Wind It Up (Gwen Stefani song)

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"Wind It Up"
Single by Gwen Stefani
from the album The Sweet Escape
ReleasedOctober 30, 2006 (2006-10-30)
Recorded2005
Studio
Genre
Length3:09
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"Crash"
(2006) 		"Wind It Up"
(2006) 		"The Sweet Escape"
(2006)

"Wind It Up" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani, released as the lead single from her second solo studio album, The Sweet Escape (2006). Originally written for inclusion on Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour, the song was later recorded for the album.

Despite an unfavorable reception from most music critics, who criticized the song's use of yodeling and found the track to be over the top, the song was commercially successful, reaching the top 20 in many music markets. As it contains an interpolation of the song "The Lonely Goatherd" from the Trapp Family-inspired musical The Sound of Music, the track's accompanying music video, directed by Sophie Muller, takes influence from the musical.

Background and writing

In July 2005, Stefani began writing and recording material with Pharrell Williams in Miami, Florida.[1][2] During one of their sessions, they penned "Wind It Up" for a September 2005 fashion show revealing the 2006 collection of Stefani's fashion line L.A.M.B.[2]

Stefani asked DJ Jeremy Healy to create a mashup of the song and "The Lonely Goatherd", a song from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical and 1965 film The Sound of Music.[3] Stefani considered The Sound of Music her favorite film, and she had always wanted to incorporate a beat to one of its songs.[4] Stefani commented, "I literally cried, and I'm not exaggerating, when I heard the mash-up."[2] Williams, however, did not like the addition of yodeling and The Sound of Music to the track,[3] although he later admitted on The Late Late Show with James Corden (coincidentally also appearing with Stefani) that he "came around" because "the magic in it was kinda like her being lit up about it" and "it's her song."[5]

The lyrics are not narrative, and Stefani stated, "A song like 'Wind It Up' isn't about anything."[6] In the song, Stefani discusses how boys watch girls dance.[7] The song includes a reference to Stefani's fashion line, with Stefani going, "They like the way that L.A.M.B. is going 'cross my shirt".[8]

Critical reception

"Wind It Up" received mostly negative reviews by

About.com rated the song three and a half stars, giving it "high marks for entertainment value", but commented that it sounded like a retread of "Rich Girl" from Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.[10] Charles Merwin of Stylus Magazine was mixed on the track, writing that "it's preventing something far less interesting from getting played."[11] John Murphy from musicOMH panned the track as "just horrible, and possibly the worst start to an album this year".[12] Spence D. from IGN characterized the song as "a bugged out Sound of Music bhangra blitz that sounds like part M.I.A. and part Julie Andrews".[13]

Many criticized the inclusion of yodeling and "The Lonely Goatherd" sample. In a review for

rap" to "a trench foot which screams for amputation from the tracklisting".[18]

Commercial performance

"Wind It Up" debuted on the US

Mainstream Top 40 chart.[22]

"Wind It Up" met similar success in Europe, reaching number five on the

UK Singles Chart, selling 10,381 downloads in its first week.[24] The following week, it rose to number three (behind Take That's "Patience" and Cliff Richard's "21st Century Christmas") with 17,706 copies sold,[25] earning Stefani her second highest-peaking single in the United Kingdom after "The Sweet Escape".[26] It had less success across the continent, reaching the top 10 in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway, the top 20 in Austria, France, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the top 30 in Germany and Greece.[27][28]

The song was also successful in Oceania. In Australia, "Wind It Up" debuted at number eight on the

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) certified "Wind It Up" gold.[32]

Music video

The music video features a key motif and incorporations of The Sound of Music

The song's music video, directed by

3-D, but this version was never released. After seeing the video, Jimmy Iovine, co-founder of Interscope Records, decided to work with James Cameron to produce other 3-D music presentations.[36]

The stage was designed like a hill with sheep for performances on The Sweet Escape Tour, as a reference to a scene from The Sound of Music

The video was successful on music video television programs. "Wind It Up" first aired on November 10, 2006, on

Countdown, it reached number two for the week of January 26, 2007.[39] In a review of the music video, The Guardian's Anna Pickard poked fun at the number of personas that appear in the video, referring to some of them as "Nunzilla", "Gweninatrix", and "CinderGwennie", and commented that "your speakers have a mute setting for good reason."[40]

Track listings
  1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix) – 3:11
  2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Mix) – 3:08
  • European CD maxi single[44]
  1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix) – 3:11
  2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Mix) – 3:08
  3. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Dub) – 3:08
  4. "Wind It Up" (video) – 3:11
  • UK 12-inch single[45]
A1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix) – 3:11
A2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Mix) – 3:08
B1. "Wind It Up" (Main Mix Instrumental) – 3:11
B2. "Wind It Up" (Original Neptunes Dub) – 3:10

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Sweet Escape.[46]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Wind It Up"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] Gold 5,000*
United States (RIAA)[88] Platinum 1,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Wind It Up"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref(s).
United States October 30, 2006 Contemporary hit radio Interscope [89]
Germany November 24, 2006 Digital download [90]
Australia November 27, 2006
Universal [91]
Germany December 8, 2006
[42][44]
United Kingdom December 11, 2006
  • CD single
  • digital download
  • 12-inch single
 Polydor [41][92][93]

References

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