"Bionic"
Song by Christina Aguilera
from the album Bionic
Recorded2010; Dubsided (Los Angeles), Dreamland Studios, Mad Decent Mausoleum (Philadelphia), The Red Lips Room (Beverly Hills)
Genre
Length3:21
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Licensed audio
"Bionic" on YouTube

"Bionic" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera, taken from her sixth studio album of the same name (2010). The song was written by Aguilera, Kalenna Harper, John Hill and Switch, while production was done by the latter two. "Bionic" is an electronic number and has garnered comparisons to works by artists including Santigold and Janet Jackson.

The track received mostly postive reviews, and was listed as the ninth best song of 2010 by The Village Voice's Andrew Stout. Aguilera performed "Bionic" as an introduction to "Not Myself Tonight" on a number of occasions, including the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, The Today Show and VH1 Storytellers. Upon the release of Bionic, the song peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 66, and on the Korean Gaon International Download Chart at number 23.

Background and recording

After the birth of her son, Aguilera stated in an interview with Ryan Seacrest that her forthcoming album would include a totally new aspect of herself as an artist, because of the pregnancy with her son.[1] During an interview with People in 2008, Aguilera stated that she was going to start recording new material for her forthcoming album at her home in Beverly Hills.[2] On the album, entitled Bionic, Aguilera was inspired by electronic[3] and electronica music, which she heard a lot during her pregnancy.[4]

Aguilera also commented about the album during an interview with Ryan Seacrest, "It's really a fun, fun record. Really futuristic. I was inspired by a lot of electronic music, electronic artists, and so you'll hear all those elements".[3] She added, "[There are] different textures and things with my voice that I was really playing around with and having fun with on this record that I never even knew I could do, vocally".[3] "Bionic" was recorded at three places: Dubsided recording studio in Los Angeles, California, Dreamland Studios and Mad Decent Mausoleum in Philadelphia.[5] Aguilera's vocals were recorded at The Red Lips Room in Beverly Hills, California.[5] The track was written by Aguilera, Kalenna Harper, John Hill and Switch.[5] Hill and Switch also produced and provided musical instruments to "Bionic".[5]

Composition and critical reception

"Bionic" is an electronic song and lasts for a duration of 3:21 (three minutes and twenty-one seconds).[6][7][8] It features "twitchy space-ace" rhythms, rapping verses and talks about an "echo-laden" invitation to "jet off to the new millennium".[7][9] In the middle of the song, Aguilera spells out her name, "X-x-x-t-t-t-i-i-i-n-n-n-n-n-a".[9][10] During the chorus, she sings, "Bionic, so damn Bionic, gonna get you with my electronic supersonic rocket, ay".[10]

Billboard declared "Bionic" to be "dub-tastic", and AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine applauded the song for its "future shock" quality.[11][12] Becky Bain of Idolator wrote that "This track showcases more of the adventurous new directions Christina said she hoped to try on this album. We like it!"[10] She further compared "Bionic" to works by Santigold.[10] Similarly, Michael Cragg from musicOMH wrote that the song "sounds just like a Santigold track, which is no bad thing".[13] PopMatters critic Omar Kholeif simply described the track as "a thumping" number,[8] while Melinda Newman of HitFix deemed it "a futuristic song, with interesting beats".[7] Newman also compared "Bionic" to Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation", "but not nearly as captivating".[7] Entertainment-related website Tan's Topic wrote that the song has "an almost camp sci-fi vibe".[14] "Bionic" was ranked in the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll of the year's best in music. The Village Voice editor Andrew Stout placed it at number nine on his list of 2010's best songs (while another Bionic track, "Elastic Love", was listed at number two).[15]

Live performances

On June 6, 2010, Aguilera performed "Bionic" for the first time at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, held at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California.[16] There, she sang the track as the introduction to "Not Myself Tonight" and "Woohoo".[17] During the performance of "Bionic", she sported curly platinum hair[18] and was dressed in a "diamond-encrusted one-piece" while sitting on a "gilded throne".[16] Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone opined that the way Aguilera began the performance was similar to Madonna during the latter's Sticky & Sweet Tour (2008–09).[18] Then, Aguilera walked on the stage and "leather-clad" back-up dancers in silver and black outfits began to perform a dance routine.[16][18] The performance was met with mainly negative reviews and failed to gain impact from media outlets.[19] Tamar Anitai for MTV Buzzworthy was not impressed toward her performance, summarizing it "was all about her "I-I'm-still-a-diva" vocals, frenzied stage show, and adult-only innuendo... And then this happened".[17] In a positive view, James Montgomery for MTV News praised her looking as "a 23rd-century queen" and the show "got millions of people all hot and bothered".[16]

Aguilera during The X Tour in 2019. The songs "Bionic" and "Your Body" were selected as the show's opening tracks.

On June 8, 2010, Aguilera performed "Bionic" as the introduction to "Not Myself Tonight" on The Today Show, along with "Beautiful", "Fighter" and "You Lost Me".[4][20] Selected as the opener of the show,[4] she performed in her "hinestone tights" and "red hot pants".[20] Following the highly criticized performance at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, Aguilera's performance at The Today Show was well received by most critics.[19] James Dinh for MTV News named it "aggressive",[4] while Erika Brooks Adickman for Idolator called the performance a "hot-mess show wardrobe".[20] Simon Vozick-Levinson for Entertainment Weekly, however was mixed towards the "Bionic" and "Not Myself Tonight" part.[19] He wrote that the two songs aren't "memorable", yet praising her vocals: "definitely better voice than she was".[19] Aguilera also appeared on music television series VH1 Storytellers and sang "Bionic" and "Not Myself Tonight", with "Beautiful" as the follow-up.[21] The singer's performances during the show were later aired on June 13, 2010.[22]

Aguilera performed "Bionic" on numerous occasions throughout the years, including at a concert in Kuala Lumpur in 2014,[23] during her set at the 15th edition of Mawazine Festival in May 2016,[24] and at the Black Sea Arena in Georgia in July 2016.[25] She also sang "Bionic" during her 2018 stage comeback, The Liberation Tour.[26] In 2019, the track was included in the setlist for Aguilera's Vegas residency The Xperience.[27] The same year "Bionic" was selected as a show opener for the singer's X Tour in Europe.[28]

Credits and personnel

Recording locations
  • Recording – Dubsided, Los Angeles; Dreamland Studios, Philadelphia; Mad Decent Mausoleum, Philadelphia
  • Vocal recording – The Red Lips Room, Beverly Hills, California.
Personnel
  • Songwriting – Christina Aguilera, John Hill, Switch, Kalenna Harper
  • Production – John Hill, Switch
  • All instruments – John Hill, Switch

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bionic, RCA Records.[5]

Chart performance

Following the release of Bionic, the song debuted on two national charts due to strong digital download sales. In South Korea, it debuted on the International Singles Chart at number 23 during the week of July 13 to 19, 2010.[29] In the United States, "Bionic" debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart for and remained on the chart for one week.[30] It subsequently peaked at number 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[31]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon)[29] 23
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 66

References

  1. ↑ Hernandez, Alondra (February 12, 2008). "Christina Aguilera's First Appearance Since Baby". People. Time Inc. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Avril Stands Up For Britney Spears". MTV News. Viacom. February 14, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 Daw, Robbie (March 31, 2010). "Six 'Bionic' Revelations From Christina Aguilera's Interview With Ryan Seacrest". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dinh, James (June 8, 2010). "Christina Aguilera Brings New Songs, Classic Hits To 'Today' Show". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Aguilera, Christina (2010). Bionic (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. RCA Records.
  6. ↑ "Bionic (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Newman, Melinda (June 7, 2010). "Review: Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic' shows a machine-like workmanship". HitFix. HitFix Inc. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Kholeif, Omar. "Christina Aguilera: Bionic". PopMatters. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  9. 1 2 Hinshaw, Drew (June 8, 2010). "Christina Aguilera, Army of One". The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Daw, Robbie (May 18, 2012). "Christina Aguilera Is So Damn "Bionic" In Santigold-Sounding Title Track". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  11. ↑ Mason, Kerri (July 2, 2010). "Christina Aguilera, 'Bionic'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ Stephen, Thomas, Erlewine. "Bionic – Christina Aguilera". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  13. ↑ Cragg, Michael (June 7, 2010). "Christina Aguilera – Bionic". musicOMH. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  14. ↑ "My Top 10 favourite tracks from Christina Aguilera's 'Bionic' album". Tan's Topic. June 4, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ Stout, Andrew. "New York Pazz and Jop Critics". The Village Voice. Village Voice, LLC. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Montgomery, James (June 6, 2010). "Christina Aguilera Gets Steamy At 2010 MTV Movie Awards". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  17. 1 2 Antai, Tamar (June 7, 2013). "Watch Christina Aguilera Perform 'Bionic', 'Not Myself Tonight' And 'Woohoo' At The 2010 MTV Movie Awards". MTV Buzzworthy. Viacom. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  18. 1 2 3 Ganz, Caryn (June 7, 2010). "Aguilera and Perry Invade MTV Movie Awards". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Vozick-Levinson, Simon (June 8, 2010). "Christina Aguilera sings for 'Today' show: Watch here". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  20. 1 2 3 Brooks Adickman, Erika (June 8, 2010). "Christina Aguilera Rocks 'The Today Show'". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  21. ↑ Bain, Becky (June 14, 2010). "Christina Aguilera Gets Emotional On "VH1 Storytellers"". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  22. ↑ Bain, Becky (May 28, 2010). "Check Out A Sneak Peak Of Christina Aguilera's "VH1 Storytellers"". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Concert Setlist at Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on March 28, 2014". Setlist.fm. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  24. ↑ Oliveira, Ricardo (June 3, 2016). "Fã publica no YouTube show completo de Christina Aguilera no Festival Mawazine" (in Portuguese). POPLINE. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Concert Setlist at Black Sea Arena, Batumi on July 30, 2016". Setlist.fm. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  26. ↑ Villa, Lucas (November 2, 2018). "Christina Aguilera's Liberation Tour marks beautiful comeback in Las Vegas". AXS. Anschutz Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  27. ↑ Nied, Mike (June 1, 2019). "Christina Aguilera Launches 'The Xperience' Residency: See The Setlist". Idolator. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  28. ↑ Megarry, Daniel (June 4, 2020). "10 years on, Christina Aguilera's Bionic proves it really was ahead of its time". Gay Times. Gay Times Ltd. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  29. 1 2 "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: July 6, 2010 to July 12, 2010)". Gaon Chart. July 12, 2010. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Christina Aguilera Chart history - Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  31. 1 2 "Christina Aguilera Chart History - The Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 25, 2013.

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