"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]
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
Razorlightsong 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]
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]
^"
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.