U.G.L.Y.

"U.G.L.Y." is a song by American recording duo Daphne & Celeste. It was released in June 2000 as the second single from their studio album, We Didn't Say That!. The song was written and composed by Michele Chiavarini, Tracy Kilrow, Michael Marz and S. Burkes, while its producer was Chiavarini. "U.G.L.Y." is a teen pop and bubblegum pop song with a cheerleading style, making it similar in this respect to Toni Basil's song "Mickey". Lyrically, the song is about people who Daphne & Celeste think are ugly.

"U.G.L.Y."
Single by Daphne & Celeste
from the album We Didn't Say That!
Released	June 2, 2000
Genre	Dance-pop, bubblegum pop, teen pop
Length	3:46
Label	Universal
Songwriter(s)	S. Burkes Michele Chiavarini Tracy Kilrow Michael Marz
Producer(s)	Michele Chiavarini
Daphne & Celeste singles chronology
"Ooh Stick You" (1999) "U.G.L.Y." (2000) "School's Out" (2000)

The song received mixed reviews from music critics, with some saying it was a good single, but many panning it and at least one reportedly saying it was "inappropriate and ridiculous". It is still the subject of criticism to this day due to its harsh lyrics. Although it received unfavorable reviews upon its release as a single, the song did very well in New Zealand, where it peaked at number seven (its highest position on any chart anywhere in the world). Elsewhere it wasn't quite so successful, but the single would later be immortalized in the American box office hit film Bring It On (released August 2000) and its accompanied soundtrack.[1]

Background

After the release of their first single, "Ooh Stick You", the duo decided to release "U.G.L.Y." as the second single from their forthcoming album, We Didn't Say That! (2000). The song was written and composed by Michele Chiavarini, Tracy Kilrow, Michael Marz and S. Burkes, and was produced by Chiavarini. They took the chorus from a Fishbone song called "Ugly".

Formats and track listings

UK CD single No. 1

1. "U.G.L.Y." (Radio Edit) – 3:25
2. "U.G.L.Y." (Tomboy Mix) – 7:03
3. "U.G.L.Y." (T-Total "Make Over" Mix) – 6:32

UK CD single No. 2 / Canadian CD single

1. "U.G.L.Y." (Radio Edit) – 3:25
2. "U.G.L.Y." (Uglier Mix) – 4:50
3. "Exclusive Daphne & Celeste Interview" – 4:38

Critical reception

Dean Carlson from AllMusic reviewed the album, but did not at that point intend to review the track itself.[2] However, he did go on to review "U.G.L.Y." individually, giving it two and a half out of five stars when so doing.[3] Andy Capper from NME said: "'UGLY' continues the playground putdown vibes of Daphne & Celeste's first single, 'Ooh Stick You'. It's a cool little tune, bolstered by a complete lack of irony or sickly kitsch vibes. Daphne & Celeste are queens in the making."[4]

Reaction and criticism

Reviews of We Didn't Say That! on DooYoo.co.uk are largely negative, as are remarks in those reviews about this specific song.[5] Andy Capper's review of it from NME is positive, but acknowledges nonetheless that it is "a bit ruder" than their previous single.[4]

Music video

The music video was directed by Phil Griffin and filmed on April 16, 2000.

Chart performance

The single was a big success in New Zealand, where it peaked at number seven on the New Zealand Singles Chart and was certified platinum.[6] However, it did not do as well in any other country. The song debuted at number forty-seven on the Australian Singles Chart, but only managed to peak at number forty. The song entered the charts at number eighteen in the United Kingdom, where it only managed to go that far.

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[7]	40
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[8]	18
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9]	69
Ireland (IRMA)[10]	40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11]	7
Scotland (OCC)[12]	14
UK Singles (OCC)[13]	18

See also

• "Let's Get Ugly" and "U.B.L.U.D.", tracks on Pop Will Eat Itself's 1987 album, Box Frenzy. The 2003 reissue of this album also has the similarly named "Ugly" as one of its bonus tracks.

References

1. From Discogs
2. We Didn't Say That! - Daphne & Celeste: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic
3. "U.G.L.Y." - Daphne & Celeste: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic
4. NME Track Reviews - UGLY - NME.COM
5. We Didn't Say That! - Daphne & Celeste Reviews - Music Albums | dooyoo.co.uk
6. charts.org.nz - Daphne & Celeste - U.G.L.Y.
7. "Australian-charts.com – Daphne & Celeste – U.G.L.Y.". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
8. Billboard – Google Books. September 30, 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2013 – via Google Books.
9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17 no. 26. June 24, 2000. p. 11. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
10. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Daphne & Celeste". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
11. "Charts.nz – Daphne & Celeste – U.G.L.Y.". Top 40 Singles.
12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2018.