Hollywood (Marina and the Diamonds song)

"Hollywood" is a song by Welsh singer Marina Diamandis, released under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, from her debut studio album, The Family Jewels (2010). It was released digitally on 29 January 2010 and physically on 1 February 2010 as the third single from The Family Jewels.[1][2]

"Hollywood"
Single by Marina and the Diamonds
from the album The Family Jewels
B-side"Bad Kidz"
Released29 January 2010 (2010-01-29)
Recorded2008-2009
Studio
Genre
Length3:50
Label679
Songwriter(s)Marina Diamandis
Producer(s)
Marina and the Diamonds singles chronology
"Obsessions" / "Mowgli's Road"
(2009)		 "Hollywood"
(2010)		 "I Am Not a Robot"
(2010)
Music video
"Hollywood" on YouTube

Background and composition

"Hollywood" has been described to be a Eurodisco, bubblegum pop, and glam rock song.[3][4][5] When asked why "Hollywood" was chosen as a single in an interview with the BBC News website, Diamandis said:

"I'm saying: "This is who I was. Hollywood infected my brain and I really valued the wrong things in life, but I changed dramatically."

"This obsession with celebrity culture is really unhealthy. I don't want to live my life like that, and I don't want to be a typical pop star".[6]

Diamandis told The Sun: "That track is a sarcastic and cynical take on everything that's commercial about America. I love the country and people dearly and can't wait to tour there but I hate the way it brainwashes you. I am seduced by its pop culture but I don't want my brain to be infected."[7]

Critical reception

Fraser McAlpine of the BBC Chart Blog called "Hollywood" a "properly amazing pop song" and stated that "the level of insight displayed about America, culturally and politically, is on a par with the Razorlight song about America [...] Marina, for all that she's spotted that Hollywood is something of an upsettingly fake place, with scope for quite exciting things to happen, seems to get as much enjoyment out of just singing the word as she does from puncturing its ego."[8] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian called it "perky".[9]

Commercial performance

"Hollywood" debuted at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 25,746 copies in its first week.[10] The single was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 1 September 2017,[11] and as of February 2019, it had sold 211,000 units in the United Kingdom.[12] "Hollywood" entered the Irish Singles Chart at number 45, Diamandis's first single to chart in Ireland.[13] In its third week on the chart, it reached a new peak position of number 21.[14]

Music video
A scene from the music video for "Hollywood"
Another scene from the music video for "Hollywood"

The music video for "Hollywood" was directed by Kinga Burza and released onto YouTube on 30 November 2009.[15] It was filmed in "a house which is basically like a palace" in West London.[16] The video shows an American patriotic party with multiple American flags used as decorations and clothing. There are a number of characters and objects that symbolise the stereotype of American culture featured in the music video such as cheerleaders, jocks, American football players, a pageant queen, paparazzi, a cowgirl, baseball players, look-alikes of Elvis Presley, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and President Barack Obama, hot dogs, popcorn and an Academy Award.

Chilly Gonzales made a "stripped-down" remix of the song, for which Dan Knight filmed a video. Knight wanted his video to be the opposite of Burza's "super high glossy" work and to instead have the appearance of 1980s performances on programmes such as Top of the Pops. In his video, Gonzales and Diamandis perform on a fictional Estonian television programme called Pop!, complete with subtitles in the nation's language.[17]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Family Jewels.[21]

Recording and management
  • Recorded at Sarm Studio 2 (London, England) and Biffco Studios (Brighton, England)
  • Mixed at Sarm Studio 2 (London, England)
  • Mastered at Electric Mastering (London, England)
  • Published by Warner Chappell Music Publishing Ltd

Personnel
  • Marina Diamandis – vocals
  • Richard "Biff" Stannard – production, mixing, all instruments, programming, drums
  • Ash Howes – production, mixing, all instruments, programming
  • Starsmith – original production
  • Lucy Shaw – string arrangements, double bass
  • Stephen Large – string arrangements
  • Alison Dods – violin
  • Niel Catchpole – violin
  • Oli Langford – viola, violin
  • Anna Mowat – cello
  • Guy Davie – mastering

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for "Hollywood"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Silver 211,000[12]

References
  1. "Hollywood". Amazon (UK). Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  2. "Hollywood – EP by Marina and The Diamonds". iTunes Store (UK). Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  3. Boyd, Brian (12 February 2010). "MARINA & THE DIAMONDS The Family Jewels". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  4. Pearson, Rick (7 December 2015). "Marina and The Diamonds, review: Diamandis shows she's a cut above the rest". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  5. Wadeson, Danny (27 January 2010). "Marina and the Diamonds – The Family Jewels". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  6. Savage, Mark (1 June 2009). "BBC Sound of 2010: Marina and the Diamonds". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  7. Hollywood Songfacts
  8. McAlpine, Fraser (25 January 2010). "Marina & The Diamonds – 'Hollywood'". BBC Chart Blog. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  9. Sullivan, Caroline (28 February 2012). "Marina and the Diamonds – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  10. "US acts rule UK charts". Music Week. 8 February 2010. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  11. "British single certifications – Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna". British Phonographic Industry. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  12. Copsey, Rob (5 February 2019). "Marina has announced her new single Handmade Heaven so let's look back at her Top 5 biggest songs". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  13. "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 4 February 2010". Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  14. "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 18 February 2010". Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  15. "Marina and the Diamonds | "Hollywood"". 30 November 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2010 – via YouTube.
  16. "Behind the Scenes of Hollywood Video by Marina and the Diamonds". 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2010 – via Myspace.
  17. Brown, Dan (10 February 2010). "Marina & The Diamonds' Hollywood Viral (feat. Gonzales) by Dan Knight". Promo News. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  18. "Hollywood (2track)". Amazon (Germany) (in German). Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  19. "Hollywood" (UK 7-inch single). Marina and the Diamonds. 679 Recordings. 2010. 679L170.
  20. "Hollywood" (UK 7-inch limited-edition single). Marina and the Diamonds. 679 Recordings. 2010. 679L170X.
  21. The Family Jewels (liner notes). Marina and the Diamonds. Atlantic Records. 2010. 825646836253.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. "Marina & the Diamonds – Hollywood" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  23. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201011 into search. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  24. "Marina & the Diamonds – Hollywood" (in Danish). Tracklisten.
  25. "Marina & the Diamonds – Hollywood" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  26. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Marina & the Diamonds". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  27. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  28. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201012 into search. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  29. "Marina and the Diamonds: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  30. "End Of Year Charts: 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. p. 4. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
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