12 Songs You Didn't Know Were Written About Famous People

3. Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgjkth6BRRY Written by: Gwen Stefani, with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo; released 2005. Who it's about: Courtney Love again. Who could forget Gwen Stefani's unforgettable anthem that left many wondering just what, exactly, is a "Hollaback Girl?" That question may still go unanswered, but Stefani's motivations behind writing the Grammy-nominated hit have been revealed: it's all about revenge. In an interview with Seventeen magazine, legendary grunger Courtney Love was quoted referring to the music industry as a high school, and naming Stefani as "the cheerleader". Stefani took offence to this comment, and, using that anger in combination with the desire for an "attitude song," created Hollaback Girl. For her, the song not only explained her intentions behind making a solo album, but was also fitting of the "cheerleader" that Love called her out to be. The song went on to be a #1 hit in several countries, and one of the biggest songs of 2005. Stefani summed it all up in a 2005 interview with NME Magazine: "Y'know someone one time called me a cheerleader, negatively, and I've never been a cheerleader. So I was, like, 'OK, f*** you. You want me to be a cheerleader? Well, I will be one then'. And I'll rule the whole world, just you watch me."
Contributor
Contributor

College kid with an affinity for sarcasm and sleeping too much.