"Bollywood" is a song by American recording artist

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

. The song was her first release after breaking from

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

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 ''Funstyle'' is the sixth album by Liz Phair, independently released on her official website on July 3, 2010. A CD version was released on October 19, 2010 on Rocket Science Records. It includes a bonus disc containing ten songs from her Girly-S ...

'', and was subject to negative reviews from critics, who criticized Phair's vocal performance and the production.

Background

Following the commercial disappointment of ''

Somebody's Miracle ''Somebody's Miracle'' is the fifth album by Liz Phair, released on October 4, 2005 (see 2005 in music) on Capitol Records. From September 2004 through April 2005, she composed fourteen tracks spanning from lo-fi guitar-driven to high-gloss produ ...

'', which was her first album since '' Exile in Guyville'' to fail to reach the Top 40 of the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

, Liz Phair left Capitol records and signed to ATO Records, Dave Matthews' record label, in 2008. She composed some of the songs for her next album, ''

'', 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. The song incorporates sound effects and vocal processing. The song itself lasts two minutes and 22 seconds, though 20 seconds of silence are appended to the end of the track on ''Funstyle''.

Critical reception

The single was panned by critics. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

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," while Jody Rosen of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' 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$ha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...

," concluding that the song was "an insult to rappers everywhere, even the terrible ones." ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' ranked "Bollywood" at #14 on their list of the 20 worst songs of 2010, calling her rapping "sub-

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

at best". Some critics defended Phair, however, arguing that the song is one of her most honest. In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 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."

References

{{authority control 2010 songs Electropop songs Liz Phair songs Songs written by Liz Phair