"Vacation" is the debut single recorded by American-British-Canadian girl group G.R.L. The song was written by Bonnie McKee, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, and Henry Walter with production handled by the latter three. "Vacation" is an upbeat breakup song.
| "Vacation" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by G.R.L. | ||||
| from the album The Smurfs 2: Music from and Inspired By | ||||
| A-side | "Ooh La La" | |||
| Released | June 18, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–13 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:38 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| G.R.L. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Vacation" on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition
editFollowing the disbandment of The Pussycat Dolls in 2010, Robin Antin suggested that the group would be "revamped" with new members.[1] After different incarnations of the group Antin along the guidance of manager Larry Rudolph formed the group under a new name, G.R.L. with members: Lauren Bennett, Paula Van Oppen, Natasha Slayton, Simone Battle, and Emmalyn Estrada.[2] Bennett was the first cast as a member for group with members being added gradually over the next year and a half.[2] The group was officially unveiled at Chateau Marmont in April.[3] On June 16, "Vacation" temporarily bundled and available for free as a B-side to Britney Spears' "Ooh La La for the soundtrack of The Smurfs 2.[2] The song was available for digital download on June 18, 2013 and was sent to mainstream radio on September 3, 2013.[4][5]
Reception
editJason Lipshutz of Billboard magazine described the song "bubbly."[2] While reviewing the Smurfs 2 soundtrack, Sherman Yang of XIN MSN Entertainment positively reviewed the song describing it as "fun and flirty." He also praised the song for having multiple vocalists and wrote "we can't wait to hear what else the girls have to offer in their upcoming debut album."[6] Popdust's Jacques Peterson gave it a mixed review calling it "insipid and forgettable" to Spears' "Ooh La La".[7] In the United States as of July, the song has sold 2,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[2] Upon the release of "Ooh La La, "Vacation" debuted at number 97 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart.[8]
Music video
editThe music video for "Vacation" was directed by Hannah Lux Davis.[9] Spice girls member, Mel B appeared at the end of the video.
Credits and personnel
edit- Personnel
- Songwriting – Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Henry Walter
- Production, instruments and programming – Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Cirkut
- Engineering – Clint Gibbs, Sam Holland, Cory Bice (assistant), Rachael Findlen (assistant)
- Mixing – Serban Ghenea
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ooh La La, Kemosabe Kids/RCA Records.
Charts
edit| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (GIC)[8] | 97 |
Radio and release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States[4][5] | June 18, 2013 | Digital download | |
| September 3, 2013 | Contemporary hit radio |
References
edit- ^ Benjamin, Jeff (November 6, 2011). "Pussycat Dolls Creator Robin Antin: Revamped Group Will Be 'Fierce'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Lipshutz, Jason (July 9, 2013). "G.R.L.: New Girl Group's Formation Was 'Not Something That Happened Overnight'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ Lansky, Sam (April 18, 2013). "The Pussycat Dolls Get Reborn As GRL & We Will Never Be The Same". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Music - Vacation - Single by G.R.L." iTunes. Apple Inc. July 9, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
- ^ Yang, Sherman (August 12, 2013). "The Smurfs 2: Music from and Inspired by". XIN MSN Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ Peterson, Jacques (June 18, 2013). "Robin Antin's New G.R.L. Group Releases First Single, "Vacation"". Popdust. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "South Korea Gaon International Chart". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
- ^ Gottlieb, Steven (September 12, 2013). "G.R.L. "Vacation" (Hannah Lux Davis, dir.)". VideoStatic.com. Retrieved September 16, 2013.