Dirrty
| "Dirrty" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Christina Aguilera featuring Redman | ||
| From the album Stripped | ||
| Single Released | September 2002 | |
| Single Format | CD Single 12" Maxi Single | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Song Length | 4:58 | |
| Record Label | RCA | |
| Writers | Xtina Rockwilder Redman B.Muhammed J.Cameron | |
| Producer | Xtina Rockwilder B.Muhammed J.Cameron | |
| Certification | None | |
| Music Video Director | David LaChapelle | |
| Chart Positions | #48 US #1 UK (2 weeks) #5 CAN #4 AUS | |
| Christina Aguilera single chronology | ||
| "Lady Marmalade" (2001) |
"Dirrty" (2002) |
"Beautiful" (2002) |
"Dirrty" is the first single from Christina Aguilera's sophomore album, Stripped. Released in 2002, the single (which features Reggie "Redman" Noble) peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Aguilera's eighth 'Hot 100' chart entry. Due to the song's low peak, it is generally believed to be her first flop in the U.S. The single was much more successful in the UK, where it peaked at number 1. It is generally considered Aguilera's breakthrough single; for the first time in her career, she was allowed full creative control on a single, evident by her having both writing and production credits for the first time. She was also allowed creative control for the music video of the song which forever changed the public image of Aguilera from her "girl next door" image to the "dirrty" image she retains to this day. Not surprisingly, due to the above aforementioned reasons, the song is often considered to be one of her signature songs.
The song
"Dirrty" was written by Aguilera, Dana "Rockwilder" Stinson, Redman, B. Muhammed and J. Cameron and was produced by Aguilera, Rockwilder, Muhammed and Cameron. The song, thought to be one of Aguilera's signature songs, is often believed to have had the most impact in pop culture out of all her singles and videos due to its racy music video (which has often been mimicked by other female artists without apparent success).
Due to the song's seemingly "dirrty" nature, it is often thought to be about sex; instead the song is meant to be a female empowerment anthem dedicated to being strong and rowdy to the point of causing Aguilera to exclaim, "Wanna get rowdy? Gonna get a little unruly! Get it fired up in a hurry, Wanna get dirrty! It's about time that I came to start the party". As she wanted to make the song "dirrtier" than it would have been, she explained in interviews that as result, she added an extra "r" to the title to make it "Dirrty" instead of the correct "Dirty".
Ironically, the song almost did not come to be. In the summer of 2002, while adding the final touches to her album Stripped, both Aguilera and her record label felt that the album was not complete because it lacked a catchy first single. Aguilera was looking for something explosive and jaw-dropping that would put her back on the scene since her hiatus.
She teamed up with producer Rockwilder, and together they created a song which was supposed to be a reply to an earlier hit by rapper Redman called "Let's Get Dirty" (Besides being a reply song, "Dirrty" also sampled "Let's Get Dirty"). Aguilera and Rockwilder agreed that it would have been appropriate to include Redman on the single, and the rest became history. The much-anticipated single leaked onto the internet on August 27, 2002. Radio stations around the country quickly began playing the edgy single when Aguilera decided to promote her new raunchier image at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards by wearing a revealing outfit.
Music video
On September 30, 2002, "Dirrty" premiered on MTV's Making the Video, where Aguilera could be seen wearing chaps while attending an underground night club. Scenes in the video included Aguilera coming in on a motorcycle, boxing, and in a shower with dancers. The video quickly caused huge controversy from the general public as people were not used to Aguilera's new raunchy image.
The video gave Aguilera the attention she wanted, as there was not one entertainment television show that did not talk about the video when it was released. Only two weeks after its premiere, the video had already been spoofed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar on Saturday Night Live. Later that month, the video also caused more controversy when it was banned from Thailand for including hidden messages about sex tourism in the country.
People were outraged by Aguilera's behaviour, as many felt that she did not have to go to such low extremes in order to get attention. Many felt that her talent alone would catch everyone's attention. However, Aguilera dismissed all the negative publicity she was receiving by explaining her reasoning for the video; she claimed that the video was different from the average hip-hop video, because in her video, she (the female) is the one who is in control of her settings and the one calling the shots and making all the decisions. Her message that the video represented female empowerment was not generally accepted by the public.
Chart success
The controversial music video did not help the song's airplay on radio stations, as it performed poorly on the U.S. charts. The single stalled and peaked prematurely on the Billboard Hot 100 at a low number 48 and on the Hot 100 Airplay chart at #49. However, the song did have a very long and successful run on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart, where it peaked at number 2 but at the time of "Dirrty"'s release, airplay affected the positions of songs on the Hot 100 much more than commercial single sales. The song is generally considered Christina's first flop; it even failed to chart on the year-end Billboard Hot 100 chart for 2002.
In a nearly opposite effect, the track was highly successful internationally, the top ten in most countries it charted.
Charts
U.S. Charts
"Dirrty" debuted at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Dirrty" spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Billboard Hot 100 | #48 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales | #2 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | #49 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Top 40 Tracks | #22 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Top 40 Mainstream | #14 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Rhythmic Top 40 | #20 |
International Charts
"Dirrty" was Aguilera's 3rd #1 single on the UK Singles Chart.
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | World Chart Show | #1 (2 weeks) |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles | #4 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | UK Top 40 Singles | #1 (2 weeks) |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Canadian Billboard Hot 100 Singles | #5 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | 'Tokio Hot 100' | #16 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Brasil Top 100 Singles | #25 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Sweden Top 60 Singles | #6 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Netherland Mega Top 100 Singles | #2 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Switzerland Top 100 Singles | #3 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Germany Top 100 Singles | #4 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Indonesia Chart | #4 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Austria Top 75 Singles | #5 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Italy Top 50 Singles | #8 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | France Top 100 Singles | #98 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | New Zealand Top 50 Singles | #20 |
External links
- "Dirrty" Lyrics - Lyrics to the song "Dirrty"