"Chelsea" is the debut single recorded by American pop rock band Stefy. It was released as the lead single from their debut album, '' The Orange Album'' (2006). It was sent to mainstream radio in June 2006 and was made available as a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...

and digital download by

Wind-up Records Wind-up Entertainment was an American independent record label founded by Alan and Diana Meltzer in 1997. It was based in New York City and was distributed by BMG Distribution. Wind-up's best-selling artists worldwide were Creed and Evanescen ...

on July 18. The song features a melody that is similar to

The Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succes ...

' "

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British new wave music duo Eurythmics. It is the title track of their album of the same name (1983) and was released as the fourth and final single from the album in early 1983. The song became ...

". "Chelsea" was written by Jimmy Harry,

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...

and Stefy Rae, while production was handled by Harry. The song 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 ...

, who favorably compared it to the works of

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs ...

and Blondie, but found it to be a "weak" debut single. The song was moderately successful after its release, peaking at number 15 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...

, and playing a prominent role in the video game ''

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

'' (2006).

Background and release

"Chelsea" was written and produced during recording sessions in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

at 320 Studios and Bombshelter Studios. Sessions for Stefy's debut album, '' The Orange Album'', began when lead singer Stefy Rae was "look ngfor sense of uniqueness" in the music industry. Rae stated that she was inspired to write "Chelsea" after another woman stole her boyfriend. The single was written by Stefy lead singer Stefy Rae,

, and Jimmy Harry, while production was handled solely by Harry. The track was released in 2006 as a

and digital download by

. The CD single version of "Chelsea" came with

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

track "Cover Up". The single was later issued to

mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

in June 2006, where it received modest success and significant airplay, charting on the ''Billboard''

for nine consecutive weeks.

Composition and reception

Musically, "Chelsea" is a

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...

and new wave track, referencing the music of the 1980s and 1990s. Chris Carle, writing for

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 dist ...

, described the single as an "ode to jealousy" that started "with Eurhythmics-style synth before launching into a snarling, almost-tough chorus." Marcus Duke for the '' Daily Express'' also noted the "sly sampling" of Eurhythmics, and stated "Stefy Rae has definitely been influenced by

." Francis Petruziello of Domain Cleveland Entertainment wrote an album review of ''The Orange Album'' and stated "'Chelsea' kicks off healbum with the pixie-like vocals of Stefy Rae singing about a boyfriend leaving her for another woman." "Chelsea" received generally mixed reviews from

. Chris Carle of IGN praised the song for being a "standout track" and a "great blend of playful and painful". Similarly, Marcus Dunk of the ''Daily Express'' wrote that "Chelsea" was a highlight for Stefy. Francis Petruziello, writing for Domain Cleveland Entertainment, enjoyed the "danceable" qualities of the song. A reviewer of ''

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 ...

'' enjoyed the single, comparing it to Gwen Stefani and Blondie's work, but considered it "hardly a proper intro" on '' The Orange Album'', however, the reviewer praised it for being a "delectably bubble gum" song. A critic from ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' was displeased with "Chelsea", stating that it's a "pale imitation of classic decade-of-decadence act", referencing the song's sampling of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

Commercial performance

"Chelsea" was moderately successful. Due to strong airplay on mainstream dance radio, the single managed to peak at number fifteen on the ''Billboard''

; it remained on the charts for nine weeks before departing the chart on October 7, 2006. It also peaked at number eighteen on the ''Billboard''

Dance/Mix Show Airplay Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. History The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic ...

chart, where it lasted for four weeks. In Europe, the single also fared moderately well. In the United Kingdom, the track debuted and peaked at number eighty-two on the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

. In Ireland, "Chelsea" debuted and peaked at number ninety-six.

Music video

The official music video for "Chelsea" was first released on September 1, 2006 via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

, before being made available for purchase on September 13. The video was directed by

Nigel Dick Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...

and features a guest appearance by Adam West as the judge of a court case. The video begins with Rae arriving at the scene of the case, surrounded by West and a group of female jurors who clap along to the song's melody. Presumably, Rae is trying to convict her ex-boyfriend of cheating on her. Various scenes include Rae performing at a school's gymnasium and picking a fight with a female antagonist named Chelsea. The video concludes with Rae winning the court case and walking away from the scene.

Track listings and formats

*US CD single # "Chelsea" - 2:51 *UK CD single # "Chelsea" - 2:52 # "Cover Up" – 3:41 *Sebastien Leger Remixes CD (US version) # "Chelsea (Sebastien Leger Mix)" - 6:23 # "Chelsea (Sebastien Leger Mix) (Radio Edit)" - 3:24 *Sebastien Leger Remixes CD (UK version) # "Chelsea (Sebastien Leger Mix) (Radio Edit)" - 3:49 # "Chelsea (Sebastien Leger Mix) (Club Mix)" - 6:31 *The Remixes CD (US version) # "Chelsea (Chris Cox Radio Mix)" - 3:30 # "Chelsea (Chris Cox Club Mix)" - 10:03 # "Chelsea (Chris Cox Dub Mix)" - 7:39 # "Chelsea (Album Mix)" - 2:52 # "Chelsea (Morgan Page Radio Mix" - 4:42 # "Chelsea (Morgan Page Club Mix)" - 7:30 # "Chelsea (Morgan Page Dub Mix)" - 7:31 *The Remixes CD (Denmark version) # "Chelsea (Original version)" - 2:50 # "Chelsea (Chris Cox Club Mix)" - 10:03 # "Chelsea (Chris Cox Dub Mix)" - 7:39 # "Chelsea (Morgan Page Club Mix)" - 7:30 # "Chelsea (Morgan Page Dub Mix)" - 7:29 # "Chelsea (Sebastien Leger Mix)" - 6:29

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from ''The Orange Album'' liner notes ;Recording * Recorded at 3:20 Studios and Bombshelter Studios,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

;Personnel * Stefy Rae – vocals, lyrics * Andreas Brobjer – drums * Bryan K. Christner – legal * Chriss Fudurich – engineer * Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering * Jason Gaviati – keyboards * Benjamin Haber – photography * Oren Hadar – engineer * Jimmy Harry – engineer, guitar, keyboards, lyrics, production, programming * Femio Hernandez – assistant mixing *

– lyrics * Tom Lord-Alge – mixing * Gail Marowitz – art direction * Sean Meyer – guitar * Mike Mongillo – coordinator * Chad Nini – assistant engineer * Bethany Pawluk – design * Ben Tirney – assistant engineer

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{authority control 2006 songs 2006 debut singles Stefy songs Songs written by Greg Kurstin Wind-up Records singles Songs written by Jimmy Harry Bubblegum pop songs Music videos directed by Nigel Dick