Teen Queens & iPod Dreams

"Teen Queens & iPod Dreams"
Single by Amy Marshall from the album Peculiar Secret
Released	February 13, 2006
Format	CD single Digital download
Recorded	2005
Genre	Rock/pop
Label	Alias
Writer	Amy Marshall
Producer	Amy Marshall
Chart position	#3 (Urapopstar singles chart) #1 (Urapopstar Airplay 40) #2 (TRL) #8 (CD:UK)
Certification	Silver
Amy Marshall chronology
It Must Be Love (2005) Teen Queens & iPod Dreams (2006) Fake Smiles From Hollywood (2006)

"Teen Queens & iPod Dreams" is the first single from Amy Marshall's second album Peculiar Secret. It was chosen to be the album's first single by a jury of five anonymous acts who graded the album months before its proper release; many consider it to be Amy's best-written single.

Song information

The idea behind the song was to write based on the point of view of a larger than life celebrity who, for lack of a better phrase, "had it all", realizing that fame comes with a price. Many industry analysts believe the song was Amy's way of making fun of her many egotistical remarks, as well as the Hollywood cliches and stereotypes.

It was premiered on December 13, 2005 on Jo Whiley's show on Radio 1, and just days after its release, made the earliest-ever impact on the Urapopstar Airplay 40 charts, debuting at #34 on December 18, 2005 - two months before the single's physical release.

Music video

The video begins with a group of teen girls chatting about pictures of Amy they see in a magazine. As they imagine what it would be like to fill her shoes, we see Amy making a promotional appearance at a record store, walking down a street being followed by a crowd of cheering fans, buying a mall, and rocking out on stage, just what would fill an ordinary day in the life of a larger-than-life star. But Amy thinks back and realizes she's not as interested in it as she thought she was. Amy rushes through a crowd with her bodyguards as a helicopter tries to land and pick her up but then she gets shot dead by a deranged fan hiding in the bushes. The video ends with Amy listening to an iPod; the camera moves to reveal the iPod's screen reads "your dream", and once the song stops, it changes to "reality".

Controversy

On February 7, 2006, Apple sued Alias Records, naming Amy and Alias bosses Esmeralda Dimuzio and Andrea Twain in a $10 million copyright infringement suit for using unlicensed images of the iPod in promotional adverts. The label did license the name iPod to Alias for the single's release, but did not allow for their images to be reproduced. Four days later, Amy and her bosses chipped in a $6 million settlement to Apple to clear the way for the single's release.

Amy's single likely was negatively affected by the results of the charts from the week before, when Allyseenah and Morris David Cat's "FIX!/All That Matters" beat Lucreacia and Jack Stevens' "First, Last and Only" to #1. Many people were upset by the results, but the PR of Tania Nelsen took things too far, beginning a flame war and urging people not to vote for Amy's single just because Allyseenah and Morris beat Lucreacia and Jack.

Track listings

1. Teen Queens & iPod Dreams (album version)
2. Teen Queens & iPod Dreams (Big Haus remix)

Chart performance

The competition for the February 13 release date was unpredictable - the only obvious headliner, Ivy, decided to push back a week when it looked like the week's releases would falter due to split voting; then a notable number of acts promoted less than their standards. By the week before its release, Amy had emerged as the contender for the highest debut, even though some doubted the single would do as well as it ended up doing.

"Teen Queens & iPod Dreams" debuted at #3 on the Urapopstar Top 40 Singles Chart on February 19, 2006 with 61,274 copies, a disappointment based on the single's heavy promotional efforts. It ended up spending five weeks in the top 40 and selling 170,224 copies total.

External links

Lyrics

Preceded by "FIX!" by Allyseenah & Morris D Cat

Urapopstar Airplay #1 Single February 5, 2006-February 12, 2006

Succeeded by "Lovers & Players" by Delta Nu