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[[Image:GwenStefaniAndAkon.jpg|left|thumb|Akon and Stefani performing "The Sweet Escape" in May 2007.]]
[[Image:GwenStefaniAndAkon.jpg|left|thumb|Akon and Stefani performing "The Sweet Escape" in May 2007.]]


Although "The Sweet Escape" was released as the second single in 2007, it had been sent to radio as early as "[[Wind It Up (Gwen Stefani song)|Wind It Up]]" (2006). It debuted on ''[[Billboard]]'' magazine's [[Hot 100]] chart at number ninety-three in December 2006.<ref>Jonathan Cohen, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003524325 "Beyonce Begins Third Week Atop The Hot 100"], Billboard.com, December 21, 2006.</ref> In early February 2007 the song reached the top ten, rising in one week from number nineteen to number six,<ref>Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003540636 "Beyonce Stays Ahead Of Fall Out Boy Atop Hot 100"], Billboard.com, February 1, 2007.</ref> and has since peaked at number two after an increase in downloads.<ref>Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003552292 "Mims Puts The 'Hot' In The Hot 100 At No. 1"], Billboard.com, March 1, 2007.</ref>The song had spent a massive fifteen weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 chart.<ref name="ms">[http://acharts.us/song/11736 "Gwen Stefani and Akon - The Sweet Escape: Charts"]. aCharts. Retrieved [[May 6]], [[2007]].</ref>.In Canada the song debuted at number eighty-six on the [[Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems|BDS]] Airplay Chart, eventually reaching #1 and becoming Stefani's second #1 single there.<ref>[http://jam.canoe.ca/ "''Jam'' Canoe"]. ''Canadian airplay and sales charts''. Retrieved [[February 3]] [[2007]].</ref> In the [[United Kingdom|UK]], the song debuted based on downloads a month before its physical release, and peaked at number two, her highest-charting single there. In UK it sold over 200,000 in digital downloads.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.shtml "BBC: The Official UK Charts Company"]. ''United Kingdom sales chart''. Retrieved [[February 3]] [[2007]].</ref> It enjoyed a twenty week run inside the UK Top 40, finally leaving the chart mid-June. It has many weeks at number two on that chart. The song peaked at number 2 in [[Australia]] and stayed there for 6 consecutive weeks. The song has charted strongly across the world, including a number-one debut in [[New Zealand]].<ref>[http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/nz_singles_top_40/2007/10 "New Zealand Top 40 (10/2007)"]. Music Square. Retrieved [[March 17]], [[2007]].</ref> It peaked at number twenty in [[Latin America]].<ref>[http://toplatino.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=261 http://toplatino.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=261] ''Toplatino.net'' </ref> The song was recently declared to have worldwide for sales of over four million, and it is now in it's twentieth week inside Worldwide Top 10. <ref>[http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks.htm http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks.htm] ''Mediatraffic.de'' </ref>
Although "The Sweet Escape" was released as the second single in 2007, it had been sent to radio as early as "[[Wind It Up (Gwen Stefani song)|Wind It Up]]" (2006). It debuted on ''[[Billboard]]'' magazine's [[Hot 100]] chart at number ninety-three in December 2006.<ref>Jonathan Cohen, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003524325 "Beyonce Begins Third Week Atop The Hot 100"], Billboard.com, December 21, 2006.</ref> In early February 2007 the song reached the top ten, rising in one week from number nineteen to number six,<ref>Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003540636 "Beyonce Stays Ahead Of Fall Out Boy Atop Hot 100"], Billboard.com, February 1, 2007.</ref> and has since peaked at number two after an increase in downloads.<ref>Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003552292 "Mims Puts The 'Hot' In The Hot 100 At No. 1"], Billboard.com, March 1, 2007.</ref>The song had spent a massive fifteen weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 chart.<ref name="ms">[http://acharts.us/song/11736 "Gwen Stefani and Akon - The Sweet Escape: Charts"]. aCharts. Retrieved [[May 6]], [[2007]].</ref>.In Canada the song debuted at number eighty-six on the [[Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems|BDS]] Airplay Chart, eventually reaching #1 and becoming Stefani's second #1 single there.<ref>[http://jam.canoe.ca/ "''Jam'' Canoe"]. ''Canadian airplay and sales charts''. Retrieved [[February 3]] [[2007]].</ref> In the [[United Kingdom|UK]], the song debuted based on downloads a month before its physical release, and peaked at number two, her highest-charting single there. In UK it sold over 200,000 in digital downloads.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles.shtml "BBC: The Official UK Charts Company"]. ''United Kingdom sales chart''. Retrieved [[February 3]] [[2007]].</ref> It enjoyed a twenty week run inside the UK Top 40, finally leaving the chart mid-June. It has many weeks at number two on that chart. The song peaked at number 2 in [[Australia]] and stayed there for 6 consecutive weeks. The song has charted strongly across the world, including a number-one debut in [[New Zealand]].<ref>[http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/nz_singles_top_40/2007/10 "New Zealand Top 40 (10/2007)"]. Music Square. Retrieved [[March 17]], [[2007]].</ref> It peaked at number twenty in [[Latin America]].<ref>[http://toplatino.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=261 http://toplatino.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=261] ''Toplatino.net'' </ref> The song was recently declared to have worldwide for sales of over four million, and it is now in it's twentieth week inside Worldwide Top 10. <ref>[http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks.htm http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks.htm] ''Mediatraffic.de'' </ref> It is one of only 5 English-language songs that have peaked inside the Mexican Top 20 this year.


[[Image:TheSweetEscape2.jpg|thumb|left|Stefani performing "The Sweet Escape" inside of a gold cage.]]
[[Image:TheSweetEscape2.jpg|thumb|left|Stefani performing "The Sweet Escape" inside of a gold cage.]]

Revision as of 16:52, 30 June 2007

Template:CurrentSingles

"The Sweet Escape"
Song

"The Sweet Escape" is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani, Akon, and Giorgio Tuinfort for Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006). The song was released as the album's second single in early 2007 (see 2007 in music) and it entered the top ten on several charts, including a number-one debut in New Zealand.

Stefani told MTV that the song "puts me on the yellow brick road to the No Doubt record I might do. I can smell it. 'Sweet Escape' and some other melodies remind me of the No Doubt feeling."[2]

It is Stefani's first single to top the United World Chart. The points the song has so far acquired in the chart beat out other Stefani songs like Hollaback Girl and Rich Girl.

Background

Stefani's record label, Interscope Records, sent her a copy of Akon's debut album Trouble and repeatedly encouraged her to work with him.[3] Stefani, preoccupied with her baby Kingston Rossdale, cancelled the first session with Akon and commented that she "didn't want to go through the pain of trying to work with someone [she] didn't know."[3] Jimmy Iovine, head of Interscope Records, called Stefani, telling her, "You can cancel everything else in your life, but don't cancel this session."[4] When she collaborated with Akon sometime later, the two wrote "The Sweet Escape" in ten minutes.[3]

Critical reception

Template:Sound sample box align left Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end


"The Sweet Escape" was well-received by contemporary pop music critics. In a review for Billboard, Chuck Taylor wrote that the song "neatly rides the line between being hip enough to keep the kids' attention" and added that it exudes "the full fragrance of an across-the-board hit."[5] Bill Lamb of About.com called the song "a welcome change from the over-produced 'Wind It Up'," but said that it "easily jets in one ear and out the other leaving little trace of its presence."[6] MuchMusic referred to the song as "incredibly intoxicating".[7] In the review for the album All Music Guide reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that the song is "an irresistible Akon produced title track, driven by a giddy 'wee-oh!' hook and supported by a nearly anthemic summertime chorus."[8]

Chart performance

Akon and Stefani performing "The Sweet Escape" in May 2007.

Although "The Sweet Escape" was released as the second single in 2007, it had been sent to radio as early as "Wind It Up" (2006). It debuted on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart at number ninety-three in December 2006.[9] In early February 2007 the song reached the top ten, rising in one week from number nineteen to number six,[10] and has since peaked at number two after an increase in downloads.[11]The song had spent a massive fifteen weeks in the top ten of the Hot 100 chart.[12].In Canada the song debuted at number eighty-six on the BDS Airplay Chart, eventually reaching #1 and becoming Stefani's second #1 single there.[13] In the UK, the song debuted based on downloads a month before its physical release, and peaked at number two, her highest-charting single there. In UK it sold over 200,000 in digital downloads.[14] It enjoyed a twenty week run inside the UK Top 40, finally leaving the chart mid-June. It has many weeks at number two on that chart. The song peaked at number 2 in Australia and stayed there for 6 consecutive weeks. The song has charted strongly across the world, including a number-one debut in New Zealand.[15] It peaked at number twenty in Latin America.[16] The song was recently declared to have worldwide for sales of over four million, and it is now in it's twentieth week inside Worldwide Top 10. [17] It is one of only 5 English-language songs that have peaked inside the Mexican Top 20 this year.

Stefani performing "The Sweet Escape" inside of a gold cage.

Music video

File:TheSweetEscapeVideo.jpg
The first shot of the music video

The song's music video was directed by Joseph Kahn and premiered on January 10 2007 on LAUNCHcast. The video features Stefani in jail (an allusion to Akon's recent 'Konvict' image), and the Harajuku Girls are once again prominent in this video. Stefani and the dancers then escape with help from featured artist Akon. The video, filled with images of gold, contains allusions to the "Rapunzel" fairy tale as well as a prominent featuring 2 GM vehicles, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and a Buick Lucerne police car. In another version of the video, the Chevrolet symbol is replaced with Stefani's "G" symbol that is featured on many other objects through out the video, however there isn't a Ford Escape.

"The Sweet Escape" premiered on MTV's top-ten video chart program Total Request Live on January 16 2007,[18] on which it has since peaked at number two.[18] After its January 20 debut on MuchMusic's Countdown, it reached number one for two weeks, from March 23.[19]

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "The Sweet Escape".

  • Australian CD single
  1. "The Sweet Escape" (Album Version)
  2. "Hollaback Girl" (Harajuku Lovers Live version)
  3. "Wind It Up" (Robots to Mars remix)
  4. "The Sweet Escape" (Video)
  • U.S. CD single
  1. "The Sweet Escape" (Album Version)
  2. "The Sweet Escape" (Konvict remix)
  3. "Hollaback Girl" (Harajuku Lovers Live version)
  4. "Wind It Up" (Robots to Mars remix)
  5. "The Sweet Escape" (Video)

Credits and personnel

Charts


Preceded by United World Chart number-one single
March 10 2007 - April 28 2007 (8 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Glamorous" by Fergie featuring Ludacris
 Billboard Pop 100 number one single
April 7 2007 - April 14 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand number-one single
March 5 2007 - March 12 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 European number one single
March 17 2007 - March 31 2007 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian BDS number one single
April 26 2007 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2007 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  2. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Rihanna, Luda, Lady Sov, Kelis, Nas, Harry Potter, Angelina Jolie & More". MTV News. December 14, 2006. Retrieved December 25 2006.
  3. ^ a b c Swift, Jacqui. "Has Gwen really got it all?". The Sun. February 23, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  4. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Baby On Board! Gwen Stefani's Son Joins Her On LP, Spring Tour". MTV News. December 4, 2006. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  5. ^ Taylor, Chuck. "The Sweet Escape". Billboard. January 6, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  6. ^ "Gwen Stefani featuring Akon - The Sweet Escape". About.com. Retrieved January 12 2007.
  7. ^ Video on Trial. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: February 5 2007. Retrieved February 9 2007.
  8. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gq4zefrkbgfo~T10 All Music Guide.
  9. ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Beyonce Begins Third Week Atop The Hot 100", Billboard.com, December 21, 2006.
  10. ^ Katie Hasty, "Beyonce Stays Ahead Of Fall Out Boy Atop Hot 100", Billboard.com, February 1, 2007.
  11. ^ Katie Hasty, "Mims Puts The 'Hot' In The Hot 100 At No. 1", Billboard.com, March 1, 2007.
  12. ^ a b c "Gwen Stefani and Akon - The Sweet Escape: Charts". aCharts. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  13. ^ "Jam Canoe". Canadian airplay and sales charts. Retrieved February 3 2007.
  14. ^ "BBC: The Official UK Charts Company". United Kingdom sales chart. Retrieved February 3 2007.
  15. ^ "New Zealand Top 40 (10/2007)". Music Square. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
  16. ^ http://toplatino.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=261 Toplatino.net
  17. ^ http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks.htm Mediatraffic.de
  18. ^ a b "The TRL Archive — Debuts". PopFusion. Retrieved January 30 2007.
  19. ^ Countdown. MuchMusic programming. Retrieved February 2 2007.
  20. ^ http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/BDS_1.html
  21. ^ [1]
  22. ^ http://home.planet.nl/~laar2337/apc2/index.htm
  23. ^ http://www.mtvhome.de/europeantop20/index.php
  24. ^ http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Gwen-Stefani/The-Sweet-Escape-singlecharts123.html
  25. ^ http://www.fimi.it/classifiche.asp?idtipo_classifica=3
  26. ^ http://toplatino.net
  27. ^ "The Sweet Escape > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. Retrieved May 4, 2007.
  28. ^ http://home.planet.nl/~laar2337/apc2/Hitlijsten/Portugese-Top50.htm
  29. ^ Polish National Top 50
  30. ^ Russian Airplay Chart. Retrieved April 22, 2007
  31. ^ [2]
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