Dirrty

"Dirrty"
Picture with the words "DIRRTY CHRISTINA AGUILERA FEATURING REDMAN" under the image of a Blonde woman's face.  She has a nose earring, a tight fitting cap, and mascara-darkened eyes.  Her hands are partially blocking the view of her face.
Single by Christina Aguilera featuring Redman
from the album Stripped
B-side "I Will Be"
Released September 16, 2002 (US)
November 18, 2002 (UK)
Format CD single, 12" single
Recorded 2002
The Enterprise Studios
(Burbank, California)
Conway Studios
(Hollywood, Los Angeles, California)
Genre Pop rock, hip hop, R&B
Length 4:58 (Album version)
4:45 (Video edit)
4:01 (No rap edit)
Label RCA
Writer(s) Christina Aguilera, Rockwilder, Balewa Muhammad, Redman, Jasper Cameron
Producer Rockwilder, Christina Aguilera
Certification Platinum (ARIA, IFPI)
Gold (RIANZ)
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Lady Marmalade"
(2001)
"Dirrty"
(2002)
"Beautiful"
(2002)
Redman chronology
"Smash Sumthin'"
(2001)
"Dirrty"
(2002)
"Put It Down"
(2007)

"Dirrty" is a song performed by American singer Christina Aguilera featuring rapper Reggie "Redman" Noble. The song was written by Aguilera and Redman along with Jasper Cameron, Balewa Muhammad, and Rockwilder for Aguilera's second studio album Stripped (2002). It received mixed reviews from music critics.

"Dirrty" was released in September 2002 as the album's lead single (see 2002 in music). It was unsuccessful in the U.S., only reaching number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it was successful outside the U.S., cracking the Top 10 of 17 countries and topping the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart. "Dirrty" was nominated for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" at the 45th Grammy Awards.

The song is best remembered for its accompanying music video, for which Aguilera was allowed creative control. The video brought her sexuality to the forefront and depicted various sexual fetishes, from mud wrestling to sthenolagnia. It eliminated the teenybopper, "girl next door" image that she had accumulated from her previous work.

Contents

Background and writing

Aguilera had worked with hip hop producer Rockwilder during the recording of "Lady Marmalade" (2001). Late in the making of Stripped, Aguilera approached him again, wanting him to help produce a "down and dirty" song to announce her comeback and new public image. Aguilera suggested using Redman's "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)" (2001) as a guide, and the resulting "Dirrty" was a remake of its precursor.[1] She later included a sequel titled "Still Dirrty" on her 2006 album Back to Basics.

"Dirrty" is a hip pop song composed in the key of G minor. The lines in the chorus and Redman's rap are emphasized by a pair of B♭ octave dyads.[2] The song's lyrics detail sexual activities such as table dancing.[3] Aguilera decided to use a misspelling for the title as a way to personalize the song, also considering "Dirtee" or "Dirrdy". She decided on "Dirrty" as a reflection of the music video, commenting, "I felt like having two r's, kind of like grrr…Gritty…underground, illegal stuff going on."[4]

Critical reception

"Dirrty" received mixed reviews from music critics. Allmusic referred to it as a "non-song" and found that Aguilera's vocal range in the song was too narrow.[5] Entertainment Weekly gave it a D-, calling the singing "desperate and shrill", and found it an unsuccessful attempt to gain street cred.[3] The Guardian, however, described it as "majestically filthy",[6] and Slant Magazine referred to it as "the most instantly gratifying" song from Stripped.[7] Stylus Magazine called it the best single of 2002, impressed by how "the bassline doesn't quite mesh with the song in a natural way" and the effective use of overdubbing.[8] Aguilera stated in an interview that she thought it was outrageous how rappers could sing about sexual antics onscreen but she couldn't. "Dirrty" immediately got rid of Aguilera's girl next door image that she had during her previous work. Many critics believed it was a smart move for Aguilera, because she showed her creative control. After Dirrty debuted, Aguilera began to go by her alter-ego name, Xtina.

The track earned several award nominations, including a Grammy nomination for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals". At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for "Best Female Video", "Best Dance Video", "Best Pop Video", and "Best Choreography".

Chart performance

Blonde woman wearing a red and black teddy and black boots, holding a microphone, and stepping onto carousel horse.
Aguilera used a carousel horse as a stripper pole for a performance of "Dirrty" on the Back to Basics Tour.

Linda Perry, who had worked with Aguilera on "Beautiful", stated that she and Aguilera's management had recommended it as the lead single from Stripped but that Aguilera insisted on "Dirrty" instead. RCA Records, however, stated that it had agreed with Aguilera to release "Dirrty" to attract attention to Aguilera and the album.[9] The single performed poorly in the United States, only peaking at number 48. The song was somewhat more successful in mainstream markets, reaching number 14 on the Top 40 Mainstream and number 22 on the Top 40 Tracks. It had some crossover success and peaked at number 20 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.[10] "Dirrty" was nominated for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" at the 2003 Grammy Awards, but lost out to Santana's "The Game of Love" featuring Michelle Branch.[11] It received four nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards for "Best Female Video", "Best Dance Video", "Best Pop Video", and "Best Choreography".

The track was much more successful in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the song reached the top of the chart for the week ending November 23 and remained there for two weeks,[12] and is officially the 30th best-selling single of 2002 in the United Kingdom.[13] It was successful throughout Europe, reaching the top five in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland, and the top ten in Italy, Portugal, and Sweden.[14]

The single had similar success elsewhere. It debuted on the Canadian Singles Chart at number 7, later peaking at number 5, and remained within the top ten for three and a half months.[14] It peaked at number 4 for three consecutive weeks on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, lasting 11 weeks on the chart.[15] The single was listed at number 36 on the 2002 end of year chart,[16] and at number 12 on the Urban Singles Chart.[17] The Australian Recording Industry Association certified "Dirrty" platinum for shipping 70,000 copies.[18] "Dirrty" stayed on the Italian Singles Chart for 21 weeks, peaking at #8. The sales of "Dirrty" in the U.S. weren't as successful as Aguilera's previous singles; but only because it was released as a 12" Vinyl single. The track became an international Top 5 hit, spending 25 weeks on the charts in Switzerland. "Dirrty" was certified platinum by the IFPI and Gold in New Zealand.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by David LaChapelle. It depicts what was described as "a post-apocalyptic orgy".[19] The video opens with Aguilera gearing up and riding a motorcycle into a nightclub. Wearing a bikini and chaps, she is lowered from a cage into a boxing ring and dances, accompanied by several back-up dancers. A masked woman is lowered into the ring, and the two engage in foxy boxing. The scene is intercut with sequences of Aguilera dancing in a crop top, which she later removes to reveal a bikini top, and a microskirt. Redman then proceeds down a hallway, passing people such as mud wrestlers, a contortionist, and furries. The video proceeds to a scene of Aguilera and back-up dancers splashing and dancing while being sprayed with water in a room containing several urinals, as a possible reference to urolagnia.[20]

The music video was successful on video chart programs. It debuted on MTV's Total Request Live October 2, 2002 at number six.[21] It lasted 44 days on the program,[21] half of which were at the top of the countdown.[22] At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video, and Best Choreography.[23] The video lasted eight weeks on MuchMusic's Countdown, peaking at number 11.[14]

The video generated some controversy and presented Aguilera's new public image. When Perry first saw the video, she asked Aguilera, "Are you high? This is annoying. Why are you doing this?"[24] Two weeks after its premiere, the video had already been spoofed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar on Saturday Night Live, who said (playing Aguilera): "When people see this video, they gonna stop thinking of me as some blonde-haired, bubblegum, music-industry ho – and start thinking of me as an actual ho."[25] Aguilera later commented that she found the spoof disappointing and that she "could have made a funnier script out of it."[19] Protests occurred in Thailand over Thai-language posters in the video that translate to "Thailand's Sex Tourism" and "Young Underage Girls". LaChapelle stated that he had not known what the posters stated, and RCA disallowed Thai television stations from playing the video.[26]

Aguilera's new image was widely rejected by the public to the extent that it began to overshadow her music.[27] Entertainment Weekly described it as "the world's skeeziest reptile woman",[3] and The Village Voice captioned her as a xenomorph from the Alien series.[28] Several of Aguilera's contemporaries, such as Shakira and Jessica Simpson, disapproved of her image, finding it "a step too far".[19] Time magazine commented that "she appeared to have arrived on the set…direct from an intergalactic hooker convention", adding that "she earned that extra r."[27] Aguilera, stating that she like "to play and experiment, to be as tame or as outlandish as [she] happened to feel", stood by the music video and her image in response to the criticism:

When you are bold and open, artistically speaking, in music and in video, a whole bunch of people automatically feel threatened by you, especially in Middle America…OK, I may have been the naked-ass girl in the video, but if you look at it carefully, I'm also at the forefront. I'm not just some lame chick in a rap video; I'm in the power position, in complete command of everything and everybody around me. To be totally balls-out like that is, for me, the measure of a true artist.[19]

Single releases

"Dirrty" was released worldwide in mid-2002. In the U.S., "Dirrty" was released on September 16, 2002 on a 12" Vinyl single. Because of that, "Dirrty" couldn't achieve the sales success it possibly could've if released on a different format. In the U.K., "Dirrty" was released on November 18, 2002, becoming an instant hit, skyrocketing to #1. The B-Side, called "I Will Be" was available on the Maxi-CD single only. Also, the main and instrumental version of the song were accompanied by the "No Rap Edit" on the 12" Vinyl single edition. In addition, the CD single was released, but a restricted amount of copies were produced. It included the remixes by Tracy Young, Sleaze Sisters, and George Moniev.

Awards

Year Ceremony Award Result
2003 Grammy Awards Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Nominated
2003 MOBO Awards Best Video Won
2003 MVPA Video Award Best Styling in a Video Won
2003 MVPA Video Award Best Make-Up Won
2003 Q Awards Best Track Won
2003 Teen People Readers' Choice Awards Best Booty-Shakin' Song Won
2003 MTV Video Music Awards Best Female Video Nominated
2003 MTV Video Music Awards Best Dance Video Nominated
2003 MTV Video Music Awards Best Pop Video Nominated
2003 MTV Video Music Awards Best Choreography Nominated

Formats and track listings

Major formats and track listings for "Dirrty".[29]

American 12" vinyl single
  1. "Dirrty" – 4:58
  2. "Dirrty" [no rap edit] – 4:01
  3. "Dirrty" [instrumental] – 3:58
American/European CD maxi single
  1. "Dirrty" [no rap edit] – 4:01
  2. "I Will Be" – 4:12
  3. "Dirrty" – 4:58
  4. "Dirrty" [video] – 4:49
American CD maxi single
  1. "Dirrty" – 5:00
  2. "Dirrty" [no rap edit] – 4:01
  3. "Dirrty" [short intro with rap] – 4:35
Canadian CD single
  1. "Dirrty" – 4:58
  2. "I Will Be" – 4:12
The remixes
  1. "Dirrty" [Tracy Young Radio Mix]
  2. "Dirrty" [Tracy Young Club Mix]
  3. "Dirrty" [Sleaze Sisters Radio Mix]
  4. "Dirrty" [Sleaze Sisters Club Mix]
  5. "Dirrty" [George Moniev Remix]
Australian CD Single
  1. "Dirrty" [no rap edit] - 4:01
  2. "I Will Be" - 4:12
  3. "Dirrty" [Full Length Version] - 4:58

Live performances

In pop culture

Remixes and official versions

Notes:

Release history

Country Record label Release format Catalog no. Release date
United States BMG, RCA Records 12"[30] 07863606171 September 16, 2002
Europe BMG, RCA Records CD single [31] 74321962712 November 2002
Australia [32] BMG Music (Australia) CD single 74321976352 2002
Canada [33] RCA Records CD single 7432196836-2 |align="left"|2002

Credits and personnel

Charts and certifications

Charts[34] Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[35] 4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[36] 5
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[37] 4
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[38] 8
Canadian Singles Chart[39] 5
Denmark (Tracklisten)[40] 4
European Hot 100 Singles[41] 2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[42] 20
France (SNEP)[43] 98
Germany (Media Control AG)[44] 4
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[45] 5
Italy (FIMI)[46] 8
Ireland (IRMA)[47] 1
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[48] 2
New Zealand (RIANZ)[49] 20
Norway (VG-lista)[50] 3
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[51] 6
Switzerland (Media Control AG)[52] 3
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[53] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[54] 48

Certifications

Country Certification Sales/shipments
Australia[55] Platinum 70,000[56]
Belgium[57] Gold 15,000[58]
Netherlands Gold[59] 25,000 [60]
Norway Platinum[61] 30,000[62]
Sweden Platinum[63] 40,000[64]
Switzerland Gold [65] 30,000[66]
United Kingdom Silver 230,000

References

  1. ↑ Hiatt, Brian. "'Dirrty' Work". Entertainment Weekly. October 29, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  2. ↑ Sheet music for "Dirrty". Hal Leonard Corporation. 2002.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Seymour, Craig. "'Dirty' (2007)". Entertainment Weekly. September 13, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  4. ↑ Moss, Corey. "Y Kant Artists Spell? Christina, Jimmy Jam, K-Ci Explain". MTV News. November 13, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stripped > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  6. ↑ Clarke, Betty. "Christina Aguilera: Stripped". The Guardian. October 25, 2002. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  7. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal. "Music Review: Christina Aguilera: Stripped". Slant Magazine. 2002. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  8. ↑ Burns, Todd. "Dirrty: The Best Single of the Year?". Stylus Magazine. October 7, 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  9. ↑ Hiatt, Brian. "Rump Shaken". Entertainment Weekly, issue 680. November 1, 2002. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Stripped > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  11. ↑ "45th Grammy Awards". Rock on the Net. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Number 1 Singles - 2000s". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  13. ↑ "Best Selling Singles of 2002". BPI.co.uk. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
    Note: This is a large PDF file.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Christina Aguilera Dirrty". Top40-Charts.com. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Christina Aguilera feat. Redman - Dirrty". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  16. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  17. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Urban Singles 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  18. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2002 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Duerden, Nick. "The Good, the Bad and the Dirrty". Blender. December 2003. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  20. ↑ Edwards, Tanya L. "How Dirty Is 'Dirrty'? X-posing The Kinks In X-tina's Video". MTV News. October 23, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "The TRL Archive - Debuts". ATRL. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  22. ↑ "The TRL Archive - Number Ones". ATRL. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  23. ↑ "2003 MTV Video Music Awards". Rock on the Net. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  24. ↑ Ogunnaike, Lola. "Christina Aguilera, That Dirrty Girl, Cleans Up Real Nice". The New York Times. July 30, 2006. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Sarah Michelle Gellar/Faith Hill". Saturday Night Live, episode 528. October 12, 2002.
  26. ↑ D'Angelo, Joe. "'Dirrty' Christina Aguilera Video Thai-ed To Sex Industry". MTV News. October 18, 2002. Retrieved June 15, 2007.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Tryangiel, Josh. "Welcome to my Bubble". Time. August 27, 2006. Retrieved June 17, 2007.
  28. ↑ Dark, Jane. "Siren Wailing". The Village Voice. November 11, 2002. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
  29. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - Dirrty at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Christina-Aguilera-Dirrty/master/101310. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  30. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (12") at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Christina-Aguilera-Dirrty/release/420976. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  31. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (CD, Single) at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Christina-Aguilera-Dirrty/release/815021. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  32. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Featuring Redman - Dirrty (CD, Single) at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Christina-Aguilera-Featuring-Redman-Dirrty/release/1553452. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  33. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - Dirrty (CD, Single) at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Christina-Aguilera-Dirrty/release/1504360. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  34. ↑ "Chart data". mariah-charts.com. 2002. http://www.mariah-charts.com/chartdata/PChristinaAguilera.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-24. 
  35. ↑ "Australian-charts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien.
  36. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - Dirrty Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
  37. ↑ "Ultratop.be - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop.be - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty" (in French). Ultratop 40. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  39. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gcfoxqyjldje~T51
  40. ↑ "Danishcharts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". Tracklisten. Hung Medien.
  41. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History" European Hot 100 for Christina Aguilera. Prometheus Global Media.
  42. ↑ "Finnishcharts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". Suomen virallinen lista. Hung Medien.
  43. ↑ "Lescharts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien.
  44. ↑ "Musicline.de - Chartverfolgung - Aguilera,Christina - Dirrty" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  45. ↑ "Archívum - Slágerlisták - MAHASZ - Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  46. ↑ "Italiancharts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". Top Digital Download. Hung Medien.
  47. ↑ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. GfK.
  48. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  49. ↑ "Charts.org.nz - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
  50. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". VG-lista. Hung Medien.
  51. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com - Christina Aguilera - Dirrty". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
  52. ↑ "Christina Aguilera - Dirrty swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
  53. ↑ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company.
  54. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Christina Aguilera. Prometheus Global Media.
  55. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2002 Singles". Aria.com.au. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-singles-2002.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  56. ↑ Australian Recording Industry Association. "Criteria". http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
  57. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/en/certifications.asp?year=2002. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  58. ↑ "Skynet, le portail le plus populaire de Belgique". Skynet.be. 2009-06-22. http://www.skynet.be/index.html?l1=entertainment&l2=ultratop&l3=charts&chartid=13&new_lang=fr. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  59. ↑ pagkey=61112&documentid=1237971&zoekform=60463&formposted=yes
  60. ↑ "NVPI, de branchevereniging van de entertainmentindustrie - Reglement". Nvpi.nl. http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=62772. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  61. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje". Ifpi.no. http://www.ifpi.no/sok/index_trofe.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  62. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje". Ifpi.no. http://www.ifpi.no/statistikk/2009/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  63. ↑ http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/ar-20021.pdf
  64. ↑ "Guld & Platina | ifpi". Ifpi.se. http://www.ifpi.se/?page_id=67. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  65. ↑ Steffen Hung (2010-03-20). "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". Swisscharts.com. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=Christina+Aguilera. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 
  66. ↑ J.Börker: content. "IFPI Schweiz - Schweizer Landesgruppe der International Federation of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms". Ifpi.ch. http://www.ifpi.ch/. Retrieved 2010-03-26. 

External links

Preceded by
"Unbreakable" by Westlife
UK number one single
November 17, 2002 - November 30, 2002 (2 weeks)
Succeeded by
"If You're Not The One" by Daniel Bedingfield
Preceded by
"Aserejé (The Ketchup Song)" by Las Ketchup
Irish Singles Chart number-one single
November 30, 2002 - December 7, 2002
Succeeded by
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem