User:Spiceitup08/sandbox7

Genie in a Bottle

• http://blog.vh1.com/2007-12-13/top-100-songs-of-the-90s/

Background

After receiving notification that the final season of The New Mickey Mouse Club would air, Aguilera became determined to start her music career, with her aim being to release her debut album before she had finished her time in high school. After recording sessions with producers Roberts Alleca and Michael Brown, Aguilera found herself unhappy with the pace at which her career was going, despite Alleca and Brown offering Aguilera free studio time she decided to venture to Japan in an effort to boost her career. Whilst she was there the pair offered her the chance to collaborate with J-pop star Keizo Nakanishi on the track "All I Wanna Do" which was a critical downfall for Aguilera, little more than a footnote on her career. As her international successes broadened she caught the attention of manager Steve Kurtz who then represented Aguilera, although she had previously had a spoken agreement with Ruth Inniss to manage her which then fell through. Kurtz devoted his time to finding Aguilera a record deal sending various demo's to multiple companies and just as communications with RCA records began she was offered the chance to record the theme to Mulan named "Reflection" the success of which landed her an album deal with the company.

The financial state of RCA at the time made it so that it failed to contend against major labels at the time, and in an attempt to make them a contender they pushed for Aguilera to record and release her debut album by January 1999 to maintain the "hype" surrounding "Reflection" something which ultimately failed to happen. Originally "Genie in a Bottle" was not a track Aguilera even wanted on the album, she recalled "to tell you the truth, I don't know, maybe I shouldn't say this, but I really didn't want "Genie in a Bottle" to be my first single". By the time she was developing the single the album was almost finished, the first time Aguilera heard the track she "wasn't too crazy about it" but explained "thinking all songs sound weird in the demo stage, but once I got to the mic and worked on it, it became something else, and I'm really proud of the results". Fair sympathized with her reaction to the release and inclusion of the track, he found that the marketing decision would be to release a number one single, something that wasn't necessarily a "great song" so that her career could strengthen with Fair describing the track as "sugar candy".

Writing and development

Aguilera performing "Genie in a Bottle" on her Stripped World Tour.

An executive for EMI records, Carla Ondrasik decided to introduce two of her most prominent songwriters, David Frank and Steve Kipner. Together the pair started work together, and soon after decided to collaborate with another writer, named Pamelia Sheyne. The night before their songwriting appointment David Frank awoke with an idea for a song which consisted of an eight bar loop with "a lot of different changes" and during the time in which he was presenting the track to Sheyne, she performed the lyrics "If you want to be with me" which Frank liked. Together the three writers continued adding lyrics to a "really fast" writing session, the writers agreed that intellect was an afterthought during the writing sessions, with the main intention to create a "hit song". A writer for Allmusic, Ed Hogan, summarized the writing session noting;

Keyboardist/songwriter/producer David Frank had decided to write some songs with songwriter/producer Steve Kipner and Pam Sheyne. Before this first writing session, Frank had accumulated some song ideas. Still, he felt that he needed a song idea that would get the trio's first-time collaboration off to a good start. Waking up at 2 o'clock in the morning, Frank's muse was wide open and six hours later, he'd created the instrumental track for what would become "Genie in a Bottle." One of the song's most arresting features is the rapid 32nd-note bass drum pattern, an arranging feature that Frank used when he was half of the pioneering synth duo the System. When presented with the completed track the next day, Kipner and Sheyne were delighted. The trio decided that a female would sing lead since Sheyne could do the lead vocal on the song demo. Remembering a tape that was passed along to him by RCA executive Ron Fair, Frank suggested Christina Aguilera. Teamed with teenager Aguilera's dazzling, very adult-sounding vocals, it was a can't-miss combination.

Christina failed to write any of the lyrics for the record but instead contributed a spoken hook, explaining "Basically, [I did no writing] because there wasn't enough time as we didn't want a long gap between the release of the Mulan soundtrack and my album. In "Genie in a Bottle" the only writing thing I think I got in there was the little hook "I'm a Genie in a Bottle baby" so that little "come, come, come on in" that was whole little thing, my little hook-y thing in there." However later Aguilera claimed increasingly that she had a substantial role in the production of the track, she was unsatisfied with the "rough beginnings" of the track and decided to spend time developing it, recalling "I was a little unhappy with the rough beginnings of the song, so I put my own flavor into it. Before that, it was too keyed into the pop sound that was happening at the time, which often has no soul. I put some ad-libs into it, spiced it up, and the R&B drum pattern, changed it." The title of the track was originally presented as "If You Want to Be With Me" and it wasn't until Aguilera's management questioned the title adding the idea that it should be titled "Genie in a Bottle" that the final track-name was produced. The titling was conceived to present an Arabian theme, something with the label felt they could market noting it could inspire beaded jewelry and clothing and it was a way to develop the record's theme. After the track with the original name was presented to acts it received a lot of interest and after group Innocence, an up-and-coming band expressed interest the writers thought the band would have a better chance making the song a hit. However Ron Fair, executive for RCA pushed for the track, the writers allowed Aguilera to record the track to see what they thought and after she had completed the recording, the three had "no doubt" she was right for the track.

Recording

The demo track that the record company had heard originally was used as a basis for Aguilera's actual recording as she simply replaced the vocals on the demo with her own before the writers and producers edited it for improvement, however after the first recording was completed they felt her vocals were too "hard" sounding and a second proved to be "softer" which they had wished for. Kipner co-writer of the track was impressed by Aguilera's performance of complex R&B lines during the recording of the track, something he only saw in older artists comparing her vocals to that of; Chaka Khan, Etta James and Mariah Carey.

Composition and controversy

"Genie in a Bottle" has been described as a pulsating pop record with publications noting the youthful message with The New York Times saying "One of the summer's catchiest singles captures the moment's anxieties about teen-age sex". The track has been described as "blue-eyed-soul" and has been labelled "a skittish dance hit, propelled by indecision "My body's saying let's go [...] but my heart is saying no"". The chorus then plays with "bubbly dance beats" as Aguilera metaphorically describes herself as a Genie trapped, and can only be released when rubbed "the right way". She explained "If you listen to the words "My body's saying let's go but my heart is saying no". My heart is saying no. So it's really a song about self-respect and treating me the way I want to be treated before I just give my love away to anybody". Sexual references also come from the "oohs and ahs" in addition to the R&B ad-libbing, celebrities such as Debbie Gibson spoke out against the song saying she was "horrified" with the lyricism being performed by an 18-year-old, the comment went on to upset Aguilera who found her being a female was restricting what she could perform. Lyricism in the track had sexual references which saw controversy arise, Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Fueled by a chugging groove and richly layered vocals, the tune is punctuated by a breathy command to "rub me the right way"", Aguilera explained "the song is not about sex, It's about self-respect. It's about not giving in to temptation until you're respected. In Malaysia the controversial lyrics gained it a ban which led Aguilera to re-record some of the lyrics such as; "hormones racing" to "heart-beats racing" and "rub the right way" to "treat me the right way".

Critical reception

"On Thank You (Dedication to Fans) off of her album Back to Basics, Aguilera sings "It seems like a lifetime/since I felt like a prisoner of my dreams...and now I'm so happy I started where I started." Genie, the singer's ubiquitous first single, became an instant hit, due to its catchy chorus and Aguilera's appeal. Besides being her first hit single, the song also separated her from the other pop stars that were coming out at the same time. The single boasted debatabley provocative lyrics ('my body's saying let's go' and other lyrics were considered to provocative to be sung by a teen idol some thought. Radio Disney played a censored version of the song on their station). Aguilera quickly established she was different then your typical pop star."

Nicole Hogsett from Yahoo! listed the song as her tenth favorite Aguilera track.

Tom Lanham of Entertainment Weekly gave the song a B+ rating referencing the predictability after other performers from the Mickey Mouse Club writing "Yet another ex-Mouseketeer scampers down the Britney-pop path with a suggestive synth ditty and a husky voice well beyond her 18 years." Lanham wrote her vocal performance is "uncomfortably adult" and called the track "a sinfully sweet confection". A writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the song a positive review calling it a "smoldering soul-pop" track and described Aguilera's vocals as being "provocative" whilst calling the song a "pleasure" to listen to. In a review for the album Christina Aguilera critic Robert Christgau called the song a "dazzling clever piece of teen self-exploration cum sexploitation". Nana-Adwoa Ofori of the AOL Radio blog listed the song as her top Christina Aguilera song declaring it as her "signature" track. A writer from Daily News found Aguilera to be more capable vocally than the tracks limits but found the track to be a "a slice of thumping sensuality".

Nicole Hogsett of Yahoo! found the song's appeal was due to the catchy chorus but found the song separated her from other pop stars at the time of the single's release. Hogsett found the song quickly "established she was different than your typical pop star". People called the song "sexy" and "pulsating". A writer for The New York Times "got" the song's youthful message and said "One of the summer's catchiest singles captures the moment's anxieties about teenage sex. 'Genie in a Bottle', sung by the blue-eyed former Mouseketeer Christina Aguilera, is a skittish dance hit propelled by indecision". Pier Dominquez, writer of A Star is Made found the song could be deemed suggestive but stated the track does not promote sex or promiscuity. He found the sensuality of the song came from Aguilera's vocal delivery and found her ad-libbing something that would set her apart from other artists.

Chart performance

"Throughout the summer of 1999, Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" blared from car stereos. The funky pop hit topped the pop charts for weeks, racking up multi-platinum sales. What makes the song's initial success even more astounding is the fact that it topped the charts weeks before an accompanying music video was made. That such unusual success came about through what could be called a casual act makes the song's beginning even more awe-inspiring."

Ed Hogan describing the success of the track.

Music video

"The lighting of the video prominently featured Christina's golden tresses as her best feature, although the singer herself was rather obscured by the dark shadows, suggesting that the record company still did not know what to do with the singer's image. The choreography featured Christina, wearing orange pants and a beaded blouse, with her dance troop behind her, simulating a genie coming out of the bottle. It was filled with symbolism and her dancing was incredible."

Pier Dominquez authour of A Star is Made analyzing the video.

The music video accompanying the track was directed by Diane Martel who had previously worked on Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover", and was shot in Malibu with surroundings of a beach and a wooden beach house. "I was out on the sand, greased up in like, baby oil in short and a little cutoff top" she recalled, during the video scenes saw her and others surrounding a campfire and despite this Aguilera recalled the video shoot was "freezing" with crew members all wearing large coats to keep them warm from the cold which Aguilera was struggling with.

Live performances

In an effort to maintain the "buzz" surrounding both the record and Aguilera, RCA set up a guest spot for her to perform the track on the teen-marketed television shows Beverly Hills 90210, the performance saw Aguilera in a bar performing at a birthday party for a character named David. Two days after this Aguilera performed the track again, wearing an orange top and black leather trousers she performed the track on the MTV show TRL amongst other tracks from the self-titled album. The particular day in which she performed the track host Carson Daly was not present and Aguilera publicly declared she had "missed" him which led to a media frenzy surrounding a rumored romance between Daly and herself. The following month Aguilera performed on the British television show Top of the Pops and during the same episode that her performance was aired on, Mariah Carey's performance of her track "Heartbreaker" which led Aguilera to announce to the media her appreciation and her willingness to meet the performer which Carey responded to declaring she wished to never meet Aguilera. Once again her performance on Top of the Pops had gathered more controversy than she had wished and soon a feud erupted from Carey's team which critics noted was due to the lack of success stemming from her album Rainbow and the consistent comparisons between the pair. Aguilera also performed at the National Building Museum for the Children's National Medical Center in the company of ex-president Bill Clinton, later she performed for WFLZ's Y-2 concert in Florida with 15,000 fans viewing, wearing a silver top and gem studded jeans with a blue-sequined bandana performing the track on both occasions. It was announced by MTV in 1999 that Aguilera would perform live on their New Years' Eve Special, wearing "tight" leather trousers Aguilera performed a the track live as the first song in her set which was then followed by "What a Girl Wants".

Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)

Writing and development

Originally writers Rein and Aberg conceived to write a track for British band the Spice Girls.

Paul Rein had a history of writing teen-pop influenced tracks and after searching for a new recording studio in 1998 he was advised to try Eclectic Studios owned by Anders Hansson. After viewing the studio he watched Johan Aberg recording a project after which Hansson, owner of the studios, advised that Aberg and Rein should work together and the commencing week saw the two meet for a writing session. The first track that the pair wrote eventually went onto become "Come On Over Baby" though at the time it was titled "All I Want Is You" with the conception behind their writing sessions to produce something for The Spice Girls, consisting of happy, uplifting and uptempo tracks. The pair then started mixed a drumbeat and a bassline to the track so that Rein could start performing vocals for the song, something which he enjoyed. Rein started producing lyrics for the track and bit by bit presented these to Aberg who generally agreed and the pair started to build the track like this.

Recording

"We always felt that the hook of the song was really strong. But the original version was too ultra-pop for where Christina needed and wanted to go. She was feeling her legs in more of an R&B sense and singing more aggressive riffs, but we couldn't deny the hook. If you look at the production credits, there are nine writers. And you want to know something? That is a factual true representation of who really wrote that record. All nine of us had a little hand in it."

Ron Fair of RCA records explaining the reasons for the re-recording of the track.

Pelle Lidell the creative director at Air Chrysalis music publishing at the time, thought that "All I Want Is You" was a smash and decided to pitch the song to Ron Fair of RCA records who at the time was searching for material for Aguilera's debut album. Rein and Aberg sent a 24 track collection to Fair with the track featured within it and they added Aguilera's vocals to the track with the original version she had recorded featured on her debut album. In the spring of 2000 Ron Fair had decided that "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" should be the next single and presented the idea to writers Rein and Aberg which they were happy with. However Fair had decided for the single release, that the song should be re-recorded to update the musical production, in addition to developing the lyrics to feature more sexual themes, something which Rein and Aberg struggled to come up with.

Fair had decided to record the track again after he found the song too pop for the direction in which Aguilera wanted her music career to expand to, and although Fair found the hook a strong part of the composition but noted that at this time Aguilera was discovering R&B music, something which he had decided to work with her on. Towards the end of the newly recorded version a part of the previous number one single "What a Girl Wants", Fair explained "The reason why we did that, is that our original concept for the song "Come on Over" was to make it a hybrid medley with "Got to Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn. Because live in concert, in the middle of "Come on Over", they would go into "Got to Be Real" and it was really exciting but I couldn't clear the rights". Chaka Blackmon, Eric Dawkins and Raymond Cham described as "celebrity status" producers recorded the new revision of the track, Fair, the original writer of "What a Girl Wants" Shelly Peiken and Aguilera all contributed to the additional lyrics, with Fair noting Rein and Aberg were "very gracious to let us do this to their track, a lot of guys wouldn't. They realized this was their best chance to have a hit".

Stripped

Carlos Santos, 85

Mi Reflejo

Background

After the huge success of her debut solo English effort Christina Aguilera's record company RCA found themselves pushing for a follow-up record. Her Latin roots had led her to accept the pitch from her label and she then announced "I'm trying to get a Spanish record out in Spain", the announcement came to the delight of her label who found it was the perfect time to release a Spanish-language record. The latin music market was increasingly growing, and the fan-base was extending to the North American markets also, the grow in the market led to the profiling of Latin musicians to increase, something in which her record label was always interested in doing and so they decided to "strike while the iron is hot". However her confirmation of the Spanish record wouldn't gain funding until she had started a promotional campaign in Spanish-speaking countries with BMG Latin responsible for the production and release of the record.