Bollywood (Liz Phair song)

"Bollywood" is a song by American recording artist Liz Phair. The song was her first release after breaking from Capitol Records and Dave Matthews' record label, ATO Records, and discusses the discrimination and bureaucracy present in the music industry. It was released as the lead single from her sixth album, Funstyle, and was subject to negative reviews from critics, who criticized Phair's vocal performance and the production.

"Bollywood"
Single by Liz Phair
from the album Funstyle
Released3 July 2010
Recorded2008-2010
GenreElectropop[1]
Length2:42
LabelRocket Science Records
Songwriter(s)Liz Phair
Producer(s)
Liz Phair singles chronology
"Everything to Me"
(2005)		 "Bollywood"
(2010)		 "And He Slayed Her"
(2012)

Background

Following the commercial disappointment of Somebody's Miracle, which was her first album since Exile in Guyville to fail to reach the Top 40 of the Billboard 200,[2] Liz Phair left Capitol records and signed to ATO Records, Dave Matthews' record label, in 2008.[3] She composed some of the songs for her next album, Funstyle, while she was signed to ATO, but after the label refused to release the music, she asked to leave. She then signed to the indie rock label Rocket Science Records, on which she released Funstyle.

Composition

"Bollywood" was released about two years after her split from ATO; like many of the songs on "Funstyle," "Bollywood" mocks the record industry, discussing sexism and ageism, and the confusing nature of record deals.[4] The song incorporates sound effects & vocal processing. The song itself lasts two minutes and twenty-two seconds, though twenty seconds of silence are appended to the end of the track on Funstyle.[5]

Critical reception

The single was panned by critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt proclaimed that the single demonstrated that "the Exile in Guyville Liz Phair we once knew and loved has officially left the building,"[6] while Jody Rosen at Rolling Stone awarded the single one out of five stars and stated: "As tabla-laden electro tinkles behind her, Phair tells a tale of music-biz misadventure, 'rapping' in a voice that sounds like a soccer mom impersonating Ke$ha," concluding that the song was "an insult to rappers everywhere, even the terrible ones."[7] The Village Voice ranked "Bollywood" at #14 on their list of the 20 worst songs of 2010, calling her rapping "sub-Madonna at best".[8]

Some critics defended Phair, however, arguing that the song is one of her most honest songs. In The Guardian, Priya Alan argued that the song demonstrated that Phair had "returned to form" and concluded that the song is "the most uninhibited, alive and honest she's sounded in years."[9]

References
  1. Gaston, Peter. "LISTEN: Liz Phair's Weird New Single". SPIN. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  2. "Chart Search". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  3. Saldana, Matt. "Liz Phair: Why I Left My Record Company". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  4. "Lyrics". MetroLyrics. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Funstyle - Liz Phair". Allmusic. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  6. Greenblatt, Leah. "Liz Phair raps, goes 'Bollywood' on new song". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  7. Rosen, Jody. "Liz Phair: "Bollywood"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  8. Weingarten, Christiopher. "The 20 Worst Songs of 2010, #14: Liz Phair, "Bollywood"". The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  9. Elan, Priya. "Has Liz Phair written the worst album of all time? Far from it ..." The Guardian. Guardian News. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
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