Glam (song)

"Glam"
Song by Christina Aguilera from the album Bionic
Recorded 2010;
The Boom Boom Room (Burbank, California)
The Red Lips Room (Beverly Hills, California)
Length 3:40
Label RCA Records
Writer(s)
Producer(s) C. "Tricky" Stewart

"Glam" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, taken from her sixth studio album Bionic (2010). The song was written by Aguilera, Claude Kelly and C. "Tricky" Stewart, with production was handled by Stewart. The song talks about getting glam and sexy before a night out. According to Aguilera and Kelly, "Glam" was a throwback to Madonna's "Vogue" (1990).

At first, the track was planned to be the lead single from Bionic, however "Not Myself Tonight" was released instead. "Glam" received mixed reviews from music critics, with some praised it as one of the best uptempo tracks on the album, while others named it dull and criticized that the song was not as good as "Vogue". Upon the release of Bionic, "Glam" peaked at number two on the South Korean International Download Chart and number 42 on the main South Korean Download Chart.

Background and composition

"Glam"
A 22-second sample of "Glam" which described as "a poppy, hip-hop inflected throwback to Madonna's 'Vogue.'" by MTV News.[1]

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In January 5, 2010, Aguilera announced that "Glam" would be released as the lead single from Bionic during an interview with Marie Claire magazine.[1] She described the song as a "tentative" and "poppy" throwback to Madonna's "Vogue" (1990).[1] On an interview with Vibe, co-writer Claude Kelly described the song as "a party anthem but at the same time has underlying messages".[2] On March 23, 2010, after a 24-hour countdown on her official website ended, it was revealed that "Not Myself Tonight" would be released as the first single from the album, instead of "Glam".[3]

Recorded at The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, "Glam" was written by Aguilera, Claude Kelly and Christopher Stewart, while the production was handled by Tricky Stewart.[4] The song is preceded by a word-spoken interlude titled "Love & Glamour".[5] "Glam" was described by MTV News as "a poppy, hip-hop inflected throwback to Madonna's 'Vogue.'".[1] Entertainment Weekly writer Leah Greenblatt called it a "finger-snappy '90s flashbacks".[6] Lyrically, it talks about high fashion, getting glam and sexy before a night out.[2] At a part of the song, she dispenses fashion tips and sings, "Don't let the clothes wear you!".[7]

Critical reception

"Glam" received mixed reviews from music critics. Allison Stewart from The Washington Post named it "a great moment on the album".[8] Mesfin Fekadu from Boston.com website agreed, calling it "one of the disc's best uptempo tracks".[9] USA Today editor Elysa Gardner gave the song a positive review, writing that "[Aguilera] chants deadpan before letting loose a creamy belt that evokes an earthier version of Whitney Houston in her prime".[10] UK newspaper The Scotsman wrote that the song "is her blatant bid to produce a Vogue for our times",[5] while Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine labelled "Glam" as a "top-heavy cocktail that mixes one part 'Vogue' with two parts 'Technologic'".[11]

Brad Steirn from MuuMuse named it "dud",[12] while Michael Cragg from musicOMH called it "dated".[13] Omar Kholeif of PopMatters wrote a negative review, stating "Christina isn't afraid to shake, thrust, and hustle, as she professes on 'Glam', an obvious homage to 'Vogue' that isn't nearly as catchy or sultry as it thinks it is."[14] Jordan Richardson from Blogcritics agreed, writing that "The track is a frustrating and uncomfortable ode to Madonna's 'Vogue,' but Aguilera fails in recreating any of the slinkiness of the track she's trying to emulate".[15]

Credits and personnel

Recording locations
Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bionic, RCA Records.[4]

Chart performance

Upon the release of the album Bionic, "Glam" debuted at number 62 on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart on the chart issue dated June 13–19, 2010.[16] It additionally entered the Gaon International Digital Chart at number 3.[17] "Glam" was the 35th best-selling international single on the Gaon Chart in 2010, with 354,259 digital copies sold.[18]

Weekly charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
South Korean Gaon Digital Chart[16] 62
South Korean International Chart (Gaon)[17] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
South Korean International Chart[19] 40

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dihn, James (January 5, 2010). "Christina Aguilera Says New Album, Bionic, 'Is About The Future'". MTV News. Viacom Media Networks. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Murphy, Keith (April 18, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's Songwriter On Lady Gaga Comparisons: 'That's Crap'". Vibe. Vibe Media. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  3. "Christina Aguilera fires up website, announces "big news" about 'Bionic'". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. March 23, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Bionic (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Album review: Christina Aguilera, Bionic". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. June 6, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  6. Greenblatt, Leah (June 8, 2010). "Bionic (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  7. Kot, Greg (June 7, 2010). "Turn It Up: Album review: Christina Aguilera, 'Bionic'". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  8. Stewart, Allison (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera's new album 'Bionic' is a mish-mash of Gaga and blah". The Washington Post. The Washington Post Company. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  9. Fekadu, Mesfin (June 7, 2010). "Review: Aguilera has an identity crisis on new CD". Boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  10. Gardner, Elysa (June 8, 2010). "'Bionic' reveals the inner workings of Christina Aguilera". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  11. "Christina Aguilera: Bionic | Music Review". Slant Magazine. June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  12. Stern, Bradley (June 7, 2012). "CHRISTINA AGUILERA: BIONIC (ALBUM REVIEW)". MuuMuse. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  13. Cragg, Michael (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera - Bionic | album reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  14. Kholeif, Omar. "Christina Aguilera: Bionic". PopMatters. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  15. Richardson, Jordan (June 25, 2010). "Music Review: Christina Aguilera - Bionic - Page 2". Blogcritics. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Gaon Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Gaon Digital Chart: International" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  18. "Gaon Chart: Year-End 2010". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  19. "Gaon 2010 Digital Chart: International" (in Korean). Gaon Digital Chart.

External links

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