Accelerate (Christina Aguilera song)

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"Accelerate"
Single by Christina Aguilera featuring Ty Dolla Sign and 2 Chainz
from the album Liberation
ReleasedMay 3, 2018 (2018-05-03)
Genre
Length4:03
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Telepathy"
(2016) 		"Accelerate"
(2018) 		"Fall in Line"
(2018)
Ty Dolla Sign singles chronology
"OTW"
(2018) 		"Accelerate"
(2018) 		"Ooh Yeah"
(2018)
2 Chainz singles chronology
"Medication (Remix)"
(2018) 		"Accelerate"
(2018) 		"Big Bank"
(2018)
Music video
"Accelerate" on YouTube

"Accelerate" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera and was released as the lead single from her eighth studio album Liberation (2018). It features guest vocals from singer Ty Dolla Sign and rapper 2 Chainz.[3] The song was produced by Kanye West alongside Che Pope, Mike Dean and Eric Danchick, with co-production from Honorable C.N.O.T.E. and Charlie Heat.

Upon its release, music critics were mostly positive towards the track — some complimented it for being "weird",[4][5] "experimental",[6] and an interesting comeback that "pushes pop music boundaries".[7] The Guardian and Paper both named it one of the best songs of the year. "Accelerate" became Aguilera's tenth number-one song on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The single appeared on a few national record charts, reaching top ten positions in Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala, as well as number twenty-two on the Hungarian Single Top 40 chart. The song was included on the setlists of Aguilera's three concert tours: The Liberation Tour in 2018, The Xperience (2019–2020), and The X Tour (2019).

Composition and recording[edit]

The song combines unaccented rhythmic patterns, and incorporates hip hop and trap-pop genres.[1][2][8][9][10] "Accelerate" also draws from old-school Chicago techno,[11] glitch,[12] electro,[11] 1980s boogie[10] and contemporary R&B.[13][12] The track's electronic bassline was named an "explicit" throwback to the era of an acid house subgenre by Stereogum.[11] Its outro was inspired by a doo-wop music genre.[2] The song's production is characterized by synthesizer-generated beats.[1][14]

"Accelerate" contains a sample of "I Like Funky Music" by Uncle Louie, and "I Feel So Good Inside", written by Ronald Brown, as performed by The Techniques IV.[15]

Ty Dolla Sign recalled the studio recording process in the Rolling Stone interview: "She [Aguilera] invited me to her crib to come finish the record. It was dope. We just went in there and I just heard her do her shit live in person. I was like 'What the fuck is this? It’s incredible!'"[16]

Critical reception[edit]

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called "Accelerate" "fantastically weird", stating, "Ty Dolla Sign's moans and yelps, sinuous keyboard lines, a charmingly staccato verse from 2 Chainz. Somewhere in there is Ms. Aguilera, under-singing and trying not to get pushed into a corner. And yet despite these disparate inputs, there's something loose and admirable happening here: everyone is trying new things, and the disarray verges on flamboyance."[4] According to MTV's Sam Prance, "Accelerate" is one of Aguilera's "most experimental releases to date," as well as "an instantly memorable pulsating club bop."[6] Billboard called the single "a stormy comeback" with high energy,[17] while The Guardian regarded it as catchy and a "promising comeback", noting Aguilera's "incredible" vocals.[18] The Fader praised Aguilera for "brave artistic choice" and assured that upon listening deeper into the song, its weirdest and most interesting sounds become "addictive".[5] Brock Radke of Las Vegas Magazine believed "Accelerate" is a "pulsating, rhythmic track" that "defies categorization and reaffirms Aguilera’s dedication to pushing past pop boundaries".[7] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse considered "Accelerate" to be the antithesis of a pop song. He called the single "an aggressively fucks-free, polarizing hip-hop cut", as well as "a fresh and strange listen from start to finish".[19]

Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork said it is "certainly a liberation from something, though it's unclear what. There's a fun song (or two) trapped in here somewhere, between several mutations, but without any sort of constancy or meaningful direction, it isn't much of a song at all; it's a series of disjointed episodes with superfluous parts. 'Accelerate' is unnecessarily mixing and inflating ideas when far less would do."[14] Hugh McIntyre, a contributor to Forbes, was critical of the song, saying "'Accelerate' sounds like it's headed somewhere, but it never actually arrives. The track is disappointingly one-note, and once you've heard what it has to give in the first few seconds, there isn't a lot more to discover. The drum-heavy production immediately catches the ear, but it never develops and grows, and there's no powerful hook that requires a replay".[20]

The British magazine i-D ranked the song on a list of the Best Pop Comebacks of the 21st Century.[21]

Rankings[edit]

Accolades for "Accelerate"
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
The Guardian 50 Best Songs of May 2018 Ranked [10]
Top 100 Songs of 2018 82 [22]
i-D Best Pop Comebacks of the 21st Century 70 [21]
Idolator Christina Aguilera's 40 Best Songs 11 [23]
The Interns 30 Best Songs of 2018 (So Far) 9 [24]
Paper Top 100 Songs of 2018 49 [25]
Pop Hates Flops 18 Best Songs of 2018 1 [26]
Stereoboard 7 Standout Christina Aguilera Moments Ranked [27]

Chart performance[edit]

In the United States, the song peaked at number twenty-four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 in the week of May 19, 2018.[28] It became Aguilera's tenth number-one song on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart — her seventh of the 2010s decade.[7][29]

Elsewhere, the song had minor commercial success, reaching number six in Spain's digital component chart,[30] and number twenty-two on the Hungarian Single Top 40.[31] In the United Kingdom and Canada, "Accelerate" charted on the digital sales component charts in each country,[32][33] although in the UK it also reached number 99 on the biggest singles of midweek list compiled by the Official Charts Company.[34] It peaked at number thirteen on the German Black Chart.[35] Throughout Europe, "Accelerate" also reached lower regions of charts in France,[36] Greece,[37] and Scotland.[38]

The song achieved commercial success in Latin American countries, charting within the top ten of three radio airplay charts. As reported by Monitor Latino, "Accelerate" reached number three on the Panama Anglo Top 20 chart,[39] number six on the Costa Rica Anglo chart,[40] and number eight on the Guatemala Anglo chart.[41]

Music video[edit]

Aguilera performing "Accelerate" on the Liberation Tour.

An accompanying music video for "Accelerate", directed by fashion photographer Zoey Grossman, premiered via Aguilera's YouTube channel on May 3, 2018.[3][11] Ty Dolla Sign and 2 Chainz do not appear in the video, as it only stars the singer herself.[11]

Additionally, a vertical video for the song was released exclusively via Spotify on the same day.[42]

Live performances[edit]

On May 31, 2018 Pandora Radio hosted a listening party as a preview for a then-upcoming album Liberation. Aguilera sang parts of "Accelerate" during the meeting with journalists.[43][44] On June 9 she performed the track, along with "Fall in Line", at the Genentech Gives Back benefit concert in San Francisco.[45][46] The next day she made a surprise appearance during the Los Angeles Pride Parade.[47] Her performance of a dance remix of "Accelerate" featured a group of drag queens.[47] The song was then included in the setlist for three of Aguilera's tours: The Liberation Tour (2018),[48] Christina Aguilera: The Xperience (2019–2020),[49] and The X Tour (2019).[50]

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Reed, Ryan (May 3, 2018). "Hear Christina Aguilera's Kanye West-Produced New Song With 2 Chainz". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Was, Mike (May 3, 2020). "Christina Aguilera's "Accelerate" Was Ahead of Its Time". Idolator. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Aswad, Jem (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera Drops Kanye West-Produced Song 'Accelerate,' Announces New Album (Video)". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Calamarica, Jon (May 4, 2018). "The Playlist: Christina Aguilera's Bizarre Puzzle, and 13 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Stop sleeping on Christina Aguilera's 'Accelerate'". The Fader. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Prance, Sam (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera Wows with New Single 'Accelerate'". MTV. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Radke, Brock (October 19, 2018). "Christina Aguilera's creativity has been liberated". Las Vegas Magazine. Greenspun Media Group. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  8. ^ Bruner, Raisa (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera Is Back With a New Rap-Forward Single". Time. Time USA, LLC. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  9. ^ Powell, Emma (May 3, 2018). "'Queen of reinvention' Christina Aguilera drops new single Accelerate as she makes musical comeback". Evening Standard. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "50 great tracks for May from Florence + the Machine, Christina Aguilera, Deafheaven and more". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e Breihan, Tom (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera – 'Accelerate' (Feat. 2 Chainz & Ty Dolla $ign) (Prod. Kanye West) Video". Stereogum. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Accelerate by Christina Aguilera (Single, Contemporary R&B)". RYM. Sonemic, Inc. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ Quinn, Dave (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera Drops New Single 'Accelerate' and Video from First New Album in 6 Years". People. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Pearce, Sheldon (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera "Accelerate" [ft. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz]". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  15. ^ Liberation (CD liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Spanos, Brittany (June 20, 2018). "Ty Dolla $ign Is Making Hits for Everybody This Summer". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "Christina Aguilera Prepping 'Liberation' Album, Drops 'Accelerate' with Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  18. ^ Sampson, Issy (May 11, 2018). "Tracks of the week reviewed: Christina Aguilera, Céline Dion and Kanye West". The Guardian. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  19. ^ Stern, Bradley (May 3, 2018). "'Accelerate': Christina Aguilera Brings Us Up to Speed (Single Review)". MuuMuse. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  20. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (May 3, 2018). "Christina Aguilera Finally Kicks Off A New Era With Lackluster Single 'Accelerate'". Forbes.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Greenwood, Douglas (November 12, 2020). "Best pop comebacks of the 21st century so far, ranked". i-D. Vice Media Group LLC. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "The Top 100 Songs of 2018". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. December 3, 2018. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  23. ^ Wass, Mike (December 18, 2020). "Christina Aguilera's 40 Best Songs". Idolator. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  24. ^ Murphy, Sam (July 10, 2018). "The 30 Best Songs of 2018 So Far". The Interns. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  25. ^ "Paper's Top 100 Songs of 2018". Paper. ENTtech Media Group. December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  26. ^ "The 18 Best Songs of 2018". Pop Hates Flops. December 30, 2018. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ^ Payne, Helen (July 18, 2019). "So Emotional: Seven Standout Christina Aguilera Moments". Stereoboard. Eyedigit Limited. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  28. ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 – The week of May 19, 2018". Billboard. Billboard Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  30. ^ a b "Spanish Song Sales: Week of May 13, 2018". Spanishcharts.com. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  31. ^ a b "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  32. ^ a b "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  33. ^ a b "Canadian Digital Song Sales: Week of May 19, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Update Top 100: 07 May 2018 − 13 May 2018 (Midweeks)". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  35. ^ a b c "Jahrescharts Urban 2018 – Deutsche Trendcharts". Deutsche Black Charts. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  36. ^ a b "Christina Aguilera feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz – Accelerate" (in French). Les classement single. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  37. ^ a b "Digital Singles Chart (International) Εβδομάδα: 18/2018" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  38. ^ a b "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  39. ^ a b "Top 20 Panama Anglo – Del 28 de Mayo al 3 de Junio, 2018" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  40. ^ a b "Top 20 Costa Rica Anglo – Del 28 de Mayo al 3 de Junio, 2018" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  41. ^ a b "Top 20 Guatemala Anglo – Del 7 al 13 de Mayo, 2018" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  42. ^ "Exclusive #Accelerate vertical video on @Spotify". Twitter. Twitter, Inc. May 3, 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-07-20. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  43. ^ "Christina Aguilera hosts an intimate listening party for her biggest fans on Pandora to preview her upcoming album, LIBERATION, at The Peppermint Club on May 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California". Getty Images. May 31, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  44. ^ "Christina Aguilera Has a Liberation Listening Party with Pandora". Oh No They Didn't. June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  45. ^ "Christina Aguilera Concert Setlist at Genentech Gives Back – San Francisco, CA, USA – June 9, 2018". Setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  46. ^ "ZDJĘCIA/VIDEO: KONCERT CHARYTATYWNY #GENENTECHGIVESBACK". Christina Aguilera (in Polish). June 10, 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  47. ^ a b Youtt, Henry (June 11, 2018). "Christina Aguilera Makes Surprise Appearance at LA Pride, Debuts Special 'Accelerate' Remix: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  48. ^ Villa, Lucas (November 2, 2018). "Christina Aguilera's Liberation Tour marks beautiful comeback in Las Vegas". AXS. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  49. ^ Nied, Mike (June 1, 2019). "Christina Aguilera Launches 'The Xperience' Residency: See The Setlist". Idolator. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  50. ^ "Christina Aguilera Brings 'The X Tour' to Europe". So Sugary. July 14, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  51. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – 2018 − Semaine du 11 Mai" (in French). SNEP – Top Singles Téléchargés. May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  52. ^ "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  53. ^ "Dance Club Songs − Year-End − 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2020-01-04. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
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