Stickwitu
Encyclopedia
"Stickwitu" is a R&B
ballad by American girl group
the Pussycat Dolls
from their debut album, PCD
. Produced by Jimmy Iovine
, Robin Antin
, Ron Fair
and Tal Herzberg, it was released as the album's second single in late 2005. The song is an uptempo ballad being different to their previous single "Don't Cha
". The title is a colloquialism
for "stick with you".
The song gained worldwide success, reaching top five in the United States and in Belgium, like their previous single it debuted at number one in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom and reached top three in Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The song gave the Dolls a Grammy nomination at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals but lost to The Black Eyed Peas
"My Humps
". The song has been performed several times on television including the remix with Avant
.
pop
-soul
song written by Franne Golde, Kasia Livingstone and Robert Palmer written in the key of D major
with a time signature
in common time
and a tempo
of 72 beats per minute. The Melody, produced by Ron Fair
and co-produced by Taz Halberg, is designed to be played "slowly". "Stickwitu" uses a simple chord progression
of A(9)/C♯ – Bm7 – A7 – Bm7 and A/C♯, with a vocal range of F♯3 – E5.
awarded the song 4.5 out of five stars, praising the song's production, Scherzinger's lead vocals and the celebratory lyrics. Aside from pointing out that song could "work well at homecoming dances and wedding receptions", Lamb said "'Stickwitu' goes a long way toward establishing the Pussycat Dolls as more than a one-hit wonder. While it is not the most distinctive pop song around, it is a sweet, solid love song for when times are good." He did however note that the song lacked a catchy hook like its predecessor "Don't Cha". Stephen Thomas Erlewine
was less impressed with the song saying that "PCD
seems like it will be that rare thing: a mainstream club/dance album devoted to nothing but dance songs. Then, reality comes crashing in with the fourth song, 'Stickwitu', the inevitable romantic slow jam whose sappiness undercuts the joyous carnal celebration of the first three songs. Sal Cinquenmani from Slant Magazine
found the song difficult to take seriously. He said "the album's ballads ("Stickwitu" and "How Many Times, How Many Lies"), though sufficiently un-icky, are still difficult to take seriously when followed by a song that begs a man to 'loosen up my buttons
'."
The video was shot over two days in different places in Los Angeles
including Orpheum Theatre.
In an interview at MTV News Dick talked about directing the music video, he said the main theme of the video was:
He continued saying:
The music video begins with the group at a hotel being awoken by someone knocking on the door. The Pussycat Dolls begin to pack their belongings, then walk to their tour bus, stopping to sign autographs for fans on the way. The video continues to show footage of the girls on the bus, in dance rehearsals and practicing the song "Stickwitu". The video ends with group coming out of a back entrance of a building posing for some pictures. Throughout the video, the Pussycat Dolls are seen talking on Nokia
mobile phones, presumably to their partners.
at number eighty-five and ascended to number sixty-seven in its second week. By its fourth week, "Stickwitu" had already become the group's second top 40 single and by its ninth week had peaked at number five where it spent three non-consecutive weeks. "Stickwitu" also peaked at number-one for two weeks on the Pop 100 Airplay
, and number-two on the Billboard Pop 100
charts respectively. "Stickwitu" also charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/hip-hop songs, and has peaked at number sixty-three.
In the United Kingdom, "Stickwitu" debuted and peaked at number-one for two consecutive weeks, becoming the group's second consecutive UK number one single. "Stickwitu" spent 6 weeks within the top ten, and remained on the chart for a total of 17 weeks. In Canada, "Stickwitu" peaked at number fifteen on the Canadian BDS airplay chart and at number-nine on the Canadian Singles Chart
, and is to date the group's second top ten single, and also their second most successful song on this chart.
"Stickwitu" was also a major success in Oceania
. In Australia, "Stickwitu" debuted at number-three on the Australian ARIA
Singles Charts and eventually peaked at number-two for two consecutive weeks, and was certified Platinum by ARIA for sales in excess of 70,000. "Stickwitu" appeared on the ARIA Year-End Singles Chart the following year and was ranked at number twenty-nine. It was one of four releases by the group to have made this chart, with the others being its successors; "Beep", "Buttons" and "I Don't Need A Man". In New Zealand, "Stickwitu" peaked at number one for two non-consecutive weeks on the New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart, one week more than its predecessor, "Don't Cha" had spent at number one, and becoming the group's second consecutive number one hit. "Stickwitu" was ranked at number-fifteen on the Year-End RIANZ Singles Chart for 2006.
"Stickwitu" was also a success in Europe. "Stickwitu" was most successful in the Netherlands where it peaked at number-two for two consecutive weeks, becoming the group's second consecutive single to peak at number-two. "Stickwitu" was also successful elsewhere in Europe reaching the top ten in Switzerland, Belgium, Norway and Italy. It also peaked within the top twenty in Germany, Austria and France, as well as the top 40 in Sweden. "Stickwitu" peaked at number-four on the European Hot 100 following its success across Europe.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
ballad by American girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
the Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
from their debut album, PCD
PCD (album)
PCD is the debut album by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls, released on September 13, 2005 in the United States, by A&M Records. After recruiting Melody Thornton and Nicole Scherzinger and releasing two singles, they released this album...
. Produced by Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
, Robin Antin
Robin Antin
Robin Antin is an American dancer, choreographer, music video director, actress, showgirl, clothing designer and entrepreneur. In 1995 in Los Angeles Antin, Christina Applegate and Carla Kama founded the modern burlesque troupe The Pussycat Dolls...
, Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
and Tal Herzberg, it was released as the album's second single in late 2005. The song is an uptempo ballad being different to their previous single "Don't Cha
Don't Cha
"Don't Cha" is the debut single by American R&B/pop girl group the Pussycat Dolls. The song was originally recorded by American recording artist Tori Alamaze, and was released as her debut single in March 2005, on Universal Records. After Universal Records dropped her from the label, Cee-Lo Green...
". The title is a colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
for "stick with you".
The song gained worldwide success, reaching top five in the United States and in Belgium, like their previous single it debuted at number one in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom and reached top three in Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands.
The song gave the Dolls a Grammy nomination at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards for the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals but lost to The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
"My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
". The song has been performed several times on television including the remix with Avant
Avant
Myron Avant , better known as Avant is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is best known for hits such as "Separated" , "My First Love," which one version features KeKe Wyatt, and "Read Your Mind"...
.
Composition
"Stickwitu" is a down-tempoDowntempo
Downtempo is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. The beat is sometimes made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling...
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...
-soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
song written by Franne Golde, Kasia Livingstone and Robert Palmer written in the key of D major
D major
D major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....
with a time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and a tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 72 beats per minute. The Melody, produced by Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
and co-produced by Taz Halberg, is designed to be played "slowly". "Stickwitu" uses a simple chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of A(9)/C♯ – Bm7 – A7 – Bm7 and A/C♯, with a vocal range of F♯3 – E5.
Critical reception
"Stickwitu" received mixed reviews from critics. Bill Lamb from About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
awarded the song 4.5 out of five stars, praising the song's production, Scherzinger's lead vocals and the celebratory lyrics. Aside from pointing out that song could "work well at homecoming dances and wedding receptions", Lamb said "'Stickwitu' goes a long way toward establishing the Pussycat Dolls as more than a one-hit wonder. While it is not the most distinctive pop song around, it is a sweet, solid love song for when times are good." He did however note that the song lacked a catchy hook like its predecessor "Don't Cha". Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
was less impressed with the song saying that "PCD
PCD (album)
PCD is the debut album by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls, released on September 13, 2005 in the United States, by A&M Records. After recruiting Melody Thornton and Nicole Scherzinger and releasing two singles, they released this album...
seems like it will be that rare thing: a mainstream club/dance album devoted to nothing but dance songs. Then, reality comes crashing in with the fourth song, 'Stickwitu', the inevitable romantic slow jam whose sappiness undercuts the joyous carnal celebration of the first three songs. Sal Cinquenmani 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 :...
found the song difficult to take seriously. He said "the album's ballads ("Stickwitu" and "How Many Times, How Many Lies"), though sufficiently un-icky, are still difficult to take seriously when followed by a song that begs a man to 'loosen up my buttons
Buttons (song)
"Buttons" is an R&B/hip hop song written by Sean Garrett, Jamal Jones, Jason Perry, and Nicole Scherzinger for the Pussycat Dolls' debut album PCD . Released as the album's fourth single, the song became one of their biggest hits...
'."
Music video
The video was directed by Nigel DickNigel Dick
Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", as well as over 300 other music videos.Nigel Dick should not be confused with the Australian Dr...
The video was shot over two days in different places in 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 Orpheum Theatre.
In an interview at MTV News Dick talked about directing the music video, he said the main theme of the video was:
He continued saying:
The music video begins with the group at a hotel being awoken by someone knocking on the door. The Pussycat Dolls begin to pack their belongings, then walk to their tour bus, stopping to sign autographs for fans on the way. The video continues to show footage of the girls on the bus, in dance rehearsals and practicing the song "Stickwitu". The video ends with group coming out of a back entrance of a building posing for some pictures. Throughout the video, the Pussycat Dolls are seen talking on Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
mobile phones, presumably to their partners.
Track listings
- iTunes - EP
- "Santa Baby" (Non-LP Version)
- "Stickwitu" (LP version/album version)
- "Stickwitu" (R&B Remix) [featuring Avant]
- Stickwitu (International Version) - Single
- "Stickwitu"
- "Stickwitu" (R&B remix) [featuring Avant]
- UK./International CD maxi single
- "Stickwitu"
- "Santa BabySanta Baby"Santa Baby" is a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer. Although Tony Springer is listed as co-writer, he was a legal fiction created for purposes of membership in the performing rights organization BMI.The song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list sung by a...
" - "Stickwitu" (R&B remix) [featuring Avant]
- "Stickwitu" (video)
Credits
Taken from album liner notes.- Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos - recording engineer
- Ron FairRon FairRon Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
- harmonica, piano, organ, electric piano, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Franne Golde - songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Tal Halberg - co-producer
- Mike Hogue - assistant engineer
- Cori Jacobs - electric piano
- Kasia Livingstone - songwriter
- The PCD Orchestra - strings
- Robert Palmer - drum programming, songwriter
- Allen Sides - recording (strings)
Chart performance
"Stickwitu" entered the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
at number eighty-five and ascended to number sixty-seven in its second week. By its fourth week, "Stickwitu" had already become the group's second top 40 single and by its ninth week had peaked at number five where it spent three non-consecutive weeks. "Stickwitu" also peaked at number-one for two weeks on the Pop 100 Airplay
Pop 100 Airplay
The Pop 100 Airplay was a chart created in 2005 and released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It measured mainstream radio airplay, and was one of the three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot Digital Songs charts, that determined the chart positions of singles...
, and number-two on the Billboard Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
charts respectively. "Stickwitu" also charted on the Billboard Hot R&B/hip-hop songs, and has peaked at number sixty-three.
In the United Kingdom, "Stickwitu" debuted and peaked at number-one for two consecutive weeks, becoming the group's second consecutive UK number one single. "Stickwitu" spent 6 weeks within the top ten, and remained on the chart for a total of 17 weeks. In Canada, "Stickwitu" peaked at number fifteen on the Canadian BDS airplay chart and at number-nine on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
, and is to date the group's second top ten single, and also their second most successful song on this chart.
"Stickwitu" was also a major success in Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. In Australia, "Stickwitu" debuted at number-three on the Australian 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...
Singles Charts and eventually peaked at number-two for two consecutive weeks, and was certified Platinum by ARIA for sales in excess of 70,000. "Stickwitu" appeared on the ARIA Year-End Singles Chart the following year and was ranked at number twenty-nine. It was one of four releases by the group to have made this chart, with the others being its successors; "Beep", "Buttons" and "I Don't Need A Man". In New Zealand, "Stickwitu" peaked at number one for two non-consecutive weeks on the New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart, one week more than its predecessor, "Don't Cha" had spent at number one, and becoming the group's second consecutive number one hit. "Stickwitu" was ranked at number-fifteen on the Year-End RIANZ Singles Chart for 2006.
"Stickwitu" was also a success in Europe. "Stickwitu" was most successful in the Netherlands where it peaked at number-two for two consecutive weeks, becoming the group's second consecutive single to peak at number-two. "Stickwitu" was also successful elsewhere in Europe reaching the top ten in Switzerland, Belgium, Norway and Italy. It also peaked within the top twenty in Germany, Austria and France, as well as the top 40 in Sweden. "Stickwitu" peaked at number-four on the European Hot 100 following its success across Europe.
Charts
| Chart (2005-06) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Certifications
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Platinum |
Yearly charts
| Chart (2005) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 29 |
| UK Singles Chart | 36 |
| Chart (2006) | Position |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 16 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 61 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 36 |
| UK Singles Chart | 132 |
See also
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)