"My Girls" is a song by

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore County, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is cha ...

, released as the first single from their critically acclaimed 2009 album ''

Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by ''Billboard'' magazine. The venue was also ranke ...

''. It was released on March 23, 2009 by Domino Records as a promo CD only. During the tours of 2007 and 2008, the song was known as "House".

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...

explained to '' Clash'' that lyrically the song is about his "desire on a basic level to own my own place and kind of provide a safe house for my family and the people I care about." The song resembles a seminal piece of early

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

, " Your Love" (1984), by

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...

and

Jamie Principle Jamie Principle (born July 5, 1960) is a versatile music artist and Record producer, producer born in Chicago, Illinois, with a diverse range of genres, including new wave, post-punk, electronica, and R&B. While house music is one facet of his arti ...

. The song's intro contains an audio sample from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which explored Saturn's atmosphere and rings and gathered information about its moons; as part of its mission, the probe was destroyed in September 2017.

Video

A promotional music video was created, showing the three members who worked on the album performing the song with samplers,

synthesizers 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 and ...

and percussion instruments. The video was animated by Jon Vermilyea, whose illustrations were used in the artwork for the band's live compilation '' Animal Crack Box''. Only Avey Tare and

's lips and

Geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

's caving headlamp can be seen, with complete black bodies in colored scenarios, eventually becoming green and melting at the end of the video.

Use in media

An edited version of the song was used in the

BBC Panorama ''Panorama'' is a British current affairs documentary programme broadcast on the BBC. First broadcast in 1953, it is the world's longest-running television news magazine programme. ''Panorama'' has been presented by many well-known BBC presen ...

program The Secrets of Scientology. An edited version of this song appears during Jake Johnson's part in

Alien Workshop Alien Workshop (AWS) is an independent American skateboarding company that was founded in 1990 by Chris Carter, Mike Hill, and Neil Blender in Dayton, Ohio. Following periods under the ownership of the Burton Snowboards, Burton snowboard company a ...

's skate film, ''Mindfield''. The song can also be heard briefly during a party sequence in the 2012 film '' Project X''.

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

interpolated "My Girls" in her song "

6 Inch "6 Inch" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring Canadian singer The Weeknd. It is the fifth track on her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade (Beyoncé album), Lemonade'' (2016), released through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. The ...

" from her sixth studio album ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

'' (2016).

Accolades

* "My Girls" was named the #1 Song of 2009 by

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

. * In 2009, Pitchfork listed the song at #9 of their Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. * ''

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 ...

'' named "My Girls" the 5th best song of 2009. * ''

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 ...

'' named "My Girls" the best song of 2009. * ''

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, ...

'' named "My Girls" the third best-song of 2009 on their annual

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 ...

critics' poll. * In October 2011, ''NME'' placed it at number 91 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". * In 2014, ''

'' named "My Girls" the 248th best song of all time.

Cover versions

* 2009 – Taken by Trees, '' East of Eden'' (as "My Boys") * 2011 – The Becca Stevens Band, ''Weightless'' * 2013 –

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands o ...

* 2014 – Tall Tall Trees, '' The Seasonal''Bandcamp - https://talltalltrees.bandcamp.com/album/the-seasonal-ep

References

{{authority control 2009 singles Animal Collective songs 2009 songs Domino Recording Company singles Experimental pop songs