Genre R&B
dance-pop | Length 3:37 | |
B-side "So Good"
"8 Days of Christmas" Released September 4, 2000 (2000-09-04) Format CD single
12" single
maxi single
digital download Recorded May 18, 2000 (2000-05-18) (Part 2)
July 4, 2000 (2000-07-04) (Part 1)
SugarHill Studios
(Houston, Texas) | ||
"Independent Women" is a song by American girl group Destiny's Child. The song first appeared as the soundtrack to the 2000 film adaption of Charlie's Angels, and was later included on the group's third studio album, Survivor (2001). It is also the first single with Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams on vocals, though Franklin was no longer in the group's lineup when the video was filmed. Originally, Part 2 of the song was the actual song and Part 1 was known as the Pasadena remix, but it was chosen in favor of the original.
Contents
Released as the soundtrack's lead single in fall, the song held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eleven consecutive weeks from November 2000 to February 2001. Billboard likened the song's release strategy to being influenced by Janet Jackson's "Doesn't Really Matter," saying the group "began planting the seeds for the upcoming release" in a similar vein. The song appeared in The Proud Family episode "Don't Leave Home Without It." Most recently in 2014, a Target back to school commercial featured this song performed with classroom instruments.
Background
"Independent Women" was used as a lead single for both the Charlie's Angels soundtrack, and the group's third album, Survivor. It was revealed that Knowles' father and then-manager, Mathew, submitted the track to the Charlie's Angels soundtrack without her knowledge.
Reception
The song was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the 2001 Grammy Awards. It was also ranked at number 85 on the list of Britain's favorite 100 songs, published in May 2002. It was also named the 18th most successful song of the 2000s, on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.
The song was the 25th best selling of 2000 in the UK.
Music video
The music video was shot in Los Angeles from August 27 to September 1, 2000 and directed by Francis Lawrence. Destiny's Child take part of a futuristic Charlie's Angels boot camp and sit in a classroom to watch footage of Charlie's Angels. They learn from them and try out the challenges in several steps: agility (dancing), altitude (skydiving), combat (martial arts fighting) and speed (motorbike). At the end, the women are greeted by the ever-mysterious "Charlie". The band also performs in a huge disco set in between the scenes.
The music video premiered on MTV's Making the Video and is featured on the DualDisc edition of the album #1's and on the DVD release of Charlie's Angels.
Chart performance
"Independent Women" was a chart success in the United States. The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single held the top position in the following week, which was seen as buoyed by the strong box office performance of the film and the heavy rotation it received. The song had a massive radio airplay, staying almost ten weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, significantly contributing to the performance of the single on the main chart. Subsequently, the single spent eleven consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 top position. During its tenth week at the top spot, the music press had expected that the single would fall off the top position because of strong competition at retail; however, it sustained due to the high sales of the single's maxi version, released in December 2000. It was in the 2000–2001 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for longest-running song by a female group. "Independent Women" also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart for three weeks, becoming Destiny's Child fourth number one single on this chart. "Independent Women" also debuted at number one in the United Kingdom. The British Phonographic Industry has certified the single gold for sales of over 400,000 physical singles. It also reached the number one position in Canada and New Zealand. It is also Destiny's Child's most successful single to date.
Track listings
European CD single COL 669822 2
- "Independent Women" (Part 1) (album version) – 3:41
- "Independent Women" (Joe Smooth 200 Proof 2 Step Mix) – 4:17
- "Independent Women" (Maurice's Radio Mix)1 – 3:54
- "Independent Women" (Victor Calderone Club Mix)1 – 9:36
UK CD single part 1 670593 2
- "Independent Women" (Part 1) (album version) – 3:41
- "Independent Women" (Victor Calderone Club Mix)1 – 9:36
- "Independent Women" (Maurice's Radio Mix)1 – 3:54
UK CD single part 2
- "Independent Women" (Part 2)
- "Say My Name" (Timbaland remix)
- "So Good"
US CD single 44K 79493
- "Independent Women" (Part 1) (album version) – 3:41
- "Independent Women" (Victor Calderone Drum Dub Mix)1 – 5:30
- "Independent Women" (Victor Calderone Club Mix)1 – 9:36
- "Independent Women" (Maurice's Independent Man Remix)1 – 7:30
- "8 Days of Christmas" – 3:29