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"Rich Girl"
Single by Gwen Stefani featuring Eve
From the album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Released	2005
Format	Digital download 12" maxi single
Genre	Pop-Hip hop
Label	Interscope
Writers	Gwen Stefani Eve Dr. Dre Kara DioGuardi Chantal Kreviazuk Mike Elizondo Mark Batson Sheldon Harnick Jerry Bock
Producers	Dr. Dre
Director	David LaChapelle
Certification	2x Platinum
Chart positions
File:ADD.JPG#7 (United States) File:ADD.JPG#2 (Australia) File:ADD.JPG#4 (United Kingdom) File:ADD.JPG#4 (Canada)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"What You Waiting For?" (2004)	"Rich Girl" (2005)	"Hollaback Girl" (2005)
Eve singles chronology
"Not Today" (2005)	"Rich Girl" (2005)	—

"Rich Girl" is a pop-hip hop song written by singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani and a various number of collaborators for Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). The single features Eve. It was released as the second single in 2005 (see 2005 in music) and was a worldwide success, reaching number two in Australia, number four in both Canada and the United Kingdom, and peaking at number seven in the United States, where it became Stefani's second top-ten single.

Writing process

The song was co-written by Stefani, Eve, Dr. Dre, Kara DioGuardi, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Mike Elizondo, and produced by Dr. Dre. The song also interpolates the song "If I Were a Rich Man" written by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock for the musical Fiddler on the Roof. The track features Eve, whom Stefani had already previously done a song with. ("Let Me Blow Ya Mind", from Eve's second album which was also produced by Dr. Dre.)

Although the song is based on "If I Were a Rich Man". it also was an adaptation of an earlier pop song by British reggae musicians Louchie Lou and Michie One. Eve maintained the reggae style used by the earlier duo and added in her own new rhymes, whereas Stefani added new lyrics and changed some of the melody from the older song. Louchie Lou and Michie One's 1993 version of "Rich Girl" was itself an adaptation of the aforementioned "If I Were A Rich Man". The melody of the chorus and many of the words were kept the same among all three songs.

The song has caused a highly split reaction among listeners, as although it is very popular, it is either hugely loved or hugely disliked. In this hip-hop/reggae influenced track, Gwen wonders how her life would be different if she was a "rich girl". The tracks is often criticized as some say it is too materialistic, while others enjoy the change in hip hop.

Chart performance

Following the flop of the previous single, "What You Waiting For?", critics had dismissed Gwen's album as a failed solo vanity project, and advised her to go back to No Doubt. However, Stefani would prove her naysayers wrong, as "Rich Girl" went onto become a huge hit and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Pop 100.

The song also became a crossover success and managed to also crossover to the rhythmic, R&B, and Adult Top 40. Although the song failed to get airplay on R&B radio, its relatively high sales of its 12" Maxi Single helped propell the song onto the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. "Rich Girl" was also helped on the Hot 100 and Pop 100 by its strong digital downloads, peaking at number two and number three on the Hot Digital Songs and Hot Digital Tracks respectively. The single sold 400,000 digital downloads in the United States, and was certified double platinum for its sales.

Music video

The music video for "Rich Girl" begins innocently enough with Japanese school girls discussing (in Japanese with English subtitles) Stefani and her mysterious Harajuku girls. The video soon closes into a small bottle in a ship in the same room as the school girls, and the proper video begins. The video does not have much plot and instead focuses on visual, as Gwen, Eve, and even the mysterious Harajuku girls themselves proceed to dance around a pirate ship filled with much treasure. The video is believed to have coined the term "ghetto pirates", and lives up to its name.

Formats and track listings

European CD single

1. "Rich Girl (Album Version)"
2. "What You Waiting For? (Live)"

European CD maxi single

1. "Rich Girl"
2. "What You Waiting For? (Live)"
3. "Harajuku Girls (Live)"
4. "Rich Girl" (CD-Rom Video)

Charts

• Gwen Stefani singles
• 2005 singles
• Pop songs