Sally Walker (song) explained

Sally Walker
Cover:Cover Art for Iggy Azalea single 'Sally Walker'.jpg
Alt:Azalea posing on the hood of a monster-truck hearse wearing a giant red veil.
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Iggy Azalea
Album:In My Defense
Released:15 March 2019
Genre:Hip hop
Length:2:58
Label:
Producer:J. White Did It
Prev Title:Kream
Prev Year:2018
Next Title:Started
Next Year:2019

"Sally Walker" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Written alongside producer J. White Did It, it was released on 15 March 2019 as the lead single from her second studio album In My Defense via Bad Dreams Records/Empire Distribution. The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, accompanied its release the same day. The song debuted and peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]

Background

On 11 December 2018, Azalea shared a preview of the single through Instagram.[2] In February 2019, the announcement of the single release was accompanied by a picture of Azalea in a "dramatic cobalt-blue eye makeup and a bold red lip" with a "Barbie-esque look" in front of a blood-orange background. The song title is in a cross shape above her head, and below Azalea are the words "A Celebration of Life" and the release date.[3] The official single cover was then unveiled a few days later and featured the rapper posing on the hood of a monster-truck hearse wearing a giant red veil.[4] The title is a reference to children's rhyme dance game Little Sally Walker. American internet personality and makeup artist James Charles, who did Azalea's makeup for the artwork and appeared in the music video, filmed a makeup tutorial with Azalea ahead of the release date.[5]

Composition

"Sally Walker" was written by Azalea alongside its producer J. White Did It, who also serves as the executive producer on In My Defense.[6] The track is two minutes and fifty-eight seconds long.[7] It is a trap-inspired hip hop song,[8] that includes a piano melody.[9] Its piano beat was noted to be similar to Cardi B's "Money" (2018), which was also produced by White, and Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" (2017), produced by Mike Will Made It.[10] [11] The song interpolates the popular nursery rhyme of the same name and follows the same flow. The "sassy, attitude-heavy" lyrics are described as showcasing "an Iggy that is unbothered by criticism as she's her own number one fan."[12]

In March 2024, rapper Sexyy Red subsequently interpolated the song in "Get It Sexyy".

Critical reception

"Sally Walker" received positive reviews from music critics. Mike Nied of Idolator said the song "puts a fresh spin on the much-loved kiddie anthem," describing it as "both twerkable and hummable".[13] Writing for V magazine, Julian Wright stated that Azalea "shows off her lyrical prowess and playful delivery" and the song "weaves through coy choruses of the game's repetitive nursery rhyme and clever bars delivered with heft".[14] HipHopDX commented that "Iggy has been making a huge effort with her career as of lately, and it has been paying off, as many of the work she puts out really slaps,"[15] while Rap-Up said "the twerk-ready banger marks a return to Iggy's mixtape roots."[16] Dani Blum of Pitchfork, in an otherwise negative review of its parent album In My Defense, praised "Sally Walker" as the best song on the album, comparing its "sparkling piano chords" to Cardi B's "Money".[17]

Music video

Background and release

Azalea has been teasing the music video for "Sally Walker" since posting a call for the clip on Twitter. She shared various pictures from the music video, which feature her sitting on top of cars in elaborate garments.[18] The clip accompanied the song's release on 15 March 2019. It was shot in Atlanta and directed by Colin Tilley, who previously directed Azalea's videos for "Savior" (2018) and "Kream" (2018). It features cameo appearances by makeup artist James Charles and drag queens Shea Couleé, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, and Mayhem Miller.[19] The girl who dies in the video is believed to be allusive to American rapper Bhad Bhabie who Azalea once had an incident with.[20] As of April 2024, the video has over 90 million views on YouTube.[21]

Synopsis

The music video has a funeral-themed storyline. It opens up with Couleé accidentally hitting the title character, Sally Walker, by her car. "Didn't her momma teach her not to play in the street?" she wonders. Mateo, Miller, and Charles appear later as the video moves to Sally's church-set funeral, where a lavender-haired Azalea is rapping from the pews.[22] The video concludes with a preview of another song called "Started", which was released as the follow-up single.[23]

Live performances

The first televised performance of the song took place on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 4 April 2019 during the show's week-long stint in Las Vegas, with Azalea performing at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in front of the famed Stardust logo. After a solo intro from Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, who is also featured in the song's music video, Azalea emerged from inside a red coffin in a red bodysuit covered with pearls, along with female dancers, as neon logos for some iconic Strip landmarks flashed on stage throughout the performance.[24]

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA)[25] 43
France Downloads (SNEP)[26] 140
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[27] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[28] 70
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[29] 9
UK Independent Singles (OCC)[30] 12

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Various15 March 2019
United States19 March 2019Rhythmic contemporary[31]

Notes and References

  1. Iggy Azalea. Billboard. 2020-04-11.
  2. Web site: Iggy Azalea Previews New Single 'Sally Walker' . 11 December 2018.
  3. Acevedo . Angelica . Iggy Azalea Announces Release Date for New Single 'Sally Walker' . 6 March 2019 . Billboard . 28 February 2019.
  4. News: Wass . Mike . Funeral Chic! Is This The Cover Of Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker" . 16 March 2019 . Idolator . 6 March 2019.
  5. Web site: Dommu . Rose . James Charles Turned Iggy Azaela Into a Drag Queen for Her New Single . Out.com . 6 March 2019 . en . 1 March 2019.
  6. Web site: Iggy Azalea Teases J. White-Produced Single "Sally Walker". Idolator. 26 February 2019. 6 March 2019.
  7. Web site: Sally Walker - Single by Iggy Azalea on Apple Music. iTunes. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  8. Brandle. Lars. Iggy Azalea Shares Sassy 'Sally Walker' Video: Watch. Billboard. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  9. Web site: Was. Mike. Funeral Chic! Iggy Azalea Reveals "Sally Walker" Cover Art. Idolator. 6 March 2019. 6 March 2019.
  10. Web site: Galbraith. Alex. Fans Are Wondering Why Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker" Sounds Similar to Cardi B's "Money". Complex. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  11. Web site: Coley. Jordan. Fans Accused Iggy Azalea Of Copying Cardi B's Sound On Her New Single 'Sally Walker'. Uproxx. 15 March 2019. 16 March 2019.
  12. Web site: Marie. Erika. Iggy Azalea Releases Sassy Single "Sally Walker". HotNewHipHop. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  13. Web site: Nied. Mike. She's Back! Iggy Azalea Comes For Blood On "Sally Walker". Idolator. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  14. Web site: Wright. Julian. Iggy Azalea Introduces "Sally Walker". V. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  15. Web site: Watch Iggy Azalea's "Sally Walker" Video. HipHopDX. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  16. Web site: New Music: Iggy Azalea - 'Sally Walker'. Rap-Up. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  17. Web site: Blum. Dani. 2019-07-25. Iggy Azalea: In My Defense. 2021-07-17. Pitchfork. en.
  18. SALLY WALKER March 15 2019. IGGYAZALEA. 1103323113087852545. 6 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  19. Zemler. Emily. See Iggy Azalea's Morbid New Video for 'Sally Walker'. Rolling Stone. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  20. Web site: Fans Believe The 'Sally Walker' That Dies In Iggy Azalea's Music Video Is Referring To Bhad Bhabie. 22 March 2019. Inquisitr.com. 1 January 2022.
  21. Web site: Iggy Azalea - Sally Walker (Official Music Video). YouTube. en. 2019-07-30.
  22. Nolfi. Joey. Drag Race stars Miss Vanjie, Shea Couleé grace Iggy Azalea's 'Sally Walker' music video. Entertainment Weekly. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  23. Web site: Roth. Madeline. Iggy Azalea and a bunch of Drag Race faves party at a funeral in 'Sally Walker' video. https://web.archive.org/web/20190317140358/http://www.mtv.com/news/3117190/iggy-azalea-sally-walker-video/. dead. 17 March 2019. MTV. 15 March 2019. 15 March 2019.
  24. Web site: Iggy Azalea Performs 'Sally Walker' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'. Rap-Up. 5 April 2019. 5 April 2019.
  25. Web site: The ARIA Report (March 25, 2019). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190401223210/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20190401-0000/Issue1516.pdf. dead. 2019-04-01. ARIA. 11 February 2019. 25 March 2019.
  26. Web site: Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 12, 2019). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. French. 25 March 2019. 25 January 2014.
  27. Greece Digital Songs - March 30, 2019. Billboard. 27 March 2019.
  28. Web site: IRMA – Irish Charts. Irish Recorded Music Association. 22 March 2019.
  29. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 25 March 2019. 22 March 2019.
  30. Web site: Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50 . officialcharts.com . July 13, 2019.
  31. Web site: Iggy Azalea's Sally Walker Debuts at #10 on Global Youtube Music Videos Chart . Headline Planet . 2019-03-24.