerful vocals (since the original album version had been recorded in June 1998, Aguilera's vocal strength had increased considerably).

As the new version of the song was not on the original album, the album was re-released with the video version of the new version replacing the original version. For fans of Aguilera who already had the album and did not want to buy it again, the Radio Edit of the new version was also released as one of the last major releases of CD singles in the U.S. The Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 version, "Una Mujer" (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: "A Woman"), is included on Mi Reflejo
Mi Reflejo
Mi Reflejo is the first Spanish-language studio album by American pop singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on September 12, 2000. Most of the album was produced by Rudy Pérez and includes Spanish versions of five songs from her debut album Christina Aguilera, as well as six new songs...

. The Smooth Mix version of the song (a slower-tempo remix similar to the album version with different (primarily major
Major chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...

) backing chords for the first and second verses) is still regularly featured on adult contemporary radio stations today.

Live version

Aguilera has sung "What a Girl Wants" differently from the previous album and single versions since around 2002. Her most noticeable change has been on the Justified and Stripped Tour
Justified and Stripped Tour
The Justified/Stripped Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. The tour supported Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped and Timberlake's debut album, Justified...

, where she changed tempo, and sings the word knew in "You're the one who always knew" regularly, but built up into whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...

 and whistle register vocal acrobatics. Aguilera also sang the song in her 2006 - 2007's tour Back to Basics Tour
Back to Basics Tour
The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Christina Aguilera. The tour supported her third studio album Back to Basics. It grossed over $90 million worldwide with 82 shows...

but sang it in a reggae style with no whistle notes, only falsetto note.

Music video

The music video was directed by Diane Martel, who also did the music video for Aguilera's previous and chart topping single "Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...

". The video begins with Aguilera and her friends walking into an arcade-themed room, dancing for a group of guys.

There are three remixed music videos (all remixes by Thunderpuss): one for the Fiesta Club Mix, one for the Dirty Club Mix and one for Dark Club Mix.

Remixes

A different version was used as the single version than the album version. In the video, a slightly altered version of the single version is used, which includes a classical-themed breakdown in the video and an extended ending in the video version as well. Four official remixes were released in the US on the CD maxi-single, including two each by Eddie Arroyo and Thunderpuss. Further remixes were released on international versions of the single.

Chart performance

After the massive success of Aguilera's number-one debut single "Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...

", there was pressure for its follow-up to succeed, as well. "What a Girl Wants" proved to be another big hit, though not to quite the same degree as "Genie in a Bottle". The song topped 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...

 and Hot 100 Singles Sales
Hot 100 Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the...

 charts for two weeks, and peaked at number two on the Hot 100 Airplay
Hot 100 Airplay
The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard...

; the single's strong sales would later assure it a gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 certification. The song also topped the Billboard Top 40 Tracks
Top 40 Tracks
Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was...

, Top 40 Mainstream and Rhythmic Top 40 charts. The track was an international success, reaching number three in the UK and spending seven weeks within the top 40 and 13 weeks in the top 100. "What a Girl Wants" also entered the Top 10 in Canada, peaking at number 5.

A CD maxi single release late into the song's run helped the song peak at number two on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart; unfortunately in terms of club play, the song was not as successful peaking at number eighteen on Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

. There are several different versions of "What a Girl Wants" including the Adult Contemporary Mix which includes lyrics from the video version, but a track closer the original album version.

Elsewhere, the single fared success within the top twenty in most countries. The single also reached number one in New Zealand, where it held that position for 5 consecutive weeks. During the week of March 13, 2000, Aguilera visited the country while the single remained at number one. "What a Girl Wants" was certified Gold in New Zealand for selling more than 7,500 units, and certified gold in Sweden. It landed at number 19 on the year-end charts in the United States and number 32 in New Zealand.

Ophélie Winter's Ce que je suis

In 1998, Ophélie Winter
Ophélie Winter
Ophélie Kleerekoper-Winter is a French singer and actress.- Biography :Her father David Alexandre Winter, was a Dutch pop singer during the 1970s, while her mother was a French fashion model, who is now her agent...

 released the album Privacy containing the song Ce que je suis. Released a year prior to the commercial availability of What a girl wants (on the album Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera (album)
Christina Aguilera is the self-titled debut studio album by American pop singer Christina Aguilera released on August 24, 1999 in the United States by RCA Records...

), Ce que je suis is nearly identical to What a girl wants, with somewhat different lyrics. Given the fact that writers Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche are credited with the production of Ophélie Winter's song (as well as the album Privacy in general) it is most likely that the song was retooled and eventually used as a single by Christina Aguilera at a later point. In The complete book of the British charts: singles and albums authors Warwick, Kutner and Brown mention Ce que je suis as the original recording of Aguilera's song.

However, when What a girl wants had its worldwide release Ce que je suis became available as a single as well - two years after its initial release on album. In France, the songs hit the charts at the same time on February 26, 2000, with Aguilera's song staying on til June 2000, while Winter's song left the charts two months earlier.

Although both songs clashed on the French music charts (Ce que je suis seemingly did not chart elsewhere) there's no evidence at hand to suggest that the situation led to any kind of dispute, as both songs continue to be commercially available without any apparent restrictions.

In film

The song appeared in the 2000 romantic comedy What Women Want
What Women Want
What Women Want is a 2000 American romantic comedy film, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The movie was a box office success with a domestic gross of $182,811,707 and a worldwide gross of $374,111,707, against a budget of $70 million.-Plot:Nick Marshall, a Chicago...

starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...

 and Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...

.

Track listings

US Promo CD
  1. What a Girl Wants [Radio Edit] 3:22
  2. What a Girl Wants [Album Version] 3:52
  3. What a Girl Wants [Suggested Callout Hook] 0:11


US 3-track Promo
  1. What a Girl Wants [Smooth Mix]
  2. Radio Edit
  3. Callout Hook


US Promo CD (Remixes)
  1. What a Girl Wants - Fiesta Edit 3:25
  2. What a Girl Wants - Eddie Arroyo Dance Radio Edit 4:04
  3. What a Girl Wants - Eddie Arroyo Down Tempo Killer Mix 4:20
  4. What a Girl Wants - A Cappella 3:37


2 Track US CD single
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "We're a Miracle"


US/Germany single
  1. "What a Girl Wants [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants [Smooth Mix] - 3:30
  3. "Too Beautiful For Words" - 4:11


Maxi-CD
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss Fiesta Club Mix] - 6:16
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss Dirrty Club Mix] - 6:36
  3. "What a Girl Wants" [Eddie Arroyo Long Dance Mix] - 8:10
  4. "What a Girl Wants" [Eddie Arroyo Tempo Mix] - 4:20


US Promo Remixes
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss 2000 Dirty Club Mix] - 6:33
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss 2000 Fiesta Club Mix] - 6:13
  3. "What a Girl Wants" [Thunderpuss 2000 Dark Club Mix] - 8:49
  4. "What a Girl Wants" [Eddie Arroyo Long Dance Mix] - 8:07
  5. "What a Girl Wants" [Eddie Arroyo Down Tempo Killer Mix] - 4:07

UK Promo CD
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio Edit] 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Smooth Mix] 3:27


UK CD 1'
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Smooth Mix] 3:30
  3. "Christina Aguilera Medley ("I Turn To You", "So Emotional", "Somebody's Somebody", "Genie in a Bottle", "Come On Over") 4:55


'UK CD 2
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio version] - 3:22
  2. "We're a Miracle" 4:09
  3. "What a Girl Wants" [Video Enhancment] - 4:06


Japanese Promo
  1. What a Girl Wants 3:52


Japanese Maxi-CD
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [First Release Album Version]
  2. "Genie In A Bottle" [Album Version]
  3. "Genie In A Bottle" [Eddie Arroyo Radio Club Mix]


Germany Maxi-CD
  1. "What a Girl Wants" [Radio Edit]
  2. "What a Girl Wants" [Smooth Mix]
  3. "Too Beautiful for Words"


Thailand Promo CD
  1. What a Girl Wants [New Album Version Radio Edit] 3:22
  2. What a Girl Wants [New Album Version] 3:37

Charts

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA
Irish Recorded Music Association
Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...

)
7


Year-end charts

Country Position
Australia 74
France 95
Netherlands 98
New Zealand 32
Switzerland 84
United States 19

Certifications

See also

  • List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)
  • List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2000 (U.S.)
  • List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2000 (U.S.)
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