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Wild Wild West (Will Smith song)

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"Wild Wild West"
Single by Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee
from the album Wild Wild West (soundtrack) and Willennium
B-side
  • "Y'all Know"
  • "Chasing Forever"
ReleasedMay 11, 1999 (1999-05-11)
Genre
Length
  • 4:05 (album version)
  • 3:29 (radio version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Will Smith singles chronology
"Miami"
(1998) 		"Wild Wild West"
(1999) 		"Will 2K"
(1999)
Kool Moe Dee singles chronology
"Rise N Shine"
(1991) 		"Wild Wild West"
(1999) 		"Downtown"
(2015)
Dru Hill singles chronology
"These Are the Times"
(1998) 		"Wild Wild West"
(1999) 		"You Are Everything"
(1999)
Music video
"Wild Wild West" on YouTube

"Wild Wild West" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith from the 1999 film of the same name, in which he also starred. The song plays during the film's closing credits. The single includes parts of the chorus from Kool Moe Dee's song of the same name, and samples Stevie Wonder's 1976 hit song "I Wish". Kool Moe Dee re-performed the chorus for the song, and additional guest vocals are provided by Dru Hill. The album version of the song is introduced by a brief spoken-word interlude where Smith asks his infant son Jaden what song he should play next, interpreting Jaden's repeated non-verbal response as "Wild Wild West".

"Wild Wild West" was released on May 11, 1999, as a single from the film's soundtrack and as the lead single from Smith's second studio album, Willennium (1999). The song became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, and its extended music video, directed by Paul Hunter, features Wonder and several other celebrities as guest stars. The song was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000.[2]

Music video

[edit]

Directed by Paul Hunter,[3] the music video includes several dialog sequences featuring Smith, Kool Moe Dee, Dru Hill, and a guest appearance by Stevie Wonder, intercut with clips from the film, featuring the film's characters. Salma Hayek also appears as her character Rita Escobar in the video's dialog sequences, as does an actor resembling Kenneth Branagh and his character of Dr. Loveless. Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias also appeared in the video playing a Prince. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star and tap dancer Alfonso Ribeiro appeared in the music video as one of the dancers. Other cameos include actor Larenz Tate, Shari Headley, singer/writer/producer Babyface and rapper MC Lyte.

Track listings

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[70] Gold 35,000^
Belgium (BEA)[71] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[72] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[73] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[74] Gold 5,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[75] Gold  
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[76] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[78] Gold 480,000[77]
United States (RIAA)[80] Gold 500,000[79]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States May 11, 1999
[81]
May 24, 1999 Urban radio [82]
United Kingdom June 28, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 Columbia [83]
United States July 6, 1999
  • Overbrook
  • Columbia
 [84]
Canada CD — [85]
[edit]
  • The song is featured as a playable song in the music rhythm game Just Dance 4. If the song is completed on the Extreme Version with 5 stars, players receive the "New Sheriff in Town" achievement.[86][87]
  • OutsideXbox's Andy Farrant is known for having memorized the song and rapping portions of it during the Oxventure Dungeons & Dragons campaign quest Wild Wild Woods.[88]
  • The song has been featured as the intro to Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast since 2016.[89]
  • Wild Wild West is sampled in Neil Cicierega's[90] mashup album Mouth Moods, specifically the song "Wow Wow".

References

[edit]
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  4. ^ Wild Wild West (US CD single liner notes). Will Smith. Overbrook Entertainment, Columbia Records. 1999. 38K 79157.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  6. ^ Wild Wild West (Australian CD single liner notes). Will Smith. Overbrook Entertainment, Columbia Records. 1999. 667525.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Wild Wild West (Japanese CD single liner notes). Will Smith. SME Records. 1999. SRCS 8940.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Wild Wild West (European CD single liner notes). Will Smith. Overbrook Entertainment, Columbia Records. 1999. COL 667288 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Wild Wild West (UK CD1 liner notes). Will Smith. Columbia Records. 1999. 667596 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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