"London Bridge" is a song recorded by American singer and rapper Fergie for her debut studio album ''

The Dutchess ''The Dutchess'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer and rapper Fergie. It was released on September 13, 2006, through A&M Records and the will.i.am Music Group as her first solo album. The album was recorded between The Black Eye ...

'' (2006). It was written by Fergie, Mike Hartnett,

Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...

, and its sole producer

Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014 ...

. A dance-pop-influenced hip hop song, it contains compositional samples of "Down to the Nightclub", performed by

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted th ...

. It was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''The Dutchess'' on July 18, 2006, by

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

, Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group.

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

gave "London Bridge" generally mixed reviews, with some of them criticizing the song's sexually suggestive lyrics and comparing the song to Gwen Stefani's single "

Hollaback Girl "Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). It is a hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The song was written ...

" (2005). "London Bridge" was a commercial success and reached the top ten in 13 countries. In the United States, it peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over two million digital copies and becoming the singer's second best-selling song in the country. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the single was directed by Marc Webb and features Fergie playing around with men in London. The song was featured in the 2014 film '' Neighbors'' and appears on the film's soundtrack.

Writing and production

Stacy Ferguson,

and Mike Hartnett wrote "London Bridge" together with

, who produced the song. The song contains a compositional sample of "Down to the Nightclub" by

. It was recorded at the Chalice Recording Studios in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

and at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Florida. Polow da Don provided background vocals with Jay Anderson, who also provided additional vocals to the song. Hartnett played the bass and guitar, while Danja played the drums and percussion. The keys for the song were provided by Elvis Williams, while engineering was handled by Demacio "Demo" Castellon and Jason Schweitzer. Phil Tan worked with Josh Houghkirk on mixing the song at the Soapbox Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

Music and lyrics

"London Bridge" is a hip hop and dance song lasting for four minutes and one second, and incorporates the use of horns. According to the sheet music published by Windswept Holdings, LLC at Musicnotes.com, it was composed in the key of

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

. The song is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

to a moderate hip hop

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

of 90 beats per minute. Fergie's vocal range spans from the low note of E₄ to the high note of F₅. Fergie described the song as being "kind of like a punch in the face to let people know I'm coming out... I've been getting way too into myself nowadays and I just wanna have fun with as many men as I can possible." She also said the song was "poking fun at certain things. I'm really not going to spray the paparazzi with mace—I don't know if you know that about me."

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

writer Spence D. labeled "London Bridge" a "club stomper", while Rebecca Wright of Blogcritics described the song as a catchy and danceable tune with lyrics which are hard to decipher. John Murphy of '' musicOMH'' claimed that the song also incorporates the use of horns similar to those used by Beyoncé in her song " Work It Out" (2002). Mike Joseph of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' compared the song to Gwen Stefani's "

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

's "

Promiscuous Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by ma ...

", and

the Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...

' "

My Humps "My Humps" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fourth studio album '' Monkey Business'' (2005). It was written and produced by group member will.i.am. Musically, it's a hip hop and dance song structured as a due ...

". Joseph also said that the song is a mixture of Stefani's "schoolgirl sass" and "a bit of ambiguous sleaze".

Critical reception

Upon its release, "London Bridge" received mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. ''

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

'' called the song a "total ripoff of

", Gwen Stefani's 2005 number-one single. A reviewer of

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described the song as being "Hollaback Girl" "slathered in puerile sexual raunch". Steve Yates of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' describes the song as being "much in the M.I.A. vein". Amy Phillips of

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noted how much the song and

Lil Mama Niatia Jessica Kirkland (born October 4, 1989), better known by her stage name Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer, actress and television presenter from Brooklyn, New York and Harlem, New York. She experienced top 10 ''Billboard'' placemen ...

's "

Lip Gloss Lip gloss is a cosmetic used primarily to give lips a glossy luster, and sometimes to add a subtle color. It is distributed as a fluid or a soft solid (not to be confused with lip balm, which generally has medical or soothing purposes, or lipst ...

" resembled M.I.A.'s songs, such as her 2003 single " Galang", serving as a reminder of how much the mainstream pop, dance and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

musical landscape had shifted since M.I.A. "first appeared in 2004".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

writer Andy Kellman selected "London Bridge" as one of the best tracks from ''The Dutchess'', describing it as "terrific" and "inexplicably asinine". Leah Greenblatt of ''

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 cu ...

'' wrote that Fergie played the role of a sexaholic superstar, especially on the refrain, where she "unsubtly, if memorably", combined "winky" sexual metaphors and "club-banging" beats. Bill Lamb of About.com rated the song two out of five stars, praising the spirit exuded, claiming it resembled that of "Hollaback Girl". However, he labeled "London Bridge" as a derivative of higher quality pop music and criticized it for its explicit sexual lyrics. Benjamin Boles of ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' expressed dislike for the song: "Basically, if London Bridge doesn't make you want to rip your ears off, you'll enjoy almost 80 per cent of the album." Sal Cinquemani of '' Slant Magazine'' also expressed dislike for the song's sexual suggestiveness, writing that it was "the most uninspired metaphor for

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex p ...

in recorded history." Norman Mayers of ''Prefix Magazine'' labeled "London Bridge" as one of the album's highlights. Dan Gennoe of

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds o ...

compared the song to Gwen Stefani, writing that the "raucous thump has Gwen Stefani stamped all over it." Spence D. of ''

'' labeled "London Bridge" the album's centerpice, but noted that, compared to "

Fergalicious "Fergalicious" is a song recorded by American singer, songwriter and rapper Fergie for her debut studio album, '' The Dutchess'' (2006). The title is a portmanteau of ''Fergie'' and ''delicious''. It was written by Fergie and The Black Eyed Pea ...

" and " Clumsy", it appeared to be "a calculated banger aimed at the unscrupulous club goer." John Murphy of '' musicOMH'' found the song annoying, "nothing more, nothing less", but predicted that it would be a commercial success. Heather Murray of Glasswerk.co.uk criticized the song for its lyrics, lack of originality, and Fergie's vocal performance, which she described as "whinely drawl."

Commercial performance

In the United States, "London Bridge" entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 84 on the issue dated August 5, 2006. The song ascended 79 places to number five the next week, achieving the second biggest leap in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 history at the time. It ascended to number one in its third week and stayed there for three consecutive weeks. The song was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 11, 2007, almost a year after its release. Its digital download sales stand at 2,115,000 units, becoming her first single to surpass sales of two million downloads. "London Bridge" is Fergie's fifth most-downloaded song, behind "

Big Girls Don't Cry Big Girls Don't Cry may refer to: Music * ''Big Girls Don't Cry'' (Lynn Anderson album), 1968 * ''Big Girls Don't Cry'' (The Weather Girls album), 1986 * "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Fergie song), 2007 * "Big Girls Don't Cry" (The Four Seasons song), ...

", "

", " Glamorous", and " Clumsy". In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart dated September 24, 2006, staying at the position for two non-consecutive weeks. The song has been certified gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

(ARIA) for sales of 35,000 units. On the issue dated October 2, the song debuted and peaked atop the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

. Across Europe, "London Bridge" peaked at number three in Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom. In Switzerland, the song peaked at number six, where it stayed for two non-consecutive weeks and spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart. In France, the song debuted and peaked at number 27 on October 28, spending a total of 18 weeks on the singles chart. In Japan, "London Bridge" debuted at number ten on September 16, peaking at number seven the following week.

Music video

The accompanying

for "London Bridge" was directed by Marc Webb. It was filmed at the Woolwich Barracks in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

, South London in mid-June 2006, during

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...

The Monkey Business Tour The Monkey Business Tour was the second concert tour by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper) ...

stop in the United Kingdom. Fergie collaborated with her group fellow members

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

and apl.de.ap on the concept of the music video to make it more distinctive; they all made cameos in the video. She described the concept by saying: "We're doing this androgynous-type thing where my girls and I go into a Gentlemen's club and pull them into a bathroom and come back out in their clothes. They're going to be dressed up really dapper and looking really handsome." For the video, Fergie brought in backup dancers who doubled as bodyguards, dressed as cholas—tough Mexican girls known for wearing dark lipstick and big hair—to make the video "have a bit more edge, be very distinct, be very mixed." Fergie is seen intermittently sailing down the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

just in front of

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames clos ...

, which is not the same as London Bridge, despite the song title. Fergie based one of her outfits for the video on her family's crest and tartan, with some changes as she wanted it to be modernized. She also wears a

tiara A tiara (from la, tiara, from grc, τιάρα) is a jeweled head ornament. Its origins date back to ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women ...

cocked to the side of her head to play off the royal title of her album and having the same last name and nickname as

Sarah, Duchess of York Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a member of the British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles III ...

. A decade after its original premiere, the music video was uploaded to Fergie's

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

channel on August 4, 2016.

Track listings and formats

*Digital download (explicit) #"London Bridge" (dirty version) — 3:28 *Digital download (clean) #"London Bridge" (radio edit) — 3:28 *2-track digital download #"London Bridge" (dirty version) — 3:29 #"London Bridge" (instrumental) — 3:25 *Digital EP #"London Bridge" (dirty version) — 3:29 #"London Bridge" (instrumental) — 3:25 #"London Bridge" (a cappella) — 3:16 *European CD single #"London Bridge" (LP version) — 3:28 #"London Bridge" (instrumental) — 3:25 *Australian and European maxi CD single #"London Bridge" (LP version) — 3:28 #"London Bridge" (instrumental) — 3:25 #"London Bridge" (a cappella) — 3:15 #"London Bridge" (music video) — 3:32 *US 12-inch vinyl #"London Bridge" (dirty version) — 3:28 #"London Bridge" (a cappella) — 3:15 #"London Bridge" (radio edit) — 3:28 #"London Bridge" (instrumental) — 3:25

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''The Dutchess''. Sample credits * Contains elements from the composition " Down to the Night Club" by

Recording * Recorded at the Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami * Mixed at the Soapbox Studios in Atlanta Personnel * Demacio "Demo" Castellon – engineering * Danja – drums, percussion * Stacy Ferguson – songwriting, vocals *

– songwriting * Mike Hartnett – bass, guitar, songwriting * Josh Houghkirk – mixing assistance *

– production, songwriting * Jason Schweitzer – engineering * Phil Tan – mixing * Elvis Williams – keys

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 2006 debut singles 2006 songs A&M Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Fergie (singer) songs Interscope Records singles Music videos directed by Marc Webb Music videos shot in London Number-one singles in New Zealand Song recordings produced by Polow da Don Songs about London Songs written by Fergie (singer) Songs written by Polow da Don Songs written by Sean Garrett