Stranger (Hilary Duff song)

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“Stranger”
“Stranger” cover
Single by Hilary Duff
from the album Dignity
Released May 25, 2007 (Italy)[citation needed]
June 24, 2007 (Mexico)[1]
July 10, 2007 (U.S.)[2]
September 3, 2007 (UK)[3]
Format CD, digital download
Genre Dance-pop
Length 4:10 (album version)
3:16 (single version)
Label Hollywood
Writer(s) Hilary Duff, Kara DioGuardi, Vada Nobles, Derrick Harvin, Julius Diaz
Hilary Duff singles chronology
"With Love"
(2007)		 "Stranger"
(2007)
Hilary Duff Australia singles chronology
"Play with Fire"
(2007)		 "Stranger"
(2007)
Alternate cover
Remixes cover
Remixes cover

"Stranger" is a song written by Hilary Duff, Kara DioGuardi, Vada Nobles, Derrick Harvin and Julius Diaz, and recorded for Duff's third studio album, Dignity (2007). It features elements of Middle Eastern music, particularly that of India, and aspects of Indian culture were incorporated into the accompanying Fatima Robinson-directed music video, which Duff cited as her best video at the time. She said that contrary to rumors, the song was inspired by the strained relationship between her parents and not by her ex-boyfriend, Joel Madden.

Internet feedback from Duff's fans led to the release of "Stranger" as the third single from Dignity in North America, where it was released in July 2007 (see 2007 in music). It was a number-one club hit in the United States, but it became Duff's lowest peaking song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the United Kingdom, where "Stranger" was the album's second single, a WaWa-produced remix of the song was released in September 2007.[3] Blender magazine included the song on its list of the top 209 songs of 2007.

Contents

[edit] Subject

The song was rumored to be about Duff and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Joel Madden;[4][5][6] Entertainment Weekly wrote, "When the fairy-tale romance between [Duff and Madden] went belly-up late last year, the Good Charlotte frontman speedily rebounded into the twiglike arms of Nicole Richie, and the world moved on. Duff, it seems, did not, and hell hath no fury like a young woman scorned."[7]

According to Duff, the song is actually about how she thought her mother feels around her father, who had an extramarital affair with another woman. Duff said she wrote "Stranger" to appear to be about one of her own relationships, because she didn't want people to know about the strained relationship between her parents.[6] "But I've realized that so many people can relate to what I've gone through", she said. Another song on the album, "Gypsy Woman", was inspired by the same situation.[6] Duff told Access Hollywood that writing the song "was like therapy, you know. Just a total release of all the things you hold inside".[8]

[edit] Critical reception

A writer for BBC Radio 1 gave the song three stars, commenting on how it "continues the more grown-up, serious side of Hilary Duff"; he called the vocals "definitely more in the ballpark of 'husky' rather than 'impressive'" and said the Eastern sound owed much to songs such as the Pussycat Dolls' "Buttons". Although he stated he would prefer "Danger", another song on Dignity, to be a single, he said "Stranger" "[wouldn't] sound out of place on a Britney Spears album, which suggests to me that she's done a passable job of leaving behind her bubblegum past", and that it made him "[do] a fair bit of seat-dancing".[9]

A review from Music Focus called the track "unashamedly pop" and said that it was "one of the strongest cuts from Duff's latest album and pushes her into a maturer pop sound". They gave the song a positive review, adding that "Stranger" "need[ed] to be a success" and was "cool, confident slice of dance pop and some of Duff's best work to date".[10] Gary Lancaster of TeenSpot gave the song four stars, calling it an "example of how a modern pop anthem really should sound". He also called it "sleek and sophisticated" and a "catchy, chart worthy track".[11] The song was well-received by Billboard reviewer Chuck Taylor, who called it "uptempo" and "dance-friendly", but said that "Top 40 is a tough call".[12]

Blender magazine included the song in the "Dangerously in Love" category on its year-end "Oh Yeah... 209 Songs We Like" list.[13]

[edit] Single release and chart performance

In mid April 2007, in a post on Duff's blog, she told her fans that they could vote for what they thought should be the next single from Dignity.[14] According to a later post, fan feedback via votes was "overwhelmingly" in favor of "Stranger" as the next single.[15] Duff promoted the song with performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live,[citation needed] TEENick[citation needed] and So You Think You Can Dance.[16][17]

In mid-2007, concurrent to the preparation of the radio release of "Stranger", Duff was featured in a bikini on the July covers of the magazines Us Weekly and Shape, and on the August cover of Maxim accompanied by the declaration that she had gone "from the queen of teen to breakout sex symbol".[18] The Associated Press wrote that the first two were representative of "a clear move [on Duff's part] to put her Lizzie McGuire past behind her", and that more provocative imaging of her would help her singles to garner mainstream radio play: "Ultimately, nature, time and genetics may help Duff in a way Disney, despite all its might, cannot."[18] Guy Zapoleon, a radio consultant and former programmer for top 40 radio, said such imaging would "definitely have a positive effect on the attitude of programmers, who are mostly male, as Disney tries to mature her image".[18]

The single was released to U.S. mainstream contemporary hit radio stations on July 10, 2007.[2] It reached number ninety-seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 to become Duff's lowest peaking song on the chart, on which it spent one week.[19][20] By August 22, it had reached number eighty-two on the U.S. Mediabase Top 40 radio chart.[21] The single reached number eighty-six on the Canadian Hot 100,[20] and as of August 4, it had reached number ninety-seven on the Canadian Mediabase Top 40 radio chart.[22] "Stranger" received frequent airplay in U.S. nightclubs, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart—it was Duff's third entry on the chart, and her second consecutive number-one single.[19][23] On the year-end Hot Dance Club Play Tracks chart, it was ranked thirty-ninth.[24]

"Stranger" entered the Italian Singles Chart at number six (its peak position) in late June. The song peaked at number 139 on the Euro 200 chart and reached the top five in Bulgaria. The WaWa club mix of the song was premiered at the opening party of the Ibiza nightclub Space, which named it "Single of the Week" in its weekly podcast,[3] and it was issued as a promotional single. It was made available on the UK iTunes Store on June 25 as an album-only purchase.[citation needed] The UK single release of "Stranger" was to be on July 9, according to FemaleFirst.co.uk,[25] but it was moved back to August 20 to allow the remix to gain airplay in clubs,[26] and then to September 3,[3] when it received a download-only release. "Stranger" debuted at 196 on the UK Singles Chart.[27] In Australia, the song was the third most-added to radio in the week ending October 24;[28] it entered the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on November 12 at number sixty-eight on download sales alone.[29] It subsequently left the chart, and re-entered at number forty-nine.[30]

In Canada, "Stranger" is included on the MuchMusic compilation album MuchDance 2008.[31] Jody den Broeder, who remixed Rihanna's 2007 single "Umbrella", provided a club mix for the song.[citation needed]

[edit] Music video

The video for the single was directed by Fatima Robinson and shot in Los Angeles, California, including at a mansion in Silver Lake, between May 10 and May 12.[15][32] Duff said she was ill during the shoot, but that it went well because she liked the song and the director; she also said she thought it was her best music video to date.[32] The video premiered on Yahoo! Music on May 30, 2007[33] and had its "First Look" on Total Request Live on June 6, 2007. It debuted on the show's countdown at number ten on June 11, subsequently rising to number two.[34] In Canada, in the week beginning June 8, the music video debuted at number twenty-six on the MuchMusic top thirty Countdown,[35] and has since peaked at number one in the week of August 17.[36] The video reached number two on MTV Asia's The Pop 10 chart.[37]

Duff performing a belly dance in the music video, wearing henna and beads.
Duff performing a belly dance in the music video, wearing henna and beads.

The video begins with Duff's character running out of her home to look for her romantic partner (played by model Caleb Lane), who drives away. It cuts to her waking up and finding a letter and a bracelet, and then shows Duff watching a woman seducing her partner. At a dinner party, Duff's partner kisses her and then flirts with the other woman. The video cuts to a scene at a lounge where dancers entertain the guests, among whom are Duff's partner and two other men. Duff's partner flirts with one of the dancers. Recurring shots of Duff wearing a hooded jacket are edited into the video. The second verse begins with Duff belly dancing[38] in a harem costume and wearing Indian henna tattoos and beads; according to Duff, they took several hours to apply and reflected the "Indian type beat" in the song.[32] During the second chorus, the dinner party scene is shown again. Duff is introduced to the other woman, and she talks to other guests. The chorus plays again with Duff walking into a nightclub and teasing her partner, before dancing with another man. She then breaks into another dance routine with two other dancers. The final two choruses show Duff and her partner fighting, and Duff looking at a cellphone before leaving the house with a suitcase.

Bill Lamb of About.com named it the week's "Friday Fun Video", writing "Visually, this is probably Hilary Duff's best video yet."[39] Blender magazine wrote, "Her dancing skills are still a tad stilted but she makes up for it with some key "despondent" and "perturbed" acting faces", also noting what it described as "shameless close-ups of a certain cell phone".[38] The Sun editorialized, "Nope this isn't the next big Bollywood star—it's Hilary Duff taking her image to a whole new level. The singer's reinvention from squeaky teen star to sexy pop starlet is obviously well underway [...] all well and good for Hilary—just as long as she doesn't do a Britney."[40]

For the WaWa mix of the song, a slightly altered version of the video was released.[citation needed] The music video was added to the iTunes Store in late July 2007.[citation needed]

Stranger´s video has been viewed more than 15 million times on Youtube.

[edit] Track listing

Promo CD[citation needed]
  1. "Stranger"
  2. "Stranger" (Vada mix)
Spanish CD[41]
  1. "Stranger" (album version)
  2. "Stranger" (Smax & Thomas Gold club mix)
  3. "Stranger" (WaWa mix)
  4. "With Love" (Bimbo Jones club mix)
Mexican CD[42]
  1. "Stranger" – 4:12
  2. "Stranger" (WaWa mix) – 7:09
  3. "Stranger" (A. Castillo club mix) – 6:46

[edit] Official remixes and versions

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
  1. "Stranger" (Vada mix) – 4:21
  2. "Stranger" (Albert Castillo club mix) – 6:47
  3. "Stranger" (Albert Castillo radio edit) – 3:51
  4. "Stranger" (Bermudez & Preve Neon mixshow edit) – 4:38
  5. "Stranger" (Bermudez & Preve Neon radio edit) – 3:30
  6. "Stranger" (Jody den Broeder 86 club mix) – 7:28
  7. "Stranger" (Jody den Broeder 86 edit) – 4:04
  8. "Stranger" (Jody den Broeder Royal dub) – 8:07
  9. "Stranger" (Smax & Thomas Gold remix) – 8:50
  10. "Stranger" (Smax & Thomas Gold dub) – 8:34
  11. "Stranger" (WaWa remix) – 7:07
  12. "Stranger" (WaWa dub) – 6:19
  13. "Stranger" (WaWa radio mix) – 3:11
  14. "Stranger" (Vission Solmatic mix) – 6:22
  15. "Stranger" (Richard Vission vs Dave Audé club mix) – 6:05
  16. "Stranger" (Richard Vission vs Dave Audé One dub) – 5:20
  17. "Stranger" (Richard Vission vs Dave Audé mixshow) – 5:36
  18. "Stranger" (Richard Vission vs Dave Audé edit) – 3:22
  19. "Stranger" (radio edit) – 3:16
  20. "Stranger" (original edit) – 3:22
  21. "Stranger" (UK radio edit) – 3:08

[edit] Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[30] 49
Brazil Top 30 Dance Club Play[43] 20
Bulgaria Singles Top 40[20] 2
Canadian Hot 100 (Billboard)[44] 86
Czech UJDETO Charts[45] 3
Euro 200[46] 139
Global Dance Tracks (Billboard)[47] 12
Greece Top 50 Singles[48] 42
Italian Singles Chart[49] 6
México Top 100[50] 62
Spanish Top 20[51] 14
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[19][23] 97
U.S. Billboard Pop 100[19][23] 83
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[19][23] 1

[edit] See also

Preceded by
"Whine Up" by Kat Deluna		 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
August 18, 2007 – August 25, 2007		 Succeeded by
"Sound of Freedom" by Bob Sinclar
Preceded by
"Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5		 Billboard Hot Dance Airplay number-one single
August 25, 2007 – September 1, 2007		 Succeeded by
"LoveStoned" by Justin Timberlake

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Hilary Duff - Stranger". Universal Music Mexico. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Available for Airplay - 2007 - 7/10 Mainstream". FMQB.
  3. ^ a b c d "WAWA v Hilary Duff 'Stranger'". Teen First. August 22, 2007.
  4. ^ Bercovici, Jeff. "Hilary Duff Settles Score — In Song!". Radar. March 7, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  5. ^ Greene, Andy. "Hilary Duff - Dignity". Rolling Stone. April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c Gardner, Elysa. "The focus is on Hilary". USA Today. April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
  7. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan. "Dignity (2007) - Hilary Duff". Entertainment Weekly. March 30, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  8. ^ "Hilary Duff: All Grown Up & Coming Clean". Access Hollywood. May 18, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  9. ^ "Chart Blog - Hilary Duff - 'Stranger'". BBC Radio 1. June 30, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
  10. ^ "Hilary Duff - Stranger". Music Focus. July 4, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  11. ^ Lancaster, Gary. "Review - Hilary Duff". TeenSpot.com. July 19, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  12. ^ Taylor, Chuck. "Stranger - Hilary Duff". Billboard. 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  13. ^ "OH YEAH... 209 SONGS WE LIKE - Dangerously In Love". Blender. December 25, 2007.
  14. ^ "New Hilary Duff blog post". hilarynews.com; original post on hilaryduff.com only available to members of her official fan club. April 13, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  15. ^ a b "Hil's blog update". hilarynews.com; original post on hilaryduff.com only available to members of her official fan club. May 2, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  16. ^ Staff. "So You Think Hilary Duff Can Dance". IGN TV. July 9, 2007.
  17. ^ Pisarra, Drew. "'So You Think You Can Dance': Overdosing on 'Hairspray'". New York Magazine. July 13, 2007.
  18. ^ a b c Newman, Melinda. "Hit Disney Acts Find No Love at Top 40". Associated Press. July 18, 2007.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Hilary Duff - Artist Chart History - Singles". Billboard.
  20. ^ a b c "Hilary Duff - Stranger". aCharts.us.
  21. ^ "Top 40". Mediabase. August 22, 2007.
  22. ^ "Top 40". Mediabase. August 4, 2007.
  23. ^ a b c d "Hilary Duff - Billboard Singles". All Music Guide and Billboard.
  24. ^ "Hot Dance Club Play Tracks - Stranger". Billboard. December 31, 2007.
  25. ^ "Hilary Duff 'Stranger'". FemaleFirst.co.uk. May 24, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
  26. ^ M, Fraser. "Chart Blog - The Etiquette Of Remixes". BBC Radio 1. July 9, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  27. ^ "CHART LOG UK: NEW ENTRIES UPDATE". zobbel.de. September 1, 2007.
  28. ^ "hit list; most-added songs on radio". Herald Sun. TVGUIDE, pg. 10.
  29. ^ "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2007.
  30. ^ a b "Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 6, 2008.
  31. ^ "MuchDance 2008". MuchMusic.
  32. ^ a b c "Hilary Duff blog entry - May 12th". hilarynews.com; original post on hilaryduff.com only available to members of her official fan club. May 12, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  33. ^ "Video premieres". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved May 17, 2007.
  34. ^ "TRL Recap (June 2007)". ATRL.net. Retrieved June 14, 2007.
  35. ^ "Countdown - Week Beginning: Fri, Jun 8, 2007". MuchMusic Countdown. June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  36. ^ "MuchMusic Countdown". MuchMusic. August 10, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007
  37. ^ "The Pop 10". MTV Asia. August 18, 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  38. ^ a b "Blender Blog - Hilary Duff Tries to Belly Dance". Blender. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  39. ^ Lamb, Bill. "Friday Fun Video - Hilary Duff - Stranger". About.com. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
  40. ^ "Duff in the buff for new song". The Sun. August 3, 2007.
  41. ^ "Stranger". El Corte Inglés.
  42. ^ "CD SENCILLO REMIXES NUEVO DE HILARY DUFF Stranger". MercadoLibre. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  43. ^ "Top 30 Dance Club Play". Hot100Brasil. August 11, 2007 – August 17, 2007 (w/e August 25). Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  44. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 - Stranger". Billboard. August 4, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  45. ^ "UJDETO Charts". UJDETO. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  46. ^ "Euro 200". Euro 200 APCC. Chart #0150 September 16, 2007. Retrieved September 9, 2007.
  47. ^ "Global Dance Tracks - Stranger". Billboard. September 8, 2007.
  48. ^ "Top 50 Singles". IFPI Greece. Week 28, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  49. ^ "Classifica Mix E Singoli". FIMI. June 22, 2007 – June 28, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  50. ^ "MÉXICO". October 15, 2007 – October 21, 2007.
  51. ^ "Lista Promusicae - Top 20 singles y maxis". Promusicae via Los 40 Principales. July 19, 2007 – July 26, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.


v • d • e
Hilary Duff
Studio albums
Other albums
Video albums
Singles
"Why Not" · "So Yesterday" · "Come Clean" · "Our Lips Are Sealed" · "Little Voice" · "Fly" · "The Getaway" · "I Am" · "Weird" · "Someone's Watching over Me" · "Wake Up" · "Beat of My Heart" · "Supergirl" · "Play with Fire" · "With Love" · "Stranger"
Other songs
Tours
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