Chewing Gum (song)

"Chewing Gum"
Single by Annie
from the album Anniemal
B-side	"The Greatest Hit" "Kiss Me"
Released	30 August 2004 (2004-08-30)
Genre	Electro-pop[1]
Length	3:56
Label	679 Artists
Songwriter(s)	Richard X Hannah Robinson
Producer(s)	Richard X
Annie singles chronology
"I Will Get On" (2002) "Chewing Gum" (2004) "Heartbeat" (2005)

"Chewing Gum" is a song by Norwegian singer Annie from her debut studio album, Anniemal (2004). Written by Richard X and Hannah Robinson, the song is based on a metaphor which likens men to chewing gum.

The song was released as the album's lead single on 30 August 2004. It received positive reviews from music critics. "Chewing Gum" was the album's most commercially successful single, reaching number eight on the Norwegian Singles Chart and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.^[2][3]

Background and writing

Producer Richard X was impressed with Annie's debut single "The Greatest Hit". He asked Annie to record vocals for his debut album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. In exchange, he contributed "Chewing Gum", co-written with Hannah Robinson, to Anniemal.^[4] Richard X's songwriting was inspired by a put-down that his girlfriend devised to describe self-important, vain people.^[5]

The song's lyrics compare being in a relationship with chewing gum, "chewing for fun" and then moving on to the next relationship "when all the flavor has gone." Annie compared the song's sound to the work of new wave group the Tom Tom Club.^[6] Reviewers compared "Chewing Gum" to the group's 1981 single "Genius of Love".^[7][8]

The song samples the well known drum loop from The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five song).

Critical reception

"Chewing Gum" received very positive reviews from music critics. Pitchfork ranked the track at number 11 on its list of the "Top 50 Singles of 2004".^[9] Stylus Magazine listed it tenth on its list of the top 40 singles of 2004.^[10] The song was listed 31st on the 2004 Pazz & Jop list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau.^[11]

Music video

The music video for "Chewing Gum" was directed by Barnaby Roper. In it, two versions of Annie sing the lyrics to each other as part of a dialogue. The video includes sequences of Annie and body doubles of her dancing in a sound stage. The video was filmed in less than a day.^[12]

Track listings

• UK CD1 (679L075CD1)

1. "Chewing Gum" (radio edit) – 3:30
2. "Kiss Me"

• UK CD2 (679L075CD2)

1. "Chewing Gum" (radio edit) – 3:30
2. "Chewing Gum" (Mylo remix) – 5:54
3. "Chewing Gum" (Headman vocal remix) – 6:29
4. "Chewing Gum" (Headman dub) – 6:31
5. "Chewing Gum" (video)

• UK 12-inch single (679L075T)

1. "Chewing Gum" (Mylo remix)
2. "Chewing Gum" (album version)
3. "Chewing Gum" (Headman dub)

Personnel

• Annie – lead vocals
• Big Active – art direction
• Henrik Bülow – photography
• Pete Hofmann – engineering, mixing
• Hannah Robinson – backing vocals
• Richard X – production

Charts

Chart (2004–2006)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[13]	46
Norway (VG-lista)[2]	8
Scotland (OCC)[14]	23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15]	31
UK Singles (OCC)[3]	25

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Norway	30 August 2004	CD	679 Artists	^[citation needed]
United Kingdom	13 September 2004			[16]
Australia	6 March 2006		Hussle	[17]

In popular culture

The song has been featured on the online game Audition Online and an update trailer for the online game Blockland^[18][19] as well as in television programmes such as Glee,^[20] Skam, and Grey's Anatomy. The song was also featured in the film Big Momma's House 2.^[21]

References

1. "Nyheter nå" [News Now] (in Norwegian). Warner Music Norway. August 2004. Archived from the original on 1 September 2004. Retrieved 30 October 2023. Låten er en herlig, sommerfrisk electro-pop perle... [The song is a delightful, summer-fresh electro-pop gem...]
2. "Annie – Chewing Gum". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
3. "Annie: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
4. Draper, Jimmy. "Norwegian would". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
5. Frere-Jones, Sasha. "Singles Going Steady". The New Yorker, volume 81, issue 14, page 18. 23 May 2005.
6. Foley, Jack. "Annie - Chewing over the heartbreak along the way to success". IndieLondon. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
7. Rosen, Jody. "Much Ado About Annie". The New York Times. 1 May 2005. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
8. Horning, Rob (22 June 2005). "Annie: Anniemal". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 20 April 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
9. Petrusich, Amanda. "Top 50 Singles of 2004". Pitchfork. 30 December 2004. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
10. Gottlieb, Akiva. "Top 40 Singles of 2004". Stylus Magazine. 6 December 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
11. "The 2004 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
12. Slomowicz, Ron. "Annie Interview" Archived 14 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. About.com. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
13. "Annie – Chewing Gum". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
15. "Annie – Chewing Gum". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
16. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 11 September 2004. p. 27.
17. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 6th March 2006" (PDF). ARIA. 6 March 2006. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
18. Chewing Gum - Audition Online. 27 April 2007 – via YouTube.
19. Blockland Physics Preview. 3 December 2008 – via YouTube.
20. "Glee - Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot - TV.com". TV.com. CBS Interactive.
21. Soundtracks for Big Momma's House 2 IMDB