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Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed (2010). It was released as the lead single internationally and was the second single from that album released in the United States. The song was written by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, who also handled its production. It includes a sample of "Just the Two of Us", which was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. "Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo pop and R&B song that features a slinky piano and bouncy R&B beats. Lyrically, the song is a cheeky ode to self-empowerment.
Critical reception towards the song was mixed to positive. Music critics noted it as the standout track on the album, and praised its catchy production. However, critics were of disparate opinions on the song's lyrics. In the United States, "Pretty Girl Rock" peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for selling over 1,000,000 digital copies. Internationally, the song reached the top 20 in Germany and New Zealand, and the top 30 in Austria and Slovakia.
An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Joseph Kahn and features Hilson portraying an array of mostly African American female icons of the past, including Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, The Andrews Sisters, The Supremes, Donna Summer, Janet Jackson and T-Boz of the R&B girl group TLC. The video received positive response from critics and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2011 BET Awards, and Best Dance Performance at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards. Hilson promoted the song through live performances on various televised shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Germany's Next Topmodel, as well as in live concerts such as, the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops and the 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A version featuring rapper Kanye West served as the albums closing track. R&B girl group RichGirl and American rapper Lil' Kim have also released their own remixes to "Pretty Girl Rock", and American rock band Parachute have covered the song.
"Pretty Girl Rock" (titled "Pretty Girls" during production) was written by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, who also produced the track. It features a sample of the 1981 single "Just the Two of Us", which was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. It was recorded in 2010 at Westlake Recording Studios and Vanilla Sky Studios in Los Angeles, California. According to Hilson, the song was Ne-Yo's idea. She said, "I remember Ne-Yo playing it for me in the studio. I loved it as soon as I heard it!" Hilson debuted the song at the Beats By Dr. Dre concert in New York City on September 29, 2010. Later that same day, Rap-Up magazine unveiled the single cover and confirmed that it would serve as the second single from Hilson's second studio album, No Boys Allowed, following its lead single, "Breaking Point". In an interview with 4Music, Hilson explained the concept of the song:
I'm giving you an example of how I think every woman should feel about herself. No matter what anyone tells you – you're too tall, you're too short, you're too big, you're too skinny ... there's so many 'rules' to society's view of beauty. I wanted to dispel that and get rid of that. We're all beautiful in our own unique ways, you just have to find that happy place within yourself. And that's what the record's all about.
"Pretty Girl Rock" premiered online on October 4, 2010 and was then released for digital download on October 12. The song was sent for rhythmic contemporary airplay in the United States on October 19, and contemporary hit radio airplay on October 26. The official remix, featuring Kanye West, premiered online on November 23, 2010, and was later included on No Boys Allowed as the thirteenth track. An extended play, featuring three additional remixes produced by dance group Cahill, were released for digital download in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2011. On June 10, 2011, "Pretty Girl Rock" was released as a Compact Disc single containing two additional remixes, in Germany.
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo pop and R&B song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington Jr. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats. Sara Anderson from AOL Radio noted that it "weaves in piano trills, prominent backbeats, ska slang 'eh's and self-awareness." According to Georgette Cline from The Boombox, the song is a "self-love anthem" that showcases Hilson's "attempt at uniting women over their shared beauty rather than the jealousy that drives them apart." Luke Gibson from Hip Hop DX noted that lyrics such as: "'Girls think I'm conceited 'cause I know I'm attractive / Don't worry about what I think, why don't you ask him?', capture the attitude of a Fabolous or Jadakiss track." Chad Grischow from IGN Music referred to "Pretty Girl Rock" as a "girl-power jam" and noted that Hilson "exudes confidence" with the lines: "Pretty as a picture / Sweet as a Swisher / Mad cuz I'm cuter than the girl that's with ya."
"Pretty Girl Rock" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of Allmusic, Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly and editors of USA Today, all considered it to be the stand out track from No Boys Allowed. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine wrote that the song, "comes on like a cat fight, but it eventually reveals itself to be a tough-loving 'love yourself' anthem, a stately but danceable approximation of Dove's campaign for 'real beauty'". Matthew Horton of BBC Music called it a "lovely single", while Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe called it "swaggering". Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote that, "Though Ne-Yo gives 'Pretty Girl Rock' an addictive sheen, it's the remix featuring some memorable verses from Kanye West that gets the point across best." Kyle Anderson of MTV Newsroom praised Hilson's "confidence and sweetness" on the song, and described the beat as "funky and sick." Editors of DesiHits described "Pretty Girl Rock" as an "upbeat and catchy track ... and we have to say the beat really rocks!."
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Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed (2010). It was released as the lead single internationally and was the second single from that album released in the United States. The song was written by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, who also handled its production. It includes a sample of "Just the Two of Us", which was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. "Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo pop and R&B song that features a slinky piano and bouncy R&B beats. Lyrically, the song is a cheeky ode to self-empowerment.
Critical reception towards the song was mixed to positive. Music critics noted it as the standout track on the album, and praised its catchy production. However, critics were of disparate opinions on the song's lyrics. In the United States, "Pretty Girl Rock" peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for selling over 1,000,000 digital copies. Internationally, the song reached the top 20 in Germany and New Zealand, and the top 30 in Austria and Slovakia.
An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Joseph Kahn and features Hilson portraying an array of mostly African American female icons of the past, including Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, The Andrews Sisters, The Supremes, Donna Summer, Janet Jackson and T-Boz of the R&B girl group TLC. The video received positive response from critics and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2011 BET Awards, and Best Dance Performance at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards. Hilson promoted the song through live performances on various televised shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Germany's Next Topmodel, as well as in live concerts such as, the VH1 Divas Salute the Troops and the 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A version featuring rapper Kanye West served as the albums closing track. R&B girl group RichGirl and American rapper Lil' Kim have also released their own remixes to "Pretty Girl Rock", and American rock band Parachute have covered the song.
"Pretty Girl Rock" (titled "Pretty Girls" during production) was written by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, who also produced the track. It features a sample of the 1981 single "Just the Two of Us", which was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. It was recorded in 2010 at Westlake Recording Studios and Vanilla Sky Studios in Los Angeles, California. According to Hilson, the song was Ne-Yo's idea. She said, "I remember Ne-Yo playing it for me in the studio. I loved it as soon as I heard it!" Hilson debuted the song at the Beats By Dr. Dre concert in New York City on September 29, 2010. Later that same day, Rap-Up magazine unveiled the single cover and confirmed that it would serve as the second single from Hilson's second studio album, No Boys Allowed, following its lead single, "Breaking Point". In an interview with 4Music, Hilson explained the concept of the song:
I'm giving you an example of how I think every woman should feel about herself. No matter what anyone tells you – you're too tall, you're too short, you're too big, you're too skinny ... there's so many 'rules' to society's view of beauty. I wanted to dispel that and get rid of that. We're all beautiful in our own unique ways, you just have to find that happy place within yourself. And that's what the record's all about.
"Pretty Girl Rock" premiered online on October 4, 2010 and was then released for digital download on October 12. The song was sent for rhythmic contemporary airplay in the United States on October 19, and contemporary hit radio airplay on October 26. The official remix, featuring Kanye West, premiered online on November 23, 2010, and was later included on No Boys Allowed as the thirteenth track. An extended play, featuring three additional remixes produced by dance group Cahill, were released for digital download in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2011. On June 10, 2011, "Pretty Girl Rock" was released as a Compact Disc single containing two additional remixes, in Germany.
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo pop and R&B song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington Jr. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats. Sara Anderson from AOL Radio noted that it "weaves in piano trills, prominent backbeats, ska slang 'eh's and self-awareness." According to Georgette Cline from The Boombox, the song is a "self-love anthem" that showcases Hilson's "attempt at uniting women over their shared beauty rather than the jealousy that drives them apart." Luke Gibson from Hip Hop DX noted that lyrics such as: "'Girls think I'm conceited 'cause I know I'm attractive / Don't worry about what I think, why don't you ask him?', capture the attitude of a Fabolous or Jadakiss track." Chad Grischow from IGN Music referred to "Pretty Girl Rock" as a "girl-power jam" and noted that Hilson "exudes confidence" with the lines: "Pretty as a picture / Sweet as a Swisher / Mad cuz I'm cuter than the girl that's with ya."
"Pretty Girl Rock" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of Allmusic, Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly and editors of USA Today, all considered it to be the stand out track from No Boys Allowed. Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine wrote that the song, "comes on like a cat fight, but it eventually reveals itself to be a tough-loving 'love yourself' anthem, a stately but danceable approximation of Dove's campaign for 'real beauty'". Matthew Horton of BBC Music called it a "lovely single", while Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe called it "swaggering". Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote that, "Though Ne-Yo gives 'Pretty Girl Rock' an addictive sheen, it's the remix featuring some memorable verses from Kanye West that gets the point across best." Kyle Anderson of MTV Newsroom praised Hilson's "confidence and sweetness" on the song, and described the beat as "funky and sick." Editors of DesiHits described "Pretty Girl Rock" as an "upbeat and catchy track ... and we have to say the beat really rocks!."