Fancy
by Iggy Azalea (featuring Charli XCX)

Album: The New Classic (2014)
Charted: 5 1
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Songfacts®:

  • This bouncy hip-pop song finds Azalea letting the world know why she's the hottest female rapper in the game over a stripped back production driven by a retro-induced synth.

    "First things first I'm the realest
    Drop this and let the whole world feel it
    I'm still in the murda bizness
    I can hold you down like I'm giving lessons in physics."

    The song was premiered on Mistajam's BBC Radio 1Xtra show on February 6, 2014 and released as the fourth single from The New Classic exactly two months later.
  • Charli XCX joins in with the bragging on the rowdy hook. This was the second breakout hit for the British singer following her contribution to Icona Pop's, "I Love It." "It's been massively different for me, on a personal level and on a Charli XCX level," Charli told Billboard magazine. "With 'I Love It,' there was never a plan for me to go and write for Icona Pop - they were just there, and it happened, and no one really knew what was going on."

    "Then it was a bit of a mess that turned into a stressful experience, and something that I didn't really enjoy," she continued. "They were traveling the world and it was great, but I never felt part of that process, partly due to the nature of the song and how it sounds. I never really felt like it was my song."

    "With Iggy, it's been the flip side of that," Charli added. "From the start, Iggy has been like, 'This is your song as well as my song,' which I think is very nice of her, and it made me very excited about the song. I feel valued."
  • This was produced by The Invisible Men (Katy B, Ellie Goulding) with whom Azalea collaborated with on the entire album. Anthony Kilhoffer (Kanye West, Beyoncé) was enlisted to provide the final mix.
  • The song's music video was directed by Director X (Ciara's "Body Party," Drake's "Started from the Bottom"). The clip pays homage to the classic 1995 film Clueless with Iggy playing Cher and Charli portraying Tai. It was filmed at some of the same locations used in the movie.
  • The song was Iggy Azalea's first single to reach the Hot 100. The previous female rapper who sent a debut Hot 100 hit into the top 10 was M.I.A., who ascended to #4 with "Paper Planes" in 2008.
  • When this climbed to #1 on the Hot 100, Azalea's collaboration with Ariana Grande, "Problem," also jumped to #2 on the tally. The Australian rapper became the first act since the Beatles to simultaneously occupy the top two spots with their first Hot 100 hits.
  • Azalea was the fourth solo female rapper in Billboard's Hot 100 history to have a #1 hit. The previous three were Lauryn Hill who topped the chart with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998, Lil Kim who hooked up with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink on "Lady Marmalade" in 2001 and Shawnna, who reached the summit of the Hot 100 two years later with Ludacris on "Stand Up."
  • This was originally an unfinished song by Azalea titled "Leave It," which was leaked online on December 5, 2013. The Invisible Men then approached Charli XCX about adding a killer pop hook and Azalea's key line "'Who dat who dat. I-G-G-Y,'" immediately leapt out at her. "I was so into it. I wanted to make it into, like, a 2014 girl power moment," XCX told Billboard magazine. "There aren't enough high-profile female collaborations happening."
  • Azalea admitted to The Observer that she has "no idea" how her hook-up with Charli XCX came about. "I have no idea how she got on it," she said. "They decided it would be a good idea and I found out later. I thought, she sounds good, let's keep her!"
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic transformed this song into the anthem of a cocky Mr. Fix-it in "Handy" from his 2014 album, Mandatory Fun.
  • MTV named this as their best song of 2014. They said: "Combining hip-hop, pop and electronic sounds with verses from the Australian rapper and an infectious hook from Charli XCX, the track became an inescapable smash: It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100; collected 380 million YouTube views; was performed on TV and at award shows; earned constant radio play; and spawned multiple parodies."
  • Charli XCX had to search for the chorus melody to "Fancy" more than she's ever had to before. "Normally I'm very instinctual and spontaneous when it comes to melodies," she told Apple Music. "With 'Fancy,' I had to really maneuver my brain around different corners to figure it out - to understand the formation of the notes."

Comments: 1

  • Bridget from CoSo, I read the lyrics and it looks like she's overly confident. Also, this is one of the most bizarre songs I have ever heard. I'm not surprised the lyrics are so crazy, seeing as Chad Wild Clay, his wife and old friend made an even stranger parody of this (They even called it "Tacky!")
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