Stripped (Christina Aguilera album)
Album |
Name = Stripped |
Type =
Album | Artist =
Christina Aguilera |
Cover = Christina Aguilera - Stripped.jpg |
Background = orange |
Released =
October 29,
2002 |
Recorded = 2001-2002 |
Genre =
Pop/
R&B/
Soul |
Length = 77:48 |
Label =
RCA Records | Producer =
Christina Aguilera,
Glen Ballard,
Jasper Cameron,
E. Dawk,
Rob Hoffman,
Heather Holley,
Steve Morales,
Balewa Muhammad,
Linda Perry,
Rockwilder,
Scott Storch | Reviews =
*
All Music Guide linkRolling Stone link | Last album =
Just Be Free(2000) | This album =
Stripped(2002) | Next album =
Back to Basics(2006) | |}}
Stripped is the second
studio album by
American pop singer
Christina Aguilera, released in 2002. It reached the top five of the album charts in both the
U.S. and
UK and features two UK number-one hits in "
Dirrty" and "
Beautiful". The raunchy themes of the album attracted the most publicity — not all positive — though Aguilera insisted that the title and subject matter reflected her emotions more than her body. The songs with that as a theme include "Beautiful", "
Fighter", "
The Voice Within", "Soar", "Loving Me 4 Me" and "I'm OK".
"Beautiful" earned Christina Aguilera the
Grammy Award for
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in
2004. The
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) presented a special award for inclusion to her in February 2003 for the positive images of
gay and
transgender people. In accepting the award in February 2003, Aguilera said "The song 'Beautiful' is about being or feeling unaccepted for merely being yourself, yet knowing through any hardships, we are all beautiful despite the differences or insecurities. My video captures the reality that gay and transgender people are beautiful, even though prejudice and discrimination against them still exists."
"Make Over" became the subject of controversy when critics commented on its similarity to a 2000
Sugababes' single called "
Overload". When
Stripped was originally released, Aguilera and
Linda Perry were listed as the song's writers. Some time later
ASCAP also gave additional credits to Sugababes writers Jonathan Lipsey, Felix Howard, Cameron McVey and
Paul Simm. The link was never publicly admitted but "Make Over" was removed from the track listing of Aguilera's subsequent DVD,
Stripped Live in the UK.
Christina Aguilera recorded the song titled "I'm OK". The song is a personal account of her emotionally distressing childhood. She speaks about her father and her painful memories from her early life.
 |
Christina Aguilera in the controversial video for "Dirrty" |
Initial indications of a raunchier image for Aguilera were demonstrated in her appearance in the video for a remake of the 1975
Labelle's hit "
Lady Marmalade". The video showed Aguilera,
Lil' Kim,
Mya and
P!nk dressed in
lingerie. In late August 2002, "Dirrty", the first single from
Stripped, was leaked on the Internet and radio stations. The song was a
hip-hop-influenced track, based on rapper
Redman's 2001 single "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)", which features
DJ Kool. As a play on the similarities, Redman was featured on the track, rapping for one verse of the song.
On
September 30, the music video for "Dirrty" premiered on
MTV in the United States. The video features a scantily-clad Aguilera, dancing lecherously with members of both sexes in a run-down, underground
boxing venue. Due to the mature nature of the video, it was heavily criticized by other musicians, as well as the media. In response, Aguilera pointed out the video is more about power and control, later stating "I may have been the naked-ass girl in the video, but if you look at it carefully, I'm also at the forefront. I'm not just some lame chick in a rap video; I'm in the power position, in complete command of everything around me. To be totally balls-out like that is, for me, the measure of a true artist." There's also a scene where she participates in a boxing match. Although
European MTV channels shown the unedited video, the United States and some
Asian MTV channels show an edited version of the video with some of the raciest footage omitted. However, the "Dirrty" video was banned in
Thailand for containing
Thai-language posters that said "Thailand's
Sex Tourism" and "Young Underage Girls" — references to Thailand's much-criticized, tourist-driven sex industry —, during the boxing ring sequence. The producers and director of the video,
David LaChapelle, claimed to be ignorant of the meaning of the posters, and sent public apologies.
During the first few months of promoting
Stripped, she took part in photo shoots for the magazines
Maxim,
Rolling Stone, and
CosmoGirl!. Many of the photographs featured her nude or semi-nude. She denied the image change was a matter of publicity, claiming that it better reflected her true personality than did the image she cultivated in 1999. She told
German paper
Netzeitung, "I like having sex. It's fun... I love experimenting with my sexuality. I want to try out as much as possible. It would be wrong of me to hide this side of my personality. I have fun being sexy and tough at the same time."
Ironically, the raunchy image negatively affected the sales of the album upon release. The album debuted at #2 in the U.S. and quickly began to slide down the charts. However, upon the release of "Beautiful" and later hit singles, sales increased and the album ended up being a top seller in 2003. It is now certified 4x platinum by the
RIAA in January 2005 [
1] and has currently sold over 4 million copies.
The staying power of the album was also shown in the UK, where the album was consistently in the top twenty between late 2002 and mid-2004. In December 2004,
Stripped was certified 3x platinum by the
IFPI [
2] for shipments of three million copies inside Europe, of which, over 1 million were sold in the UK alone. It peaked at number six in Germany and after spending seventy-seven weeks inside the top 100 chart the album was certified 3x platinum and peaked at number 10 in Greece. It is also quadruple platinum in
Australia despite only reaching a peak of number seven.
Overall, worldwide sales of Stripped exceed
12 million.
The five singles released from Stripped are the following: |
Christina Aguilera in the video for "Dirrty" |
*"Dirrty" is a hip-hop-influenced song about not being afraid to conform to one's own standards. The track went to number one in the UK and
Ireland, and was a top ten hit in the
Netherlands,
Belgium,
Spain and
Australia. It only reached forty-eight on the
Billboard Hot 100, reflecting the early sales backlash.
|
Christina Aguilera in the video for "Beautiful" |
*"Beautiful", perhaps Aguilera's best-known single to date, is a
ballad about not letting others' negativity affect oneself. This Linda Perry-written,
cello-driven,
classically-flavored track was called one of the best pop recordings ever made by
Simon Cowell [
3]. The video garnered great attention, as it touched on the subjects of
anorexia nervosa,
homosexuality, and
cross-dressing. It went to number one in the UK,
Canada, Ireland and Australia as well as making the U.S. top 40 and
adult contemporary charts; the song peaked at two on the Hot 100. "Beautiful" earned Aguilera the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) presented her a special award in February 2003 for including positive images of gay and transgendered people in the video.
|
Christina Aguilera in the video for "Fighter" |
*"Fighter" is a
rock-influenced track that Christina wrote about the on again off again relationship between her and former manager Steve Kurtz as well as to others who wronged her in the past. It thanks those who had put her through this, because (as the name suggests), it has made her a stronger person. The video shows Christina slowly emerging, first as a
worm, then changing to a
moth. This is to signify the change in her musical style, and the change in herself as a person. It went to number twenty on the Hot 100 and reached the top 10 on world airplay charts. It was directed by
Floria Sigismondi — who was popular for her previous work with
Marilyn Manson — and features a
guitar sound by
Dave Navarro. "Fighter" is most noted for its extreme rawness and
vocal range. The single was particularly popular because people felt they could relate to Christina's harsh backlash towards those that had treated her badly.
|
Christina Aguilera in the video for "Can't Hold Us Down" |
"Can't Hold Us Down" is a collaboration with rapper
Lil' Kim that describes and condemns the existence of the
double standard in society's views of men and women. The video ties in with the theme and features the duo in the
Lower East Side neighborhood of
Manhattan,
New York, wearing heavily 1980s-inspired
hip-hop clothing and taking on a rowdy group of guys with some help from their friends. It was another top five hit internationally and reached twelve on the Hot 100. The song has a hip-hop feel to it, with a rap featured by Lil' Kim, this stepped away from Christina's typical soulful sound.
|
Christina Aguilera in the video for "The Voice Within" |
*"The Voice Within" is a ballad about turning to one's self if all else fails. The video features a
black-and-white, one-shot take of Aguilera wearing a thin white slip dress, walking out of an abandoned
theater. It is very simplistic, but was critically acclaimed. It peaked at thirty-three on the Hot 100 and nine in the UK.
The Mexican edition of
Stripped contains "Get Mine, Get Yours"
Spanish version "Dame Lo Que Yo Te Doy" ("Give Me What I Give You") instead of its original version. This song also appears as a B-side to the "Beautiful" CD single.
# "Stripped Intro" — â€" 1:39# "
Can't Hold Us Down" (featuring
Lil' Kim)
(Christina Aguilera, Matthew Morris, Scott Storch) — â€" 4:15# "Walk Away"
(Christina Aguilera, Matthew Morris, Scott Storch) — â€" 5:47# "
Fighter"
(Christina Aguilera, Scott Storch) — â€" 4:05# "Primer Amor Interlude" — â€" 0:53# "Infatuation"
(Christina Aguilera, Matthew Morris, Scott Storch) — â€" 4:17# "Loves Embrace Interlude" — â€" 0:46# "Loving Me 4 Me"
(Christina Aguilera, Matthew Morris, Scott Storch) — â€" 4:36# "Impossible"
(Alicia Keys) — â€" 4:14# "Underappreciated"
(Christina Aguilera, Matthew Morris, Scott Storch) — â€" 4:00# "
Beautiful"
(Linda Perry) — â€" 3:58# "Make Over"
(Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry) — â€" 4:12# "Cruz"
(Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry) — â€" 3:49# "Soar"
(Christina Aguilera, Heather Holley, Rob Hoffman) — â€" 4:45# "Get Mine, Get Yours"
(Balewa Muhammad, Christina Aguilera, David Siegel, Steve Morales) — â€" 3:44# "
Dirrty" (featuring
Redman)
(Christina Aguilera, D. Stinson, Balewa Muhammad, R. Noble, Jasper Cameron) — â€" 4:58# "Stripped Pt. 2" — â€" 0:45# "
The Voice Within"
(Christina Aguilera, Glen Ballard) — â€" 5:04# "I'm OK"
(Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry) — â€" 5:18# "Keep on Singin' My Song"
(Christina Aguilera, Scott Storch) — â€" 6:29
*
Christina Aguilera -
vocals, background vocals
*
Alex Al -
bass*
Maxi Anderson - background vocals, choir, chorus
*
Glen Ballard -
guitar*
Alexandra Brown - background vocals
*
Matt Chamberlain -
drums*
Darryl Dixon - horn
*
Richard Dodd -
cello*
Crystal Drummer - background vocals
*
Uriah Duffy - bass
*
Mike Elizondo - bass
*
Aaron Fishbein - guitar,
electric guitar*
Damon Fox -
keyboard*
Larry Gold - conductor
*
John Goux - guitar
*
Gary Grant - horn
*
Lili Haydn -
violin,
viola*
Jerry Hey - horn
*
Dan Higgins - horn
*
Charles Hines - background vocals
*
Rob Hoffman - guitar,
Fender Rhodes*
Russell Jackson - bass
*
Paul Alexandre John - drums
*
Randy Kerber - keyboard
*
Alicia Keys -
piano, background vocals
*
Eric King - background vocals
*
Michael Landau - guitar
*
Brian MacLeod - drums
*
Tarus Mateen - bass
*
Brian Frazier Moore - drums
*
Dave Navarro - guitar
*
Linda Perry - bass, guitar, piano, strings
*
Greg Phillinganes - piano,
Hammond organ*
Shanti Randall - viola
*
Bill Reichenbach, Jr. - horn
*
David Siegel - keyboard
*
Alfie Silas - background vocals
*
Ramon Stagnaro -
acoustic guitar*
Mike Stinson - drums
*
Ahmir Khalib Thompson - drums
*
David Warner - electric tenor guitar
*
David Watson - horn
*
Arthur White - guitar
*
Maxine Willard Waters - background vocals
*Producers: Christina Aguilera, Glen Ballard, Jasper Cameron, E. Dawk, Rob Hoffman, Heather Holley, Steve Morales, Balewa Muhammad, Linda Perry, Rockwilder, Scott Storch
*Executive producers: Christina Aguilera, Ron Fair
*Engineers: Scott Campbell, David Guerrero, Rob Hoffman, Linda Perry, Oscar Ramirez, Shane Stoner, Wassim Zreik
*Assistant engineers: Brian Douglas, Alex Gibson, Jay Goin, Anthony Kilhoffer, Aaron Lepley, Rafael Serrano, Kevin Szymanski, Davy Vain, Scott Whiting, Ethan Willoughby
*Mixing: Tony Maserati, Peter Mokran, Dave Pensado
*Mixing assistants: Rich Balmer, Tony Flores, David Guerrero, Jaime Sickora, Ethan Willoughby
*Mastering: Brian Gardner
*A&R: Ron Fair
*Instrumentation: Alicia Keys, Linda Perry
*Production coordination: Jolie Levine-Aller
*Orchestra production: Rob Hoffman
*Music contractor: JoAnn Tominaga
*Chart: Orion Crawford
*Pro-tools: Davy Vain
*Programming: Rob Hoffman
*Drum programming: Steve Morales, Linda Perry
*Arrangers: Christina Aguilera, Glen Ballard, Jasper Cameron, E. Dawk, Steve Morales, Balewa Muhammad
*Choir arrangement: Anson Dawkins, Eric Dawkins
*Orchestral arrangements: Bill Ross
*String arrangements: Ron Fair, Larry Gold, Linda Perry
*Art direction: Jeri Heiden, Glen Nakasako
*Design: Jeri Heiden, Glen Nakasako
*Photography: Miranda Penn Turin
Album
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position | | 2002 | The Billboard 200 | 2 |
| 2002 | Top Canadian Albums | 3 |
| 2002 | Top Internet Albums | 2 |
|
Singles
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | | 2002 | "Dirrty" | Canadian Singles Chart | 5 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Rhythmic Top 40 | 20 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Top 40 Mainstream | 14 |
| 2002 | "Dirrty" | Top 40 Tracks | 22 |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | Adult Top 40 | 9 |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | Rhythmic Top 40 | 13 |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | Top 40 Mainstream | 1 |
| 2002 | "Beautiful" | Top 40 Tracks | 1 |
| 2003 | "Beautiful" | Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| 2003 | "Beautiful" | Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 |
| 2003 | "Beautiful" | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 15 |
| 2003 | "Beautiful" | Latin Pop Airplay | 38 |
| 2003 | "Beautiful" | Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay | 25 |
| 2003 | "Beautiful" | Top 40 Adult Recurrents | 14 |
| 2003 | "Fighter" | Adult Top 40 | 28 |
| 2003 | "Fighter" | Canadian Singles Chart | 3 |
| 2003 | "Fighter" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
| 2003 | "Fighter" | Top 40 Mainstream | 5 |
| 2003 | "Fighter" | Top 40 Tracks | 9 |
| 2003 | "Can't Hold Us Down" | Rhythmic Top 40 | 14 |
| 2003 | "Can't Hold Us Down" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| 2003 | "Can't Hold Us Down" | Top 40 Tracks | 4 |
| 2004 | "Can't Hold Us Down" | Top 40 Mainstream | 3 |
| 2004 | "The Voice Within" | Adult Contemporary | 16 |
| 2004 | "The Voice Within" | Adult Top 40 | 33 |
| 2004 | "The Voice Within" | Canadian Singles Chart | 10 |
| 2004 | "The Voice Within" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |
| 2004 | "The Voice Within" | Top 40 Mainstream | 11 |
| 2004 | "The Voice Within" | Top 40 Tracks | 17 |
| 2005 | "Infatuation" | Official South African Airplay Chart | 1|}2003| Year | Award Show | Award | | 2003 | Blender Magazine | Woman of the Year | | 2003 | Channel [V] Thailand Music Video Awards | Popular Female Video - Beautiful | | 2003 | Crust-Busting Your Way To An Awesome Life Radio Show | Crust-Busting Artist of the Month (October) | | 2003 | GLAAD Media Awards | Special Recognition Award | | 2003 | HX Awards | Dance Song of the Year - Beautiful (Peter Rauhofer Mix) (Peter Rauhofer) | | 2003 | Latina Magazine | Women of the Year (#3) | | 2003 | MOBO Awards | Best Video - Dirrty | | 2003 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Female | | 2003 | MTV TRL Awards | TRL Evolution Award | | 2003 | MVPA Awards | Best Styling - Dirrty (Trish Summerville) | | 2003 | MVPA Awards | Best Make-Up - Dirrty (Troy Jensen & Sharon Gault) | | 2003 | Q Awards | Best Single - Dirrty | | 2003 | Smash Hits Poll Winners Awards | Best Female Solo Artist | | 2003 | Sugar Magazine | Inspirational Girls Top 100 (#1) | | 2003 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer Tour - Justified And Stripped | | 2003 | Teen People Readers' Choice Awards | Best Tour - Justified And Stripped | | 2003 | Teen People Readers' Choice Awards | Best Booty-Shakin' Song - Dirrty | | 2003 | Teen People Readers' Choice Awards | Most Empowering Anthem - Can't Hold Us Down | | 2003 | Teen People Readers' Choice Awards | Best Image 180° | | 2003 | TMF Awards - Belgium | Best Album International - Stripped | | 2003 | TMF Awards - Belgium | Best Female Artist International | | 2003 | TMF Awards - Belgium | Best Video International - Fighter | | 2003 | TMF Awards - Holland | Best Female Artist International | | 2003 | Top Of The Pops Awards | Singer of the Year |
2004| Year | Award Show | Award | | 2004 | BMI Pop Awards | Miss Independent | | 2004 | Glamour Women of the Year Awards | Woman of the Year | | 2004 | Grammy Awards | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - Beautiful | | 2004 | Groovevolt Music & Fashion Awards | Album of the Year - Stripped | | 2004 | Groovevolt Music & Fashion Awards | Song of the Year - Beautiful | | 2004 | Groovevolt Music & Fashion Awards | Video of the Year - Beautiful | | 2004 | Groovevolt Music & Fashion Awards | Most Fashionable Music Video - Can't Hold Us Down | | 2004 | JUNO Awards | Video of the Year - Fighter (Floria Sigismondi) | | 2004 | Musicnotes | Song of the Year - Beautiful (Linda Perry) | | 2004 | MVPA Awards | Best Styling - Dirrty (Trish Summerville) | | 2004 | NRJ Radio Awards - Scandinavia | Best Pop | | 2004 | MTV Asia Awards | Favorite Female Artist | | 2004 | MVPA Awards | Best Pop Video - Fighter (Floria Sigismondi) | | 2004 | MVPA Awards | Best Styling - Fighter (Carol Beadle & Trish Summerville) | | 2004 | MVPA Awards | Best Make-Up - Fighter (Francesca Toulet) | | 2004 | MVPA Awards | Best Cinematography - Fighter (Christopher Soos) | | 2004 | Rolling Stone Music Awards | Readers' Top Ten Singles - Beautiful (#2) | | 2004 | Rolling Stone Music Awards | Best Female Performer, Readers' Pick (#1) | | 2004 | Rolling Stone Music Awards | Best Video, Readers' Pick - Beautiful (#2) | | 2004 | Rolling Stone Music Awards | Best Tour, Readers' Pick - Justified And Stripped (#1) | | 2004 | TMF Awards - Holland | Best Female Artist International |
* 2002 in music* All Music Guide Christina Aguilera article
* GLAAD media release
* MTV News article on kissing controversy
|
