“Boom Boom Pow” by The Black Eyed Peas
The title (“Boom Boom Pow”) features the type of colorful exclamations one traditional finds in comic books, particularly when acts of violence are being perpetrated. But of course in the hands of a musical act like Black Eyed Peas, the phrase is a different thing.
What the group is rather using this phrase for is to point to the strength of “the beat”, i.e. their music. And in that regard this is by and large a dance song. It is a song that evidently was intentionally designed to be played at parties, night clubs and what have you.
And in addition to admonishments to dance, Will.i.am and the crew also use the opportunity to big up themselves here and there.
When was “Boom Boom Pow” released?
March 31st 2009. It was a single released from the group’s “The E.N.D.” album.
Credits
The song was written by the following members of the group:
- William Adams
- Allan Pineda
- Jaime Gomez
- Stacy Ferguson
“Boom Boom Pow” was subsequently produced by William Adams (will.i.am).
Nominations at the Grammys
The song was nominated for the following awards at the Grammys (the 52nd one):
- “Best Dance Recording”
- “Best Short Form Music Video”
It won the latter and lost the former to “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga. The nominees in the various categories were as follows:
“Best Dance Recording”:
- “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland
- “Celebration” by Madonna
- “Womanizer” by Britney Spears
“Best Short Form Music Video”:
- “Mr. Hurricane” by Beast
- “Life in Technicolor II” by Coldplay
- “Wrong” by Depeche Mode
- “Her Morning Elegance” by Oren Lavie
Additional Accolades
It was ranked number 14 on Rolling Stone’s list of top 25 songs of 2009.
By June of 2020, the song’s video had over a quarter of a billion YouTube views.
Chart Performance of “Boom Boom Pow
This song did incredibly well in the United Kingdom and the United States. It actually hit number 1 in these two regions. In addition to these places, it also achieved the same feat in at least 6 other countries.
- US – 1
- UK – 1
- Switzerland – 4
- Sweden – 10
- Scotland – 3
- Norway – 7
- New Zealand – 2
- Netherlands – 4
- Netherlands – 10
- Israel – 1
- Ireland – 3
- Greece – 1
- Germany – 3
- France – 4
- Finland – 5
- Denmark – 5
- Czech Republic – 6
- Croatia – 1
- Canada – 1
- Belgium – 1
- Belgium – 1
- Austria – 3
- Australia – 1
Movie Appearance
“Boom Boom Pow” was featured in the 2011 romantic comedy, “What’s Your Number”.
The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)
American hip-hop group, The Black Eyed Peas recorded the Grammy-award-winning song Boom Boom Pow in March 2008. The song was released as the first single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies).
Interscope Records released the album on June 3, 2009. Founding member of the group, William James Adams Jr., in an interview, stated that the title of the album, The E.N.D., was chosen because it fully describes what the album stands for.
What he basically meant by that is that the album represented a project that will last for a very long time. In addition, he said that they made the songs to inspire anybody at any given time regardless of the situation you may find yourself in.
The album was number one on the following album charts:
- Billboard 200
- Billboard Top Hip-Hop Albums
- UK R&B Albums
- Australian Albums
- Canadian Albums
- French Albums
It was given a reputable six Grammy Award nominations at the 2010 Grammy ceremony. It ended up winning the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Furthermore, it has received over 30 gold and platinum certifications from over ten countries.
By 2011, it had sold over 11 copies globally, making it one of the most sold hip-hop albums in history.
