"
Work" is a song recorded by Australian rapper
Iggy Azalea for her debut studio album,
The New Classic (2014). It was released as Azalea's debut single as a lead artist, and the album's
lead single on 17 March 2013. The track was written by Azalea, Trocon Markous Roberts,
Natalie Sims, and
The Invisible Men who produced it with
1st Down of FKi. Hailed by Azalea as her most personal song, "Work" was developed with motivational and inspirational intentions to portray her life story; specifically dealing with her struggle as an up-and-coming rapper, and her relocation from
Mullumbimby, New South Wales to
Miami at age 16. In sequence with its lyrical story, the
snap and
trap track begins with a sad-stringed verse segment before significantly increasing in
tempo at its
drum and
synth-heavy
refrain.
Background[edit]
During December 2012 and January 2013, "Work" was developed by
Iggy Azalea as one of the first three songs for her debut studio album,
The New Classic.
[1] The song was written in
Wales during a period of heavy rain which inspired her to create a track that was "sad, but in a weird way, like happy or calming or sort of peaceful".
[2] With the track, she wanted to give as much information as she could about herself to detract her listeners from being influenced by criticism and
tabloid journalism about her; she disliked the idea of revisiting her past, but felt that it was necessary for her listeners to relate with.
[2][3] Being her first autobiographical song, Azalea encountered difficulty during its writing because of the personal subject matter which she felt she could not fit into a song on its own.
[4]
Azalea wrote the song with
The Invisible Men, Trocon Markous Roberts and
Natalie Sims.
[5] Sims stated that she,
FKi, and Azalea had initially met back in 2008, but lost touch when Azalea moved to Los Angeles.
[6][7] The track specifically drew inspiration from a period when Azalea suffered from depression, and dropped out of high school to become a
domestic worker with her mother.
[8] Azalea saved money for a flight ticket to
Miami and left
Mullumbimby, New South Wales before she turned 16—an event referenced in the song's lyric "No money / No family / 16 in the middle of Miami" which Azalea felt "said it all".
[4][9] For this reason, she chose to write and record "Work" in isolation in
Rockfield, Monmouthshire, with no phone reception, visitors or interruptions.
[5][10][11] She felt as a location it would help her recall the personal struggles she wanted to write about on the song. Azalea also believed that her best output was produced when in an environment outside her comfort zone.
[12] Her vocals were recorded at
Rockfield Studios and
Monnow Valley Studios.
[5] Sims, who abandoned four tour dates in order to fly over to Britain to join Azalea,
[7] commented on her own involvement in the song that "Fresh out of a breakup and depressed I spent a month in London in a small 10×10 studio somedays writing and writing and writing… Regardless of whether or not you like the content the song told Iggy's true story of struggle sacrifice and hard work as an artist."
[6]
Musically, Azalea found inspiration for the composition in the
chord progression featured in
Outkast's "
B.O.B" (2000).
[13] "Work" was produced by The Invisible Men and
1st Down of FKi.
[5] Azalea stated that the producers "found a middle ground" on the song, with 1st Down being responsible for its "cool alternative sound", and The Invisible Men creating its "more commercialised, cleaner [and] sleeker sound".
[14] Anthony Kilhoffer completed the
mixing process, with the assistance of Kyle Ross, at The Mix Spot in
Los Angeles.
[5]Following the song's completion, Azalea felt that it achieved the goal she set for its parent album, and denoted it as the record's most important and vulnerable moment.
[3][15] She has also cited it as her most personal song and the song she is most proud of.
[16]
Composition[edit]
|
A 15-second sample of the snap, traprefrain in "Work", with Azalea repeating the lyric "Now get this work".
|
Problems playing this file? See media help. |
"Work" is a
snap and
trap song which incorporates elements of
EDM.
[17][18] Nina Long of
Respect. describes it as the "polar opposite" of Azalea's previous material.
[19] The track opens with Azalea challenging "Walk a mile in these Louboutins", upon a sweeping
keyboard introduction and
balladic beat.
[20][21] It then leads into a similarly sad,
string-laden first verse segment containing plaintive
melodies.
[18][20][22] According to Gregory Adams of
Exclaim!, the song "starts off smooth and ballady, with Azalea running through lines about her background, but soon drops into club-minded claps and screeching synths".
[23] A prominent
synth,
bass and
drum-heavy production drop formula then occurs at the song's
refrain, in which Azalea repeats the
hook, "I been work work work work, workin' on my shit".
[18][24][25][26] The production drop casts Azalea's rapping against a combination of a
Roland TR-808-heavy, minimal trap beat and EDM
clapping effects.
[18] Using divisive
Southern American English pronunciation, Azalea employs a defiant and rattling,
staccato delivery in
double-time.
[21][27][28] Her rapping pace varies from fast, intricate rhymes to slow, stretched-out singular words.
[29] While in the verses, her delivery is expletively riddled.
[30]
The lyrics are autobiographical and portray Azalea's fame-seeking relocation from Mullumbimby to Miami at the age of 16, and deal with subjects of
work ethic and dedication to craft.
[22][31] It specifically accounts for the events of Azalea growing up in Mullumbimby, juggling multiple occupations to save an income to independently start anew in Miami.
[32] The lyrics also serve as a celebration of Azalea's progression from being a struggling rapper as a
rags to riches story and an
underdog anthem.
[28][33][34] The line "Who don't know shit 'bout where I was made / Or how many floors that I had to scrub," was suggested to be directed at her "haters".
[35] While the
couplet, "Two feet in the red dirt, school skirt, sugar cane, back lanes" is eloquent for Azalea's origin.
[36]
According to Jessie Schiewe of
Respect., the lyrics also imply that Azalea "was swindled and take advantage of in her first record deal", and that it provides insight into events that have toughened Azalea up.
[15] While Cristina Jaleru of
The Associated Press deduced that the lyrics "First deal changed me, robbed blind, basically raped me / Studied the Carters till a deal was offered, slept cold on the floor recording," are rapped "not as a complaint but as a badge of honor".
[37] Nick Aveling of
Time Out writes that Azalea is depicted as a "hustler" and a "woman with immense ambition" in the song.
[8] In a
NPR publication,
Ann Powers viewed the lyrics to be of "unremitting toil", as well as detailing a story of Azalea "staying up night after night to master her flow".
[38] John Lucas of
The Georgia Straight compared the lyrical content to that of
Drake's "
Started from the Bottom" (2013).
[39] According to Matt Jost of RapReviews.com, "Work" is similar to the works of
2 Live Crew and is a "nod to Miami's music history".
[40]
Release[edit]
"Work" served as Azalea's debut single as a lead artist, and the
lead single from
The New Classic.
[41] Following its premiere on
BBC Radio 1Xtra on 11 February 2013, Azalea
tweeted, "Thanks for supporting me and I'm happy to have a first single about my story and not something meaningless i hope it inspires and motivates".
[20] Her label later announced that an
extended play (EP) for the single would be released on 8 April 2013.
[42] Azalea posted a timed preview of "Work" on
SoundCloud on 24 February 2013.
[43] The following day, Azalea announced on Twitter that the song would be digitally released within the first week of March 2013.
[44]
"Work" was released as a
digital download on 17 March 2013 in the United Kingdom.
[45] A digital EP—which included remixes by
Jacob Plant and
Burns—was then made available on 7 April 2013.
[46] In the United States, the song impacted
rhythmic contemporary radio on 25 June 2013.
[47] An official remix featuring American rapper
Wale was premiered by
Samsung on 28 June 2013. In the remix, Wale performs a 16-bar rap in place of Azalea's second verse in the song.
[48] The remix was well received by reviewers from
Idolator,
[49]Rap-Up,
[50] The Line of Best Fit,
[51] and
XXL.
[26] A 13-track remix bundle and the Wale remix was then released in the United States on 16 and 23 July 2013 respectively.
[52][53]
Critical reception[edit]
"Work" received universal acclaim from
music critics. In a
Billboard publication,
Robert Christgau called the song "excellent" and "something [Azalea] wants us to remember", and commented: "You want authentic? Iggy Azalea has all the lineaments of a risk-taking young rebel without a well-off family to back her up."
[54] Christgau went on to praise the track's hooks, and explained: "The hooks, of course, are one reason hard die-hards put her down—in the truimpant Dirty South manner, her hip-hop is radio-friendly as a matter of principle. The cumulative weight of the long-player they never think about."
[54] Monica Herrera of
Rolling Stone called the song "a bombshell-next-door move that demands attention".
[55] Matt Orkine of
Triple J listed it as the year's ninth best single, and viewed it as a "straight-up banger" and his "guiltiest music pleasure of 2013".
[56] Kellan Miller of
XXL deemed it "the song that made the world fall in love with Iggy all over again".
[57] Justin Monroe of
Complex called it the album's "infectious and decidedly less weird first single", and complimented its ability to provide listeners with a sense of Azalea's background.
[28] While Sam Weiss of the same publication described the song "as wild and eccentric as anything she's done so far".
[44]
Slant Magazine's Joe Sweeney felt that "Work" was the album's standout track and believed that it portrayed a real sense of Azalea's potential as a storyteller, and commended her delivery, "You can hear every inch of how far she's come".
[21] Sweeney's view was shared by Andy Gill from
The Independent who also named "Work" the highlight on
The New Classic, and said Azalea's double-time delivery was best-employed on the song.
[32] HipHopDX's Marcus Dowling wrote that "Work" was "an extraordinarily well-rounded listen" and the "honest and intriguing greatness" of
The New Classic.
[18] Dowling commented that the line, "No money, no family, 16 in the middle of Miami", provided an "ocean of depth [...] that makes the rest of the album feel like swimming in a kiddie pool".
[18] Matt Jost of RapReviews.com concurred, and called the song "the sure winner" and "lyrically most ambitious offering" of the album.
[40] Jost opined that the track was "memorable" and its production "cleverly subverts expectations", and explained, "It's when she keeps it simple and relies on her indeed present swagger that the Iggy Azalea character works best".
[40] Similarly, Alex Scordelis of
Paper described the track as "the cornerstone" of the album and complimented its "insanely catchy chorus".
[58] Scordelis believed it marked a heightened evolution in Azalea's growth as a rapper, and stated, "['Work' is] a song you can easily imagine Azalea performing for years to come".
[58]
"Work" was positively reviewed by writers of
Entertainment Weekly; Kyle Anderson opined that the track was "a thoroughbred entry in the song of summer race",
[59] while Ray Rahman called it a "bulletproof party banger".
[60] Devone Jones of
PopMatters viewed Azalea's "sombre thought-processing" as "well-executed", and appreciated her for "picking gritty gangsta-pop [
sic] beats over EDM and dance music as well as deciding to rap about her life before her new-found fame as opposed to her fame".
[61] Likewise, Craig Mathieson of
The Sydney Morning Herald explained that the song highlighted Azalea's "ability to meld the club music sounds that are permeating American hip-hop and pop into something unexpected and affecting".
[62] In an October 2013 publication,
Kitty Empire of
The Observer wrote that "Work" was "ear-catching", and contained Azalea's "best-known zing"; "Valley girls giving blowjobs for Louboutins / What do you call that? / Head over heels?".
[63] In 2014, Nolan Feeney of
Time said "Work" was "by far the best thing she's done", and highlighted Azalea's conviction and "rapid-fire" delivery,
[64] while
Digital Spy's Lewis Corner felt the song "remains one of [Azalea's] finest moments".
[65] In 2015,
NME ranked "Work" third in their list of Azalea's best songs, behind "
Fancy" and "1 800 Bone".
[66]
Commercial performance[edit]
Commercially, "Work" was a
sleeper hit and Azalea's breakthrough into mainstream success.
[67] In Australia, the song bowed at number 88 on the
ARIA Singles Chart issued for 23 April 2013, but re-entered more than a year later to peak at number 79 for the chart dated 9 June 2014.
[68][69] The track was certified gold by the
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling 35,000 copies; it became one of the lowest peaking songs to receive a sales certification in the country.
[70] The track debuted at number 98 on the
Irish Singles Chart dated 4 April 2013, and reached a peak of number 42.
[71][72] On the
UK Singles Chart, the song entered at number 55 and peaked at number 17 in its sixth week.
[73][74]The song spent a total of 13 weeks on the chart.
[73] It was certified silver by the
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 200,000 units.
[75]
In the United States, "Work" first charted at number seven on the
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart issued for 20 July 2013.
[76][77] Following a 156% sales resurgence spurred by Azalea's appearance and nomination at the
2013 MTV Video Music Awards, the song debuted at number four on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
[78][79] On 13 August 2013,
Billboard reported that the track percolated below the
Rhythmic chart.
[80] It was more successful on the
Dance Club Songs chart where it peaked at number five for the week-ending 5 October 2013.
[81] In May 2014, the song received a second sales resurgence following the release of
The New Classic and the success of Azalea's 2014 singles "Fancy" and "
Problem".
[82] It went on to peak at number 54 on the
Billboard Hot 100 where it accumulated a total of 20 weeks on the chart.
[83] The sales resurgence also saw the single attain a new peak of number 14 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it initially bowed at number 35 in September 2013.
[84][85] In September 2014, the track was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 1 million units.
[86] In January 2015,
Billboard named it one of the biggest hits to have peaked at number 54 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
[87] In Canada, "Work" debuted on the
Canadian Hot 100 at number 98 for the week-ending 27 September 2014, and reached a peak of number 87.
[88][89] It was certified gold by
Music Canada (MC) for selling more than 40,000 copies.
[90]
Music video[edit]
Background and development[edit]
Some scenes in the music video were filmed in the
Mojave Desert near the historical Easy Rest Inn.
[91]
The accompanying
music video for "Work" was directed by
Jonas & François and filmed in
Hollywood and
Lancaster, California in February 2013.
[91][92] A budget of about $100,000 was used for the production.
[93] Initially, Azalea wanted to provide a literal representation of the song, and planned to shoot the clip in Australia, but time constraints prevented her from travelling to the country.
[94] Accordingly, a desert location was chosen to emulate Azalea's hometown, Mullumbimby.
[91] Prior to the video's filming, Azalea felt she grasped the concept of what made a good music video and what viewers wanted to see in the clip for "Work". In turn, she combined several different ideas into the visual because she feared that a music video budget of the same calibre would not arise in future.
[95]
One of Azalea's ideas was to pay homage to the Australian film
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), as its theme of discrimination was one she identified with as a rejected and struggling rapper.
[96] Two scenes in the music video drew reference from the film: the fire swing segment emulated the film's
bonfire scene, and the
convertible segment represented the film's bus.
[94] Washed colour elements were also implemented into the convertible scene which was inspired by the 1998 film
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
[97] Another idea Azalea incorporated into the clip was the large-scale neon qualities featured in Outkast's music video for "B.O.B". Azalea stated that the featured
lap dancing originated from
Vanessa Ferlito's "infamous" scene of the same action in the 2007 film
Death Proof.
[96] She found Ferlito's lap dance appealing, but was convinced to recreate it for "Work" after she noticed its popularity through remakes of it on
YouTube.
[95]
Controversy arose during the music video's development when Azalea intended to wear a red, high-waisted
leotard encrusted in rhinestone flames, to emulate the
showgirl fashion featured in
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The leotard, however, was deemed "too-vaginary" by one of the workers at the label Azalea was signed to, ultimately leading to the worker being dismissed from the project and the leotard being scrapped altogether.
[93] Azalea's final wardrobe consisted of creations by
Christian Louboutin,
Jeremy Scott and the 2013 Spring/Summer Collection by
Dolce & Gabanna.
[43][98] Her stylist, Alejandra Hernandez incorporated several pairs of Louboutins into the music video because of their significance to Azalea when she was a struggling rapper who achieved her first sense of accomplishment after buying her first pair.
[43]
Synopsis[edit]
The music video's storyline depicts Azalea's biographical journey from life on the streets to Hollywood.
[98] According to Natasha Stagg of American magazine
V, the plot involves Azalea rising from "trailer park standby to high-class Hollywood-ite in a matter of minutes".
[99] The music video opens with Azalea confidently walking on a deserted highway situated in a desert environment. Azalea's costume includes dark red lipstick, red-soled vertiginous Louboutins, a powder blue
Givenchy bag, a tropical print
brassiere and shorts. The scene is intercepted with visuals of burning shoes and wheels. Azalea then walks through a trailer park community where several locals stare at her as she passes by.
[23] Upon the beginning of the song's chorus, the video transcends into a playground scene where Azalea dances in an evening setting, with a fire-lit swing as her backdrop. In this segment, she wears a grey
crop top and red
slim-fit pants, with her hair styled in a bun. The next scene involves Azalea performing in a
dance-offwith her two female friends in front of a
Freightliner Truck.
[100] Azalea sports a plum-coloured fur coat over a white mesh swimsuit.
[101] In the segment, the three engage in
twerking and hair flicking actions.
[102]
The visual then returns to the trailer park setting, where Azalea rides a
lowrider bicycle through the area.
[97] She wears a perforated yellow
visor, black brassiere, spiked yellow Louboutins and ethnic slim-fit pants.
[100][101] The video then enters a new scene where Azalea arrives at a
dive barand switches a jukebox on. At the bar, Azalea's two friends from the Freightliner Truck scene are seated at a table, and a long-haired man wearing dark sunglasses awaits her on a chair in the centre of building. Azalea, dressed in a palm tree bikini and yellow neon shorts, performs a lap dance for the man. She then steals his car keys and runs off with her friends, who drive the man's convertible out into the desert.
[97] Azalea is seen standing in the car, waving a thin piece of material in the wind. They drive through a day and night period before arriving in Hollywood in the morning. Azalea's friends then drop her off at a sidewalk, where the video ends with her walking in the city. She wears dark sunglasses, striped black-and-white shorts and a custom-made
dalmatian-print blazer in the final scene.
[100][101]
Release and reception[edit]
On 4 March 2013, Azalea posted a set of images from the clip on
Instagram. The music video was initially scheduled for release on 11 March 2013,
[43] though it premiered two days later on
Vevo on 13 March 2013.
[80] A
behind-the-scenes segment was released on 3 April 2013.
[91] An alternate video directed by Colin Solal Cardo for an unreleased
Adidascommercial surfaced online on 12 April 2014.
[103]
Shardae Jobson of
The Source deemed Azalea's fashion "stylish" and "rustic".
[107] A writer for
MuchMusic described the clip as "a total and complete visual trip jam-packed with Iggy's rad dance moves".
[98] Natasha Stagg of
V called it a "desert dream" and appreciated Azalea's "killer outfit options".
[99] British magazine
Fact wrote that the visual was "flashy" and "trailer park elegance", and compared it to
M.I.A.'s "
Bad Girls" (2012).
[17] Julian Rifkin of
Oyster viewed it as "a high class production" and felt it emulated the song's lyric "Valley girls giving blow jobs for Louboutins".
[92] He likened the clip's dancing to that of
Beyoncé, and
Grimes' "Genesis" (2012). Rifkin considered the production's
Mid West theme to recall
Lana Del Rey's "
Born to Die" (2011).
[92] Contactmusic.com said the music video told an inspiring story of Azalea working her way up from the bottom.
[108] Jessie Peterson of
MTV News called Azalea's wardrobe "subtly savvy".
[101] Eric Diep of
XXL stated that the clip was worth the wait, and described Azalea's "sexy poses and lap dances" as "just the tip of the iceberg".
[109] Diep praised Azalea's story interpretation, and mentioned, "Pledge allegiance to the struggle, this girl knows how to work it".
[109] Jessie Schiewe of
Respect.complimented the video for revolving around Azalea and paying homage to the song's lyrical story, and praised the rapper's lap dancing scene.
[15] Kyle Anderson of
Entertainment Weekly felt the video evoked the 1991 film
Thelma & Louise and commended Azalea's "full run of frame-grab-worthy outfits".
[110] The music video has received over 200 million views on YouTube as of January 2016.
[111]
Live performances and usage in media[edit]
Azalea performing "Work" at Arena Wien in
Vienna.
In 2014, "Work" featured in the set list for Azalea's first headlining tour,
The New Classic Tour.
[127] A number of the tour's renditions of the track featured an interpolation of
RuPaul's "
Supermodel", and a Miami strip-inspired stage backdrop as a reference to the song's "No money, no family, 16 in the middle of Miami" line.
[128][129] She also performed the song during her set for the 2014
MtvU Woodie Awards at
South by Southwest in April.
[130] On 15 May 2014, Azalea performed the song on
Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The rendition was praised by reviewers from
Exclaim!,
[131] Vibe and Idolator.
[132][133] On 8 August 2014, Azalea performed the song during her set on
The Today Show.
[134] Jim Farber of the
Daily News noted that the rendition "put the emphases on a pre-recorded beat and the star's personality", and that Azalea's "only whiff of pretence" during the set came in "a few lines in 'Work'".
[135] Azalea later included the song for her sets during the
Jingle Ball Tour 2014.
[136] In 2015, Azalea performed "Work" as part of her set lists at the
Redfest in February,
[137] and the
Ottawa Bluesfest and
Quebec City Summer Festival in July.
[138][139]
Track listings[edit]
- "Work" – 3:43
- Digital download (The Remixes)[52]
- "Work" (Gregor Salto Radio Edit) – 2:48
- "Work" (Gregor Salto Remix) – 5:14
- "Work" (Gregor Salto Instrumental) – 5:14
- "Work" (Reid Stefan Radio) – 3:56
- "Work" (Reid Stefan Radio)[a] – 3:53
- "Work" (Reid Stefan Trap Remix) – 4:50
- "Work" (Reid Stefan Radio Instrumental) – 3:53
- "Work" (Reid Stefan Trap Instrumental) – 4:50
- "Work" (Tom Stephan Radio Mix) – 3:47
- "Work" (Tom Stephan Mix) – 6:32
- "Work" (DJ Reflex Remix)[a] – 3:45
- "Work" (DJ Reflex Remix) – 3:45
- "Work" (DJ Reflex Remix Instrumental) – 3:45
|
- Digital download (EP)[46]
- "Work" – 3:43
- "Work" (Radio Edit)[a] – 3:42
- "Work" (Jacob Plant Remix) – 3:16
- "Work" (Burns Purple Rain Version) – 5:20
- "Work" (Instrumental) – 3:40
- Digital download (Remix)[53]
- "Work" (featuring Wale) – 4:10
|
- ^a signifies a clean version.
Credits and personnel[edit]
- Iggy Azalea – writer, vocals
- The Invisible Men – writers, producers, drums, programming, keyboards
- Trocon Markous Roberts – writer
- Natalie Sims – writer
- 1st Down of FKi – producer, drums, programming, keyboards
- Anthony Kilhoffer – mixing
- Kyle Ross – mixing assistant
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
[5]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications[edit]
Radio and release history[edit]
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