What It Feels Like for a Girl
Encyclopedia
"What It Feels Like for a Girl" is a song by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

. It was the third and final single released from her eighth studio album Music
Music (Madonna album)
Music is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on September 19, 2000 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records...

on April 17, 2001 by Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...

. The video mix of the song is a trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...

 song, while the album version is a more demure pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

 and trip-hop song. The song describes the pressure women feel to conform to social norms of politeness and subservience. The song had received mixed reviews from most music critics, who had found the song more different from the rest of the album.

The single was also released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 and VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 containing a controversial music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 that was directed by Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...

. Its depiction of violence and abuse caused MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 to ban it before 9pm. The music video plays the trance remix by Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond (band)
Above & Beyond are a British trance music group formed in 2000 and consists of the members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Finnish Paavo Siljamäki. They have their own record label Anjunabeats, which releases trance and progressive music, and they also host their own weekly radio show Trance...

 which contains only a sample of lyrics from the original, album version. The song had also good charting success, peaking in the top ten in many countries.

Background

The song was written by Madonna and Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth
Guy Sigsworth is a U.K. based composer, producer and songwriter. In his career to date he has worked with many famous artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian and Alanis Morissette...

 and produced by Madonna, Sigsworth, and Mark "Spike" Stent
Mark Stent
Mark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...

. An additional composer credit is included in the I'm Going To Tell You A Secret
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret
I'm Going to Tell You a Secret is the title of an American documentary film that follows pop singer Madonna on her 2004 Re-Invention World Tour. It premiered on MTV on October 21, 2005 and was released commercially in a CD+DVD package on June 20, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records...

CD inner notes, with David Torn being the third composer. The track contains a spoken introduction by actress Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg is an Anglo-French actress and singer. After releasing an album with her father at the age of fifteen, more than twenty years passed before she released two albums as an adult to commercial and critical success...

 taken from the 1993 film version of the Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....

 novel, The Cement Garden
The Cement Garden
The Cement Garden is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson...

. A 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 of the song was specially recorded for inclusion on the single as the B-side. "Lo Que Siente la Mujer" was released as a promo-only single in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. Later it was added to the two-disc Tour Edition of Music and the Mexican edition of the album along with the remix of the same track replacing "American Pie", and was performed live on Madonna's Drowned World Tour
Drowned World Tour
The Drowned World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums Ray of Light and Music. It was also her first tour in eight years, following The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993...

 in the same summer. This marks the only time so far that Madonna has performed live a song with its lyrics written entirely in Spanish. The maxi-single containing the Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond (band)
Above & Beyond are a British trance music group formed in 2000 and consists of the members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Finnish Paavo Siljamäki. They have their own record label Anjunabeats, which releases trance and progressive music, and they also host their own weekly radio show Trance...

 and Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...

 trance remixes of the song was also released alongside the conventional single version.

Thunderpuss controversy

The acclaimed remixing duo Thunderpuss
Thunderpuss
Thunderpuss was the remix/productionteam of music producers Barry Harris and Chris Cox. Harris had previously worked as part of several music groups including Kon Kan, Top Kat, Killer Bunnies and Outta Control and had also released several singles himself...

 was hired to do a remix of "What It Feels Like for a Girl". However, when they were almost finishing the mix, it was rejected because some people renamed an amateur remix of the song as "Thunderpuss Mix" and spread it on the Internet. The label thought the remix was leaked from Thunderpuss studio, after an employee claimed that he saw the Thunderpuss remix in rotation on the Internet already. Barry Harris (of Thunderpuss) talked about this episode in an interview at About.com.
  • Thunderpuss Club Mix - (11:22)
  • Thunderdub - (11:06)
  • Thunderpuss Tribe-A-Pella - (08:04)

Critical

"What It Feels Like for A Girl" received generally favorable reviews from most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic had highlighted the track as an album highlight. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...

 had said that Madonna had expressed a more "soul" tone towards to song, which is also towards her other single "Don't Tell Me
Don't Tell Me (Madonna song)
"Don't Tell Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released as the second single from her eighth studio album Music on November 21, 2000 by Maverick Records. The single has sold around 4.5 million copies to date.-History:...

". Timothy Mark from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

 gave it a positive review, as he concluded "Madonna, who has generously recorded this single for the benefit of anyone still curious as to what it really feels like for a girl. Thanks, your Madge-esty!!".

Chart performance

The song had peaked at number twenty-three on the U.S. 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...

, becoming a more lower peak than average. The song however managed to top the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts in the U.S. Elsewhere, it was successful. The song had debuted at number six on the Australian Singles Chart. It also debuted at number fifty on the New Zealand Singles Chart, until it rose to number fifteen. It was successful in Europe as well. It debuted at number thirteen in Switzerland, until peaking at number eleven. It debuted at number forty on the French Singles Chart, until desending several times on the charts. It was very successful in Italy, where it peaked at number two until decending. It debuted at number seven in Finland, until peaking at number four for three consecutive weeks and peaked at number nine on the Danish Singles Chart. It also peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

.

Background

The song attracted attention because of its music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

, which premiered on America Online, but was banned from TV broadcasts in many parts of the world. It was directed by Madonna's then-husband, filmmaker Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...

 in February 2001 and filmed throughout various parts of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, including one location on W. Olympic Blvd and S. Wooster St. The video used an alternate remix edit by Above & Beyond which featured only the chorus of the original song. The remix can be found on the European single.

Sypnosis

Madonna portrays an angry woman on a crime spree. She is shown leaving a motel room and stealing a Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...

, with licence plates "pussy" and "cat", and picking up an elderly lady from a nursing home, called "Ol' Kuntz Guest Home". Throughout the video, she is shown stealing money, driving dangerously, damaging property and setting fire to a gas station. It also has shots of pill containers and alcohol in the motel, several driving licences and Madonna putting on body armour. The final shot in the video is the car driving into a pole at full speed.

Reception and criticism

Critics criticized the video for being overly violent and graphic. Madonna's spokesperson said that there was a lot of violence because it tells the story of a woman who had probably been abused. Madonna also explained that her character was acting out a "fantasy and doing things that girls are not allowed to do." The video was banned from most North American and European video stations including MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

, receiving only early hours play. The decision to ban the video was a source of argument, since it appeared to be no more violent than some television shows that aired at the time. Ironically, the video went into heavy rotation on the Oxygen channel and was streamed on America Online frequently. It was also later played frequently on VH1 Madonna programs, but in an edited format. Madonna released the video as a DVD single
What It Feels Like for a Girl (Video)
What It Feels Like for a Girl is a music video single title by singer Madonna. Released by Warner Music Vision on April 17, 2001, it contained the controversial music video, directed by Guy Ritchie, depicting violence and abuse...

 on April 17, 2001.

When aired on MTV and VH1, the video was given a TV-MA rating and when the DVD music video single was submitted to the MPAA, it received an R rating for "violent images". The DVD single received a 12 from the BBFC and a PG from the OFLC.
  • Director: Guy Ritchie
  • Producer: Lynn Zekanis
  • Director of Photography: Alex Barber
  • Editor: Michael Heldman
  • Production Company: DNA Inc.

Other versions

The Tracy Young remix contains a sample of the background music used during the Blitzball sequences in the Square-Enix PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 video game Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...

.

The popular TV show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...

performed an all male cover of this song in their episode "The Power of Madonna
The Power of Madonna
"The Power of Madonna" is the 15th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 20, 2010...

" on April 20, 2010 (season 1, episode 15).

Track listings and formats

US 2 x 12" vinyl (9 42372-0, 9 42372-0)
  • A1 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix) - 7:18
  • A2 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Mix) - 8:08
  • B1 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) - 7:27
  • B2 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Edit) - 3:39
  • C1 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  • C2 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Cool Out Radio Mix) - 4:45
  • D1 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond Club Radio Edit) - 3:45
  • D2 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Club Mix) - 8:45


EU 12" vinyl (9362 42379 0)
  • A1 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  • A2 "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Cool Out Radio Mix) - 4:45
  • B "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Edit) - 3:39


UK 12" vinyl (W533T), EU 12" Remix vinyl (9362 42367 0)
  • A "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) - 7:27
  • B "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix) - 7:18


EU CD single (5439 16752 2)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Album Version) - 4:43
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond Club Radio Edit) - 3:45


EU Maxi-CD (9362 42370 2)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Radio Edit) - 4:03
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Cool Out Radio Mix) - 4:45
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  4. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Edit) - 3:39


AU CD single (9362-42374-2)(Limited edition with fold out poster)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Album Version) - 4:43
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) - 7:27
  4. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix) - 7:18
  5. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Mix) - 8:08


JP Maxi-CD (WPCR-10905)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Radio Edit) - 4:03
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Cool Out Radio Mix) - 4:45
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  4. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Club Mix) - 8:45


JP CD single (WPCR-10906), US Maxi-CD (9 42372-2, 9 42372-2)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix) - 7:18
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Mix) - 8:08
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  4. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Club Mix) - 8:45
  5. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) - 7:27
  6. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Cool Out Radio Mix) - 4:45
  7. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Edit) - 3:39
  8. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond Club Radio Edit) - 3:45
  9. "Lo Que Siente La Mujer" - 4:43


US DVD single (38539-2)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Video) - 5:00


EU DVD single (7599 38541-2)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Video) - 5:00
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Mix) - 8:08


Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n promo CD single (010524)
  1. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix) - 7:18
  2. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (George Best Saturday Night Mix) - 5:22
  3. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Mix) - 8:08
  4. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Richard Vission Velvet Masta Edit) - 3:39
  5. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond 12" Club Mix) - 7:27
  6. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Above & Beyond Club Radio Edit) - 3:45
  7. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Club Mix) - 8:45
  8. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Tracy Young Cool Out Radio Mix) - 4:45
  9. "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (Calderone & Quayle Dark Side Mix) - 6:42
  10. "Lo Que Siente La Mujer" - 4:43

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

)
6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75) 26
Canada (Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

)
2
Czech Republic (IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...

)
11
Denmark (Tracklisten
Tracklisten
Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...

)
9
European Hot 100 Singles 8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 4
France (SNEP) 40
Germany (Media Control AG
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

)
16
Italy (FIMI) 3
Japan (Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....

)
7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

)
7
New Zealand (RIANZ) 15
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...

)
11
UK Singles (The Official Chart Company) 7
U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

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...

23
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 36
U.S. Billboard 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...

9
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play 1
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 27

External links

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