"Chewing Gum" is a song by Norwegian singer Annie from her debut studio album, ''

Anniemal ''Anniemal'' is the debut album by Norwegian singer Annie. It was first released by 679 Recordings in September 2004. Annie began recording music in 1999 with her boyfriend, Tore Kroknes, who died in 2001. She returned to recording later that ...

'' (2004). Written by

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for art ...

and

Hannah Robinson Hannah Robinson (born in Derbyshire) is a British songwriter. Her best-known compositions include Rachel Stevens's UK No. 2 hit " Some Girls", Ladyhawke's " My Delirium" and Annie's "Chewing Gum". Robinson began her career as a vocalist and ...

, the song is based on a metaphor which likens men to

chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its tex ...

. The song was released as the album's lead single on 30 August 2004. It received positive reviews from music critics. "Chewing Gum" was the album's most commercially successful single, reaching number eight on the

Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista is the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from Norwegian and international artists. It is presented weekly in the newspaper '' VG''. The data is collected by Nielsen Soundscan International and based on the sale ...

and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and writing

Producer Richard X was impressed with Annie's debut single " The Greatest Hit". He asked Annie to record vocals for his debut album ''

Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 ''Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1'' is the debut compilation album by British pop producer Richard X. The album features 15 tracks all produced by Richard X, most of which feature guest vocals. Track listing # "Start" (Richard X) # "Bein ...

''. In exchange, he contributed "Chewing Gum", co-written with Hannah Robinson, to ''Anniemal''.Draper, Jimmy
"Norwegian would"
''

San Francisco Bay Guardian The ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' was a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. The paper was shut down on October 14, 2014. Parts of the paper were relaunched online in February 2016. History The ''Bay Guar ...

''. Retrieved 26 August 2008. Richard X's songwriting was inspired by a put-down that his girlfriend devised to describe self-important, vain people. The song's lyrics compare being in a relationship with chewing gum, "chewing for fun" and then moving on to the next relationship "when all the flavor has gone." Annie compared the song's sound to the work of new wave group the

Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include the UK top 10 hit " Wordy Rappinghood" and the US top 40 hi ...

. Reviewers compared "Chewing Gum" to the group's 1981 single "

Genius of Love "Genius of Love" is a song by American new wave band Tom Tom Club, released in September 1981 by Sire and Warner Bros. as the second single from their eponymous debut studio album (1981). The song is written by Adrian Belew, Chris Frantz, Ste ...

". The song samples the well known drum loop from

The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song) "The Message" is a song by the American hip hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on July 1, 1982, and was later featured on the group's debut studio album of the same name. The son ...

Critical reception

"Chewing Gum" received very positive reviews from music critics.

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 ...

ranked the track at number 11 on its list of the "Top 50 Singles of 2004".

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

listed it tenth on its list of the top 40 singles of 2004. The song was listed 31st on the 2004

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

."The 2004 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll"
''

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, ...

''. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2008.

Music video

The music video for "Chewing Gum" was directed by Barnaby Roper. In it, two versions of Annie sing the lyrics to each other as part of a dialogue. The video includes sequences of Annie and

body double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes for another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

s of her dancing in a

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

. The video was filmed in less than a day.

Track listings

* UK CD1 # "Chewing Gum" (radio edit) – 3:30 # "Kiss Me" * UK CD2 # "Chewing Gum" (radio edit) – 3:30 # "Chewing Gum" (Mylo remix) – 5:54 # "Chewing Gum" (Headman vocal remix) – 6:29 # "Chewing Gum" (Headman dub) – 6:31 # "Chewing Gum" (video) * UK 12-inch single # "Chewing Gum" (

Mylo Myles MacInnes (born 10 May 1978), better known by his stage name Mylo, is a Scottish electronic musician and record producer. His 2004 album '' Destroy Rock & Roll'' peaked at number 26 on the UK Albums Chart. He is best known for his 2005 si ...

remix) # "Chewing Gum" (album version) # "Chewing Gum" (Headman dub)

Personnel

* Annie – lead vocals * Big Active – art direction * Henrik Bülow – photography * Pete Hofmann –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

, mixing * Hannah Robinson – backing vocals * Richard X –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

Charts

Release history

In popular culture

The song has been featured on the online game ''

Audition Online ''Audition Online'' (), also known as ''X-BEAT'' in Japan and popularly called ''AyoDance'' in Indonesia, is a free-to-play multiplayer online casual Rhythm game produced by T3 Entertainment. It was originally released in South Korea in 2004 a ...

'' and an update trailer for the online game '' Blockland'' as well as in television programmes such as ''

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

'', '' Skam'', and ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

''. The song was also featured in the film ''

Big Momma's House 2 ''Big Momma's House 2'' is a 2006 American crime comedy film, the sequel to 2000's ''Big Momma's House'' and the second installment of the ''Big Momma'' Trilogy. The film was directed by John Whitesell and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his rol ...

''.Soundtracks for Big Momma's House 2
IMDB

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chewing Gum (Annie Song) 2004 singles 2004 songs 679 Artists singles Annie (singer) songs Electropop songs Song recordings produced by Richard X Songs written by Hannah Robinson Songs written by Richard X