Va Va Voom

For other uses, see Va Va Voom (disambiguation).
"Va Va Voom"
Single by Nicki Minaj
from the album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and The Re-Up
Released September 12, 2012 (2012-09-12)
Recorded October–December 2011
Genre
Length 3:03
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Out of My Mind"
(2012)		 "Va Va Voom"
(2012)		 "The Boys"
(2012)
Music video
"Va Va Voom (Explicit)" on YouTube

"Va Va Voom" is a song by Trinidadian-American[1] recording artist Nicki Minaj from the deluxe version of her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It was released on September 12, 2012 by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Republic as the fifth single from the album. The song was written by Minaj, Lukasz Gottwald, Allan Grigg, Max Martin, and Henry Walter, and it was produced by Dr. Luke, Kool Kojak, and Cirkut. Being released as the fifth single, it was sent to UK radio stations on September 15, 2012 and later sent to Top 40 mainstream radio on October 23, 2012. It was planned to serve as the lead single, but its release was postponed at the last minute in favor of "Starships"; it was later released as a promotion for the album's reissue Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up.

"Va Va Voom" is an electropop song with lyrics about sexual activity towards a male. Upon its release, the song received acclaim from critics, with it being catchy and radio-friendly. Commercially, the song entered the top twenty in countries including Ireland, Slovakia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. An accompanying music video was shot in December 2011, but was initially shelved after Minaj decided not to release "Va Va Voom" as the album's lead single, because she was not happy with the video's end result. Va Va Voom was then included on her setlist for her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.

Background

"Va Va Voom" was written by Minaj, Lukasz Gottwald, Allan Grigg, Max Martin and Henry Walter, with production by Dr. Luke, Kool Kojak and Cirkut.[2] It was intended to be the lead single from Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. It was to be solicited to rhythmic contemporary radio stations on February 7, 2012.[3] It was later postponed a week to February 14, 2012, with a release to contemporary hit radio scheduled for the same date.[4][5] However, Minaj announced that "Starships" would instead be released as the lead single.[6]

On May 24, 2012, a poll was posted on Minaj's website, asking fans to help select the next singles, the poll is divided into three categories, the third category asks to choose the second worldwide pop single, the choices were: "Pound the Alarm", "Whip It", and "Va Va Voom". "Va Va Voom" had the most votes and won the poll. "Whip It" came in second place and "Pound The Alarm" came in third. However, after several radio stations in the UK, France, and Australia started heavily playing "Pound the Alarm", Minaj announced on June 6, 2012, that "Pound The Alarm" has been chosen instead.[7][8][9][10] "Va Va Voom" was eventually solicited to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 23, 2012.[11]

Composition

Musically, "Va Va Voom" was described as "a sultry, electro-pop thumper" by Digital Spy.[12] Lyrically, the song talks about "seduction finds Minaj playing the temptress atop some delicious dub-lite pulsations."[13] It contains the lyrics "I know that he got a wife at home, but I need just one night alone."[13] The verses of the song are rapped, while the bridge and chorus are sung. "Va Va Voom" is set in common time with a tempo of 127 beats per minute. Written in the key of C minor, it follows the chord progression Cm–E♭–B♭–A♭; Minaj's voice spans from A♭3 to B♭4.[14]

Reception

Critical response

According to MTV's Kara Klenk, "Va Va Voom" remains a "stand out track" on the album, along with "Beautiful Sinner," "Come on a Cone" and "Beez in the Trap."[15] Sarah Crafford of The Sun Chronicle recommended the song to listeners who favored Minaj's Pop tracks, complimenting the song as a "catchy, sing-along and soon-to-be hit!."[16] Comparing the song to that of "Super Bass," Alexander Miller of Quinnipiac University's Quad News stated that "Va Va Voom" could find itself as the hit bonus single of the album.[17] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse was very positive saying the song was "insanely infectious" and compared the song to Britney Spears' song "Seal It With a Kiss".[13] He also said "Throw in a very 'You da One'-esque breakdown (again, Dr. Luke), and you’ve got an unbelievably sickening (in the good way!) pop tune."[13]

David Jeffries from Allmusic chose "Va Va Voom" as a standout track on the album.[18] He compared the song to "some Black Eyed Peas-styled flash."[19] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine described the song as "the most obvious successor to Minaj's crossover hit [Super Bass.][20] David Asante of the Urban entertainment website That Grape Juice gave it a positive review and christened the song "SuperBass 2.0"."[21]

Chart performance

Following the album's release, "Va Va Voom" sold 46,000 downloads, prompting it to debut at number seventy-nine on the Billboard Hot 100.[22][23] It also debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number seventy-four.[24] The song also garnered success across American Billboard charts, charting at number fifty on the Hot Digital Songs chart, 45 on the Hot Canadian Digital Songs chart, fifteen on the Rap Digital Songs, and twenty-one on the Pop Digital Songs.[24] As of December 2014, "Va Va Voom" has sold 1.1 million copies in the United States.[25]

The song debuted at thirty-six on the Australian Singles Chart, where it eventually peaked. It stayed there for two non-consecutive weeks, and stayed in the charts for seven weeks altogether.[26] The song then charted at twenty-nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart and peaked at number twenty, continuing her top twenty peaking success. It stayed in for only eight weeks.[27] The song peaked at six and one on the Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders and Wallonia), respectively and number sixty on the German Singles Chart.

In the UK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number 43, before climbing to number 20 a week later where it stayed there for two consecutive weeks. It spent a total of eight weeks in the top 40. The song debuted at number 37 in the Scottish Singles Chart, before climbing to 20 a week later, spending a total of eight weeks in the top 40. In the Irish Singles Chart, "Va Va Voom" debuted at number 31, before going on to peak at number 13 in its fifth week in the top 40. The song spent nine consecutive weeks in the top 40.

Music video

Background

The music video was filmed on December 21, 2011, in Los Angeles and was directed by Hype Williams. Even though during filming Minaj tweeted: "The look were about to shoot, your gonna Spazz",[28] she later expressed her disliking of the end product, but eventually stated that it will be released as a result of the song becoming a single.[29][30] The music video premiered on October 26, 2012 on E! News.[31]

Synopsis

Minaj's mythical persona is showcased throughout the video.

The video begins with a rising sunset set in a fairytale like setting set in the wilderness. Two unicorns appear running across water, a reference to the movie Legend, before Minaj appears in a costume with a male companion (rumored to be Robin Hood) behind her, and special effects are displayed throughout the video. Minaj and the boy, dressed in a nobleman's attire continue to be flirtatious towards one another throughout the video, and he tries to woo Minaj, but she continues to play hard to get. The unicorns appear once more before Minaj is shown in another bizarre costume accompanied by a blonde wig. Then Minaj appears to be channeling the fairy tale princesses Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, while cooking, a knight appears before Minaj and intimidates her with his sword. She then appears to be lying inside of a glass showcase (possibly a glass "coffin", as follows the story of Snow White). In the end, Nicki pulls a surprising twist by appearing as the evil Queen and seducing the male companion when he arrives to save the "Snow White (Nicki)" from the glass showcase.

Reception

Gina Serpe from E! News gave the video a positive review, stating: "It's safe to say this video has something for everyone. Starting with Nicki herself looking damn good".[32]

Live performances

Minaj performed "Va Va Voom" live for the first time on television on January 25, 2013 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[33]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2012–13) Peak
position
align="left"Australia (ARIA)[34] 36
align="left"Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[35] 53
align="left"Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[36] 6
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Dance)[36] 32
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Urban)[36] 21
align="left"Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[37] 1
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia Dance)[37] 5
align="left"Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[38] 18
align="left"Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[39] 32
align="left"Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[40] 30
align="left"France (SNEP)[41] 54
align="left"Germany (Official German Charts)[42] 34
align="left"Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[43] 28
align="left"Ireland (IRMA)[44] 13
align="left"New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 20
align="left"Scotland (Official Charts Company)[46] 20
align="left"Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[47] 19
align="left"Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[48] 47
align="left"UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[49] 20
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[50] 3
align="left"US Billboard Hot 100[51] 22
align="left"US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[52] 3
align="left"US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[53] 13
align="left"US Rhythmic (Billboard)[54] 8

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[55] 92

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[56] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] Silver 200,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Radio history

Country Date Format
United Kingdom September 12, 2012[58] Mainstream radio
United States October 23, 2012[59]
France November 9, 2012[60]

References

  1. ↑ Frank, Alex. "Newly Single Nicki Minaj on Feminism, Meek Mill, and Rapping at 50". Vogue.com. Condé Nast. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nicki Minaj's Roman Reloaded Album Tracklist is Revealed". Xxlmag.Com. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  3. ↑ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". AllAccess. AllAccess Music Group. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". AllAccess. AllAccess Music Group. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  5. ↑ "R&R: Going For Adds: CHR/Top 40". Radio & Records. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  6. ↑ Cubarrubia, R.J. (February 7, 2012). "Nicki Minaj Announces Grammy Plans, New Single, & NBA All-Star Performance". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  7. ↑ User (2012-03-22). "Nicki Minaj". Mypinkfriday.com. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  8. ↑ "Twitter / NICKIMINAJ: Ok so no, I didn't shoot t". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Twitter / NICKIMINAJ: Sorry #vavavoomers". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  10. ↑ "Twitter / NICKIMINAJ: Looks like France has chos". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  11. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". AllAccess. AllAccess Music Group. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Nicki Minaj: 'The Re-Up' - EP review". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (Album Review)". MuuMuse. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Nicki Minaj - Va Va Voom". Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc. (Musicnotes.com). 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  15. ↑ Klenk, Kara (2012-04-03). "Nicki Minaj's Roman Reloaded Divides Fans - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  16. ↑ "THE PAGE: Nicki Minaj in the pink with latest album - The Sun Chronicle Online - Features". Thesunchronicle.com. 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  17. ↑ "Album Review: 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded' - The Quad News - Quinnipiac University". The Quad News. 2012-04-08. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  18. ↑ David Jeffries. "Nicki Minaj - Songs - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  19. ↑ David Jeffries. "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, the Re-Up - Nicki Minaj - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  20. ↑ Sal Cinquemani (21 November 2012). "Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - The Re-Up - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Album Review: Nicki Minaj - 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded' - That Grape Juice.net - Thirsty?". ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. - Thirsty?. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Weekly Chart Notes: Nicki Minaj, Wilson Phillips, 'Titanic' - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  23. ↑ Trust, Gary (2012-04-12). "Chart Moves: Jennifer Lopez + Pitbull, Nicki Minaj + Chris Brown, More Collabos Make Waves". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  24. 1 2 "Va Va Voom - Nicki Minaj". Billboard.com. 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  25. ↑ Trust, Gary (December 23, 2014). "Ask Billboard: Why Is There No R&B/Hip-Hop in the Hot 100's Top 10?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  26. ↑ Australian Charts.
  27. ↑ New Zealand Charts.
  28. ↑ "NICKI MINAJ on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "NICKI MINAJ on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  30. ↑ "NICKI MINAJ on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "NICKI MINAJ on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  32. ↑ Nicki Minajs Va Va Voom Music Video Premiere Watch Now | E! Online
  33. ↑ "Nicki Minaj Invades 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  34. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  36. 1 2 3 "Ultratop.be – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  37. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  38. ↑ "Nicki Minaj – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Nicki Minaj. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  39. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201311 into search.
  40. ↑ "Nicki Minaj: Va Va Voom" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom" (in French). Les classement single.
  42. ↑ "Musicline.de – Nicki Minaj Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  43. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 45, 2012". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  45. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2012-10-13". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  47. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201245 into search. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  48. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2012-10-13" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  50. ↑ "2012-10-13 Top 40 R&B Singles Archive". Official Charts. 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  51. ↑ "Nicki Minaj – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Nicki Minaj. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  52. ↑ "Nicki Minaj – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Nicki Minaj.
  53. ↑ "Nicki Minaj – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Nicki Minaj. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  54. ↑ "Nicki Minaj – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Nicki Minaj. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  55. ↑ "2013 Year End Charts - Top Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  56. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  57. ↑ "British single certifications – Nicki Minaj – Va Va Voom". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Va Va Voom in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  58. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 Playlist". British Broadcasting Corporation. bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  59. ↑ "Top 40/Mainstream Radio". All Access Music Group. allaccess.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  60. ↑ "Nicki Minaj : son nouveau single "Va Va Voom"". chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
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