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''Bionic'' is the sixth studio album by American singer
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
. It was released on June 4, 2010, by
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
. Inspired by Aguilera's taste for
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
, ''Bionic'' is characterized as an
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
,
futurepop Futurepop is an electronic music genre that has been characterized as a blend of synth-pop, EBM and dance beats, based on trance and techno.Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon.'' Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Ber ...
and R&B record. The first half consists of electronic songs incorporating
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s and electronic beats, while the second half displays a
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
ic production. The album's main themes include sex and
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
. ''Bionic'' initially received mixed reviews from music critics, although in retrospective commentary multiple professional journalists noted it has gained a cult following. The record opened at a peak of number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 117,000 copies, selling 500,000 album-equivalents as of June 2018. Internationally, the album peaked inside the top ten in most countries, including a number-one debut on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. At the time of its release, ''Bionic'' was the lowest-selling UK Albums Chart number-one album of the last eight years. The album spawned four singles: " Not Myself Tonight" was released in April 2010, " Woohoo" followed that May, " You Lost Me" was released in June, and " I Hate Boys" became a single the following September. ''Bionic'' was promoted in mid-2010 by television performances, such as Aguilera's appearances on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
'', the ninth season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'', '' Today'' and
MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards is a film and television awards show previously presented annually on MTV. It began as the MTV Movie Awards in 1992, when its 1992 MTV Movie Awards, first edition was held, and adopted its current name in 2017, beginnin ...
. A concert tour, titled The Bionic Tour, was initially planned to support the album, but was ultimately canceled due to Aguilera's heavy promotional schedule for the album and then-upcoming film ''
Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
'' (2010).


Background and development

After a successful 2006, during which Aguilera released her critically acclaimed and commercially successful fifth studio album ''
Back to Basics'', Aguilera received a nomination for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007) and won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for its lead single " Ain't No Other Man". While on the Asian leg of the Back to Basics Tour, during the summer of 2007, Aguilera said that her upcoming album would be "short, sweet and completely different" from its predecessor. After the birth of her son Max, Aguilera stated in an interview with Ryan Seacrest that her forthcoming album would include a completely new aspect of herself as an artist, because of the pregnancy with her son. In a February 2008 interview with ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'', Aguilera stated that she was going to start recording new material for her forthcoming album at her
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
residence. DJ Premier, who, at the time, was working on projects for his
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
Year Round Records, shared plans to head back into the studio with Aguilera, and stated: "She's doing an all pop album again, but she wants me to keep the tone like what we did before. She's ready to start next month." Linda Perry, who had previously worked with Aguilera was to be included in the project too. In an interview with ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' in October 2008, Aguilera said that the album would be mostly produced by Perry. During the initial recording sessions, Aguilera released her first
greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits'' (2008), which featured two new songs that were derived from electronic music, and she announced that the compilation was in the vein of where the upcoming album was going to go, which was a very futuristic approach to music. "I get off on working with creative energy", she said, and added: "That's when I'm most at home and feel happiest. And all these people brought about new sides of me. It was a big collaboration-fest, and it felt so good and rewarding in the end, because I was just so happy with the work and the new territories that I ventured out to." Aguilera also remarked that her son inspired her to experiment in ways "that maybe I've been afraid to do in the past, to allow myself to go to a place of 'less singing'". She mentioned it "is just about the future" with Max "motivating me to want to play and have fun."


Recording and production

Aguilera set about contacting collaborators on her own accord, at the behest of then-husband Jordan Bratman, without relying on the record label A&R. She stated: "Going into ach of these partnerships I said, 'I'm a really big fan of yours, and I'm interested in stepping into your world and what you do'", adding: "'I want to combine that with my sound, and let's see what happens.' I feel like I can do so much with my voice. I would be so bored sitting on a stool singing ballad after ballad just because I can." Australian singer-songwriter Sia and her collaborator Samuel Dixon worked with Aguilera on a number of tracks for the album. Aguilera told ''Billboard'' that she was a big fan of Furler and stated that she was thrilled when Furler said that she wanted to work with her as well. They recorded together at a studio in January 2009, and, according to Furler's blog, wrote four songs together during the sessions. Furler heard the album — or at least some songs recorded for it — as early as April 2009, which she revealed on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
. Members of British electronic band Ladytron, Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu, went to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to meet Aguilera in December 2008 after hearing that they were one of her favorite bands. During the meeting, Aguilera identified what kind of Ladytron songs she liked, with Hunt later saying: "We were impressed because she had a real deep knowledge of our music – album tracks, not just the singles!". The band stated: "We went in with no expectations; the whole thing was a massive surprise. But it was incredible. She was so musically talented, a vocalist who really knows her voice. The first takes sounded really amazing, and while we'd made demos, it was only when her voice was on them that it all came to life." They finished working with Aguilera in March 2009 and produced four or five songs, but only three made the final cut. Two songs produced by the band – "Birds of Prey" and "Little Dreamer" – appeared on the deluxe edition of the album. Meanwhile, the third song "Kimono Girl" did not make the final cut, although it has been highly anticipated by fans. To celebrate the album's tenth anniversary, Aguilera released "Little Dreamer" onto streaming platforms in June 2020. British duo Goldfrapp said in a January 2010 interview that they did not finish the studio sessions and did not know whether their songs would make the final cut. ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
'' said that the production team
The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
were to work with Aguilera on the album. In an interview with
HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...
, Dr. Dre protege Focus... said: "We did a song and an interlude together." He produced the beats for "Sex for Breakfast", which were then worked on by Aguilera and producer Noel "Detail" Fisher. Focus... got involved with the project because he and Aguilera share a loyal and longtime engineer Oscar Ramirez; Ramirez suggested and arranged the pairing. Focus... commented about the experience: " guileraknows exactly what she is looking for and is not afraid to tell you. It was the first project I've ever worked on where someone sent me examples and showed me exact parts in the song they were looking for." Aguilera announced on her E!
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...
that she was going to be working with American dance-punk band
Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American art punk and riot grrrl band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson. ...
. In August 2009, Aguilera said that she co-wrote tracks with British Tamil rapper and singer–songwriter M.I.A. and American singer Santigold, and according to American producer Tricky Stewart,
Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...
would be featured on the album. Producer Polow da Don, who produced two of the four singles released from the project, was the only producer to be suggested by
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
and not contacted by Aguilera personally. Additionally, Stewart and Claude Kelly wrote the song "Glam", which was described as "a hard club song that's about high fashion. It's really for the ladies about getting dressed and looking your best, working it in the club and getting glam and sexy before you go out. ... It will surprise people. I'm calling it a modern day ' Vogue.' I wouldn't say it unless I believed it." Kelly also co-wrote three other tracks for the album, including the first two singles "Not Myself Tonight" and "Woohoo". He described the four tracks as being "up-tempo and fun, they're party anthems but at the same time have underlying messages." Commenting on the experience of working with Aguilera, Kelly said: "What people don't know about her is that she's actually a really good writer. She has good ideas, good melodies, good concepts ... She's really involved from the very beginning to the very end."


Composition


Music and lyrics

''Bionic'' is musically inspired by Aguilera's taste of electronic subgenres, including
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
. The album was mostly described as
futurepop Futurepop is an electronic music genre that has been characterized as a blend of synth-pop, EBM and dance beats, based on trance and techno.Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon.'' Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Ber ...
, while Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' noted the hybrid of electro and R&B on the project, and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''s Alex Hagwood characterized it as an
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
album. ''Bionic'' consists of eighteen tracks on the standard edition, and twenty-three on the deluxe edition. The standard edition consists mostly of electropop songs, heavily incorporating
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s and electronic beats. Mike Usinger from ''
The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools ...
'' opined that the accompaniment of synthesizers on the project "offers up a rise-of-the-fembots strain of robo-pop that sounds like
LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American Dance-punk#Contemporary dance-punk, dance-punk revival band from Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy (electronic musician), James Murphy, of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals ...
-era Williamsburg." A few tracks are done up with Auto-Tune. Multiple
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 ...
recognized sex as the main theme of ''Bionic''. Eric Handerson of ''Slant'' elaborated that the album " sall in service of routine pop sex, the sort of standard-issue sleaze that ..stood in stark contrast against." Echoing Handerson's point of view, ''The Georgia Straight''s Mike Usinger commented: "Where past Xtina efforts have hinted that's she's horny to the core, ''Bionic'' makes a concrete case that she's the dirtiest girl working in mainstream pop." ''Bionic'' also displays
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
as a prominent theme; Kitty Empire from ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' labelled ''Bionic'' a "cranking post-feminist party album". According to Mike Wass of '' Idolator'' some of the explored subjects on the album are sex positivity and female empowerment. In June 2020, Aguilera stated that ''Bionic'' is "all about being unabashedly YOU".


Songs

The first seven songs are uptempo and club-inspired. The album's titled and opening track "
Bionic Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 19 ...
" is an electronic track, featuring tribal house
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
s,
Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...
riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...
s, and synthesizers. "Not Myself Tonight" takes influence from tribal house and incorporates synthesizers, pulsing
bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
s, and
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
drums in its instrumentation. On the song, Aguilera explicitly announces her new persona and style adopted on ''Bionic'', declaring that "The old me's gone I feel brand new / And if you don't like it, fuck you." The third track "Woohoo", featuring rapper
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
, was detailed as an electro number, and speaks about
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). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...
, containing lyrics such as: "All the boys think it's cake when they taste my woohoo / You don't even need a plate, just your face." The following track " Elastic Love" draws elements from 1980s new wave, and features " 808-esque backbeat" in its foundation. On the song, Aguilera uses
office supplies Office supplies are consumables and equipment regularly used in offices by businesses and other organizations, required to sustain office operations. For example, office supplies may be used by individuals engaged in written communications, rec ...
such as
rubber band A rubber band (also known as an elastic, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845, by Stephen Perry ...
s as a metaphor for her relationship. "Desnudate", which means "get naked" in Spanish, is a bilingual Spanish and English song in which Aguilera calls herself the "supplier of lust, love and fire." Musically, it achieves electro horns. "Love & Glamour (Intro)", which is a fashion-themed spoken interlude, follows, and is succeeded by "Glam", a "throbbing" dance-pop and electro song about high fashion and making up before going out, which was characterized as a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
-influenced throwback to
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
's song " Vogue" (1990). "Prima Donna" is a retro styled combination of classic pop, dance-pop and electronic music. It talks about strong women, with background vocals from
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
, who encourages them to "work yo' body" in the track. The second half of ''Bionic'' explores a more
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
ic production. It begins with "Morning Dessert (Intro)", a soft
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
interlude, which describes sex as a daily routine of Aguilera and her husband. On "Sex for Breakfast", which is an R&B ballad, Aguilera characterized her lover's
penis A penis (; : penises or penes) is a sex organ through which male and hermaphrodite animals expel semen during copulation (zoology), copulation, and through which male placental mammals and marsupials also Urination, urinate. The term ''pen ...
as a "honey drip." The song is, according to
musicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...
's Michael Cragg, similar to works by
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
. Aguilera explores her personal issues, such as
mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...
hood and insecurities on ballads, which ''The Guardian''s Alexis Petridis deemed "patented self-help ballads." The next four ballads "Lift Me Up", "All I Need", "I Am", and "You Lost Me" are
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
-driven tracks that, in the words of Bent Koepp for
Beats per Minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
, "have Aguilera showcasing some of her best vocal performances to date." "All I Need" is dedicated to Aguilera's son, while "I Am" expresses Aguilera's
self-consciousness Self-consciousness is a heightened sense of awareness of oneself. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. Historically, "self-consciousness" was synonymous with " self-awareness", referring to a state of awareness th ...
, and "You Lost Me" is about an unfaithful man. "I Am" and "You Lost Me" also feature
string instruments In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play some ...
. Leah Greenblatt, writing for ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'', compared the ballads to
Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
's songs. The standard edition of ''Bionic'' concludes with three uptempo tracks, the electropop song " I Hate Boys" which features Aguilera insulting men, the electro-disco song "My Girls" featuring Peaches, on which Aguilera sings about her company enjoying a party, including lyrics such as "My girls, we're stronger than one", and the
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
song "Vanity", which was detailed as "an ode to the greatness of Aguilera cloaked in a paean to female empowerment" by Allison Stewart from ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', depicts Aguilera as a "harmless, mirror-kissing vamp." At the track's end, she questions: "Who owns the throne?", which her son as a toddler replies to: "You do, mommy". The deluxe edition includes five bonus tracks – four new songs and an acoustic version of "I Am" entitled "I Am (Stripped)". "Monday Morning" is a new wave track, which is accompanied on a
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
and handclaps. "Bobblehead" is a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
-inspired song that features a "clattering, chanting" beat. It berates women who, encouraged by a sexist culture, want to be valued more for their appearance than for their intellect. "Birds of Prey" is an
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...
-influenced electro song backed by "cool" synthesizers, and Aguilera's vocals are delivered in a whispered manner. "Stronger Than Ever" is a "mournful" ballad. The iTunes Store deluxe edition of ''Bionic'' also includes the "electro nursery rhyme" "Little Dreamer". It's a mid-tempo electropop ballad, characterized by "a skittering beat filled with beeps, glitches and trills," according to the ''Billboard'' magazine. Aguilera's vocals are a farewell to her titular dreamer.


Title and artwork

The album was originally titled ''Light & Darkness''; however, in February 2010, Aguilera announced that it would be titled ''Bionic''. ''Bionic''s cover artwork was designed by D*Face. The album's cover, which was unveiled on March 25, 2010, features half of Aguilera's face and half of a robot, with platinum curled hair locks, bright red lips, and long eyelashes. Ruth Doherty from ''
InStyle ''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...
'' called the cover "super-cool" and compared Aguilera's look to that of
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
in the '' Terminator'' film series. MTV Newsroom's Kyle Anderson named it "delightfully strange" and opined that the cover artwork features references the cover artwork for Tokio Hotel's third studio album ''
Humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and '' -oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of ...
'' (2009) and Madonna's music video for " Bedtime Story" (1994).


Release and promotion

Originally entitled ''Light & Darkness'', the album was set to be released in September 2009. In an interview for the February 2010 issue of ''
Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...
'', Aguilera announced that the project was entitled ''Bionic'' and would be made available in March 2010. However, on March 25 of that year, Aguilera re-confirmed that the album would be released on June 8. In May of that year, the fan edition of the project was made available for pre-order via
Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. The release included exclusive features, including a 12-inch × 12-inch box, a triple
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
set, a deluxe edition CD of ''Bionic'', and two exclusive photographs of Aguilera. On June 4, 2010, ''Bionic'' was released for CD and digital download in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. In the United States and Canada, the album was released on June 8. Aguilera made several appearances on television shows in mid-2010 to promote ''Bionic''. She appeared on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
'' on May 7 and performed the lead single "Not Myself Tonight". On May 26, Aguilera performed "You Lost Me" at the season finale of the ninth season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. The following month, Aguilera opened the 2010 MTV Movie Awards on June 6 with a medley of "Bionic", "Not Myself Tonight" and "Woohoo", and appeared on '' Today'' on June 8, where she performed "Bionic", "Not Myself Tonight", "You Lost Me", and two previous singles " Beautiful" and " Fighter". Later that month, she performed "You Lost Me" on the ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
'' on June 9, and "Not Myself Tonight", "You Lost Me", "Fighter" and a medley of " Genie in a Bottle" and " What a Girl Wants" on ''
The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of '' CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the n ...
'' on June 11. A '' VH1 Storytellers'' episode featuring Aguilera's performances aired on June 13.


Cancelled concert tour

Aguilera initially planned to further promote the album by embarking on The Bionic Tour. It was announced in early May 2010 that twenty shows had been scheduled in North America, which would run from July 15, 2010, to August 19, 2010. British singer
Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieve ...
was said to be a supporting act and the tour would be in conjunction with North American leg of Lewis's tour The Labyrinth (2010). Later that month, Aguilera announced that she would postpone the tour until 2011, however, that never happened. In a message from tour promoter
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...
, Aguilera stated that due to the excessive promotion of the album and her then upcoming film debut in ''
Burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
'', she felt it was necessary to take more time to rehearse the show and with less than a month between the album release and the tour, it was impossible to create a show as her fans' expectation.


Singles

"
Not Myself Tonight" was released as ''Bionic''s lead single on April 2, 2010. It debuted and peaked at number twenty-three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Aguilera's third highest solo debut on the chart after " Keeps Gettin' Better" (2008) and " Ain't No Other Man" (2006). Internationally, the song was a moderate commercial success, peaking at number twelve in the United Kingdom, and within the top forty in Australia, Austria, New Zealand and Sweden. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its club nature and Aguilera's vocals on the track; some reviewers also referred to it as her best uptempo recording since her single " Dirrty" (2002). The accompanying
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
, directed by
Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...
, featured a S&M theme with Aguilera sporting different bondage-inspired looks. Paying homage to
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
's music videos for " Express Yourself" (1989) and "
Human Nature Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of Thought, thinking, feeling, and agency (philosophy), acting—that humans are said to have nature (philosophy), naturally. The term is often used to denote ...
" (1995), the video received mixed reviews from critics, who complimented its aesthetic but called it unoriginal. " Woohoo", featuring rapper
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
, was released as the second single from ''Bionic''. It was made available exclusively to the iTunes Store on May 18, 2010 before being serviced to
rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...
radio on May 25, 2010. The song peaked at number one-hundred-and-forty-eight on the UK Singles Chart due to high digital sales, but was never released as a single there. It received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Minaj's appearance in the song and commending Aguilera's powerful vocals. " You Lost Me" was released as the album's third single on June 27, 2010. The song was sent to
contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
on June 29, 2010, in the United States. Leah Greenblatt from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' called "You Lost Me" a "lovely" ballad and Amber James said the song was a "somber track" that brings the "honesty and emotion that have made Aguilera one of the premier balladeers of our time." The music video premiered on Aguilera's official
Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
account on July 22. The music video's director Anthony Mandler also wrote the concept for the video, which features a series of connected vignettes. The song topped the US
Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
, making it the second single from ''Bionic'' to do so, after "Not Myself Tonight". " I Hate Boys" was released as the fourth single digitally on September 3, 2010 in a two-track single format. It was the eighth most-added song to radio stations in Australia from the week ending July 23, 2010. It peaked at number twenty-eight on the Australian Airplay Chart. Additionally, in the United Kingdom "Lift Me Up" debuted at number 26 on the UK Independent Singles Chart, despite not being released as a single, as reported by the
Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
.


Critical reception


Initial reviews

''Bionic'' received generally mixed reviews from music critics at the time of its release. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of reviews from mainstream publications, the album has an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 56, based on twenty-one reviews. In a positive review,
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
editor
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
opined that the "robot-diva hybrids are often interesting even when they stumble". Margaret Wappler of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' said that Aguilera's "hyper-sexed lover bot" persona is the album's "most successful vein". Pete Paphides of ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' gave the album four out of five stars and found it sounding "older and more confident" than her previous work. Kitty Empire, writing in ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', found it to be "very strong, but only in parts", and said that its strength "lies in its core limb-shaking sass, even as it confuses girl-on-girl action with sisterhood." Drew Hinshaw of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' called it "precisely produced club-pop that moves bodies, if not spirits."
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...
, writing in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', commented that ''Bionic'' is an "occasionally brilliant and brave, occasionally teeth-gritting and stupid album." It was criticized as an attempt to take advantage of
electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
's popularity and imitate the sound and image of
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
.
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
's Eric Henderson said that it is as "efficient a pop entertainment" as was
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
' ''
Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
'', but felt that its attempt at hedonistic themes "feels synthetic and compulsory." Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' said that, apart from its basic R&B balladry, the album imitates Spears' and
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
's "electro-R&B schtick" to disguise Aguilera's "lack of any original approach." Jon Pareles, writing in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', remarked that its musical direction "makes her sound as peer-pressured as a pop singer can be." Omar Kholeif 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, ...
said that the album is not good because of "Aguilera's overzealous penchant for excess", while ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''s Leah Greenblatt blamed her "penchant for stock step-class beats and an aggressive, exhausting hypersexuality." '' The A.V. Club''s Genevieve Koski wrote that the album sounds "muddled" because of its heavy reliance on a cadre of songwriters and producers. Dan Martin of ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' said that the occasionally "daring" tracks are marred by ordinary
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
licks that inhibit Aguilera's singing. ''Billboard'' described the album as the "best mainstream pop album of the year thus far" upon its release. Conversely, ''Entertainment Weekly'' later named ''Bionic'' the fifth worst album of 2010 in a year-end list.


Retrospective commentary

In June 2012, Sam Lansky wrote for
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
that the record "was, at times, precociously brilliant" and most of its songs were "thrilling", claiming that "the songs on the deluxe edition are forward-thinking and even timeless, galactic pop with subversive, ambient production." Lansky added that "two years after the fact, ''Bionic''s moments of greatness remain about as good as it gets." In similar vein, Mike Wass of '' Idolator'' asserted five months later that "the album holds up better than expected, and is actually an intriguing — if somewhat disjointed and often meandering — collection of songs." While reviewing Aguilera's eighth studio album '' Liberation'' in June 2018, ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' writer Claire Lobenfield retrospectively hailed ''Bionic'' as a record with "cutting-edge singles" that was "perhaps too forward-thinking, a risk that could have reaped the rewards of poptimism if the album had only been released a few years later." The following October, Joey Guerra of ''
Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' echoed these statements regarding the progressive nature of the album, calling ''Bionic'' "a forward-thinking assertion of independence like Madonna's ' ''Erotica''' and Janet Jackson's '' The Velvet Rope''." One of its tracks, "Birds of Prey", was ranked by ''Billboard'' at number 68 on a 2017 list of the hundred best deep cuts by 21st century pop stars, who wrote the song stood out as one of Aguilera's "most sonically beguiling compositions". Ten years after the record's release, Glenn Rowley of ''Billboard'' wrote ''Bionic'' had become "something of a cult favorite LP" over time and noted that there had been regular calls for "#JusticeForBionic" — the online campaign — on social media. Daniel Megarry of the ''
Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...
'' shared the same sentiment, calling it a "cult" record among the LGBTQ+ community, and believed it "will likely be re-discovered as a forgotten jewel by pop music fans for years to come". Wass opined that "Few albums have as many layers. Xtina blessed us with pitch-perfect bangers, beautiful ballads, quirky experiments and sexy slow jams. There is literally a bop for every mood." He also declared ''Bionic'' to be Aguilera's "misunderstood opus" and "a sex-positive, genre-bending triumph". In 2024, ''
Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
'' called the album "ever-controversial", also noting it "was misunderstood upon release but has become a cult favorite". ''
LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...
'' opined that ''Bionic'' "has gained a cult following for its innovative electronic sound".


Accolades


Commercial performance

Unlike Aguilera's previous studio albums, ''Bionic'' had trouble maintaining commercial success in the international markets. On the week ending June 26, 2010, the album debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 110,000 copies. However, those first-week sales were comparatively less than those of Aguilera's previous studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006), which peaked at number one with 346,000 copies sold. The following week the album fell to number nine with sales of 36,388 copies. In its third week, ''Bionic'' dropped to number twenty-two. ''Bionic'' has sold over 1.15 million tracks in the United States. As of August 2019, the album has sold 332,000 copies in the United States. As of June 2018, the album has moved 500,000
album-equivalent units The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
in the United States, being certified by RIAA as Gold. The album ranked as the year's seventy-sixth best-selling album in the United States. On the week ending June 26, 2010, ''Bionic'' debuted at its peak position, number three, on the
Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
. The following week, it charted at number nine. In the United Kingdom, ''Bionic'' debuted atop the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, becoming Aguilera's second consecutive studio album to debut atop the chart with 24,000 copies sold. It became the lowest-selling UK Albums Chart number-one album in eight years but the record was later broken by Marina and the Diamonds and Newton Faulkner in 2012. However, in the album's second week on the chart, it made the UK Albums Chart history when, on June 20, it registered the largest drop in chart history for a number one album by falling twenty-eight places to number twenty-nine, selling 9,754 copies that week. This was beat by The Vamps in 2017, when their album '' Night & Day'' fell thirty-four places from number one to number thirty-five. ''Bionic'' has been certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI). ''Bionic'' fared somewhat better in mainland Europe. It debuted atop the European Top 100 Albums, becoming Aguilera's second consecutive studio album to top the chart, staying atop the chart for one week. During the twenty-third week of 2010, the album debuted atop the Greek Top 50 Albums, replacing
Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 1996. To date the band has release ...
's ''Omen'', and receiving a gold certification from
IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece, or simply IFPI Greece, is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification b ...
. Another successful charting territory for ''Bionic'' was Switzerland, where the album peaked at number two, staying within the chart's top twenty-five for five consecutive weeks. The album also managed to peak within the top ten in Austria, Belgian region of Flanders, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain and Sweden. On the week ending June 12, ''Bionic'' debuted at number twenty-three on the French Albums Chart. As of December 2010, it has sold over 10,000 copies in the country. The album peaked within the top ten in both Australia and New Zealand. On the week commencing June 14, the album debuted and peaked at number three on the Australian Albums Chart. It remained in the top five in its second week, and descended to number sixteen in its third week. ''Bionic'' was 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 Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) for shipments exceeding 35,000 copies. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number six. The album also reached number one of the Taiwanese Albums Chart, as reported by Five Music on June 24, 2010.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a vocal producer *"Woohoo" contains a sample from "Add Már, Uram Az Esőt!" performed by Kati Kovács. *"I Hate Boys" contains a sample from "Jungle Juice", written by Bill Wellings and J.J. Hunter, and performed by Elektrik Cokernut. *In China, ''Bionic'' excludes the tracks "Woohoo", "Morning Dessert (Intro)" and "Sex for Breakfast".


Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Bionic'' *
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
– vocals * John Salvatore Scaglione – electric guitar * Leo Abrahams – acoustic guitar, electric guitar * Brett Banducci – viola * Felix Bloxsom – percussion, drums * Denise Briese – contrabass * Alejandro Carballo – trombone * Daphne Chen – violin, concert mistress * Matt Cooker – cello * Pablo Correa – percussion * Ester Dean – background vocals * Samuel Dixon – acoustic guitar, bass, piano, celeste * Richard Dodd – cello * Stefanie Fife – cello * Sam Fischer – violin * Jimmy Hogarth – acoustic guitar, electric guitar * Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis – keyboards * Paul Ill – bass * Claude Kelly – background vocals * James King – flute, alto sax, baritone sax, tenor sax, snake * Anna Kostyuchek – violin * Oliver Kraus – strings, string arrangements, string engineering * John Krovoza – cello * Marisa Kuney – violin * Victoria Lanier – violin * Juan Manuel-Leguizamón – percussion * Ami Levy – violin * Abe Liebhaber – cello *
Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
– vocals (track 3) * Diego Miralles – cello * Julio Miranda – guitar * Karolina Naziemiec – viola * Neli Nikolaeva – violin * Cameron Patrick – violin * Peaches – rap * Linda Perry – bass, guitar, percussion, piano, keyboards * Radu Pieptea – violin * Melissa Reiner – violin * David Sage – viola * Kellii Scott – drums * Arturo Solar – trumpet * Audrey Solomon – violin * Jenny Takamatsu – violin * Tom Tally – viola * Jason Torreano – contrabass * Jessica van Velzen – viola * Amy Wickman – violin * Rodney Wirtz – viola * Richard Worn – contrabass * Alwyn Wright – violin * Deantoni Parks – drums ("Monday Morning") * Thomas Aiezza – assistant engineer * Brian "Fluff" Allison – assistant engineer * Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli – conductor * Matt Benefield – assistant engineer, assistant * Richard Brown – assistant engineer * Dan Carey – mixing * Andrew Chavez – Pro-Tools * Cameron Craig – engineering * Ester Dean – production * Detail – vocal production * Samuel Dixon – programming, production, engineering * D Face – artwork * Sia Furler – vocal production * Brian Gardner – mastering * Terry Glenny – violin * Larry Goldings – piano * Eric Gorfain – string arrangements * Josh Gudwin – engineering * Kuk Harrell – engineering * John Hill – production, engineering, instrumentation * Jimmy Hogarth – engineering * Jaycen Joshua – mixing * Josh Mosser – engineering * Claude Kelly – vocal production * Alex Leader – engineering, assistant engineer * Giancarlo Lino – assistant * Erik Madrid – assistant * Alix Malka – photography * Manny Marroquin – engineering, mixing * Kyle Moorman – Pro-Tools * Bryan Morton – engineering * Luis Navarro – assistant * Linda Perry – programming, production, engineering * Christian Plata – assistant * Polow da Don – production * Oscar Ramirez – engineering, vocal engineering * TheRealFocus... – production, instrumentation * Andros Rodriguez – engineer * Alexis Smith – assistant engineer * Eric Spring – engineering * Jay Stevenson – assistant engineer * Jeremy Stevenson – engineering * Christopher Stewart – production * Subskrpt – engineering, assistant engineer *
Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
– production, engineering, mixing, instrumentation * Brian "B-Luv" Thomas – engineering * Pat Thrall – engineering *
Le Tigre Le Tigre (, ; French for "The Tiger") is an American art punk and riot grrrl band formed by Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill), Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning in 1998 in New York City. Benning left in 2000 and was replaced by JD Samson. ...
– production * Randy Urbanski – assistant * Eli Walker – engineering * Cory Williams – engineering * Andrew Wuepper – engineering * Reuben Wu – production


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history

* Urban Outfitters exclusive black and grey splattered clear vinyl.


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control 2010 albums Albums produced by Focus... Albums produced by Linda Perry Albums produced by Polow da Don Albums produced by Samuel Dixon Albums produced by Tricky Stewart Christina Aguilera albums RCA Records albums Electropop albums Futurepop albums