"Girlfriend" is a song by American singer Pebbles from her 1987 self-titled debut studio album. Written and produced by

L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer who served as president and CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, as well as chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Mus ...

and

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

, "Girlfriend" was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (or first 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. A similar term, "debut ...

on October 26, 1987, by record label MCA. The song charted in several countries, peaking at number five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reaching the top 10 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Background

The song was originally intended for

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

' debut album '' The Right Stuff''. According to

, Williams' record label

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

showed interest in Williams' recording "Girlfriend", which Reid played for her alone in his apartment. However, Pebbles heard the song and offered Reid more money and two cars for the chance to record it. As a result, the production team were not asked to work on more songs on Williams' debut. Reid said due to that incident, Williams never spoke to him again.

Chart performance

"Girlfriend" became Pebbles' first top-five hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and her first number one song on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. The single also peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom and at number nine in Ireland, becoming Pebbles' only top-10 hit in both countries, reached the top 20 in Switzerland, Canada, and West Germany, and was a Top 40 hit in New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Awards and accolades

"Girlfriend" earned Pebbles her first nomination for the

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

at the 1989 Grammy Awards, losing to " Giving You the Best That I Got" by

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...

Track listings

7-inch and Japanese mini-CD single # "Girlfriend" – 4:19 # "Girlfriend" (instrumental) – 4:19 US, European, and Australian 12-inch single :A1. "Girlfriend" (extended version) – 6:49 :B1. "Girlfriend" (instrumental) – 6:49 :B2. "Girlfriend" (dub version) – 4:54 UK 12-inch single :A1. "Girlfriend" (extended version) – 6:49 :B1. "Girlfriend" (extended instrumental) – 6:49 :B2. "Girlfriend" (vocal edit) – 5:45 UK 12-inch remix single :A1. "Girlfriend" (dance remix) – 8:30 :B1. "Girlfriend" (extended instrumental) – 6:49 :B2. "Girlfriend" (7-inch edit) – 3:45 UK CD single # "Girlfriend" (7-inch version) – 3:43 # "Love/Hate" (radio edit) – 5:24 # "Girlfriend" (dance remix) – 8:27

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Covers

Caramel version

UK garage UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house and jungle production methods, but also incorporates elements from ...

duo

Caramel Caramel ( or ) is a range of food ingredients made by heating sugars to high temperatures. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons or candy bars, as a topping for ice cream and custard, and as a colorant ...

released their version as a single in 1999, featuring Paule van Wijngaarden on vocals. It reached No. 9 on the

UK Dance Singles Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores ...

. ;Track listing UK CD single # "Girlfriend" (Radio Mix) - 4:06 # "Voodoo Man" (Radio Mix) - 3:35 # "Girlfriend" (Master Mix) - 6:57 ;Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Girlfriend (Pebbles Song) 1987 songs 1987 singles 1999 singles MCA Records singles Perri "Pebbles" Reid songs Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Song recordings produced by L.A. Reid Songs written by Babyface (musician) Songs written by L.A. Reid