“What A Girl Wants” by Christina Aguilera
As insinuated by the title, “What a Girl Wants” features the vocalist delineating the type of qualities which to her encapsulate the ideal romantic partner. Well actually for the most part she is addressing her already-established boyfriend.
The reason she appreciates him so much is because upon request, he gave her space as opposed to freaking out or anything like that. Furthermore, the fact that he has remained ‘faithful’ throughout her absence, rather than, say cursing her or going after another lady, has Christina feeling him all the more, as he actually gave her time to ‘get herself together’.
So the way Aguilera sums it all up is as ‘a girl needing somebody’ who is “tough” enough to endure the “rough” patches in a romantic relationship.
When was “What a Girl Wants” released?
This song came out in 1999. It is from Christina’s maiden album which is also titled “Christina Aguilera”.
Did Christina Aguilera write “What a Girl Wants”?
No. American songwriter Shelly Peiken co-wrote “What a Girl Wants” with fellow songwriter Guy Roche.
Grammy Nomination
This tune was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2001. Other nominees were:
- “I Try” by Macy Gray (Winner)
- “Music” by Madonna
- “Save Me” by Aimee Mann
- “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell
- “Oops!…I Did It Again” by Britney Spears
“What a Girl Wants” is a U.S. Number 1 Hit
This song is among the best-selling songs in Christina’s entire discography. It peaked at the summit of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also replicated the same feat on other Billboard listings, including Mainstream Top 40 and Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop.
It’s chart success didn’t end in the United States, where it has currently gone platinum with over a million copies sold. In the United Kingdom, it reached number 3. Furthermore, it went on to grab a top-10 status in the countries mentioned below:
- Australia (#5)
- Belgium (#8 and #5)
- Canada (#1 and #3)
- Ireland (#7)
- New Zealand (#1)
- Scotland (#8)
- Spain (#1)
Notable Media Appearances and Usage
Lea Michele covered this song in the American TV series Glee. Her cover can be heard on the episode titled “Mash-Up” from Season 1 of the show.
This song appears on the 2000 romantic comedy movie entitled “What Women Want” starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt.
It also appears in the season 4 of the popular American sitcom “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”. It was used in the 4th of episode of the aforementioned season.
Furthermore, Christina performed this song live on “Saturday Night Live” in 2000.
The “Christina Aguilera” Album
“Christina Aguilera” is Christina’s self-titled album released on August 24 of 2000 with Diane Warren and Ron Fair as its executive producers.
An older version of the album was released on August 24 of 1999 as the singer’s debut studio album.
“Christina Aguilera” happened to be the singer’s ticket to stardom as it practically set her music career rolling. It sold over 250,000 copies within its first week of release and by 2019 over 8 million copies had been sold. For achieving this feat the RIAA gave it an octuple platinum certification.
The album peaked at No.1 in the United States and Canada. It was supported by 4 official singles, including “What a Girl Wants”. The other singles that backed “Christina Aguilera” are:
- Genie in a Bottle
- I Turn to You
- Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)
