Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol. 1
| Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol. 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 26, 2018 | |||
| Genre | Comedy | |||
| Length | 32:35 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Willam Belli chronology | ||||
| ||||
Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol. 1, also known as Songs in the Key of Nope, is a comedy album by American drag performer Willam Belli, self-released on October 26, 2018.[1] The album features fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Latrice Royale and Trixie Mattel, as well as drag performer Rhea Litré. Former contestants Derrick Barry and Courtney Act make guest appearances in the music video for the song "Derrick". In the United States, the album spent two weeks on Billboard's Comedy Albums chart, reaching a peak position of number four.
Background
[edit]Willam Belli, mononymously known as Willam, is an actor, drag performer, and recording artist who came to prominence for competing in the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2012. Now That's What I Call Drag Music is Belli's third studio album, following his debut The Wreckoning (2012) and Shartistry in Motion (2015). Belli wanted to create a studio album similar to his previous songs "Love You Like a Big Schlong" from The Wreckoning and "Boy Is a Bottom" (2013), which parody Selena Gomez & the Scene's "Love You like a Love Song" (2011) and Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire" (2012), respectively, after drag queens on a gay cruise told him those were their "moneymaker songs" to perform.[2]
Composition
[edit]
_(crop).jpg)
The self-released comedy album is approximately 32.5 minutes long and has nine tracks, including seven parody songs and two originals.[1][3] The album spans multiple genres; according to Belli, "there's a poop song on there, there's a blow job song, there's a dance song, there's a country song, there's a jazzy song, there's an EDM song".[3]
Belli has said the opening track "Hoops" is his favorite because "it involves my sex life and jewelry, two of my favorite things".[4] The song "Aileen" is a parody of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" about American serial killer and prostitute Aileen Wuornos,[2] co-written by Jackie Beat and featuring fellow Drag Race contestant Trixie Mattel.[3] In a 2018 Billboard interview, Belli said he has "always been kind of obsessed" with Wuornos because of her similarities to one of his aunts who was also a sex worker. Furthermore, he said, "I've done all the things that she's done, except kill people. I've hooked. I've bleached my hair. I've walked down I-95. Done all of it."[3] In 2019, he said Wournos' "upbringing of abuse and neglect seriously handicapped her chances of ending up a productive member of society without a serious redirect somewhere. She was obviously held responsible for her actions by the court, but I'm hoping the people that turned her into the troubled individual she was also reap some sort of karmic punishment, if Aileen's bullets already didn't seal that deal."[5]
Latrice Royale, another Drag Race competitor, is featured on "Oral". "Unshart My Fart" is a parody of Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart" (1996).[4] Belli has said she is "proudest" of one of the song's rhymes.[6] Drag queen Rhea Litré is featured on "Fries", a song about french fries.[7] "Derrick" is about fellow Drag Race contestant and Britney Spears impersonator Derrick Barry. The song is a parody of Spears' "...Baby One More Time" (1998), with a medley covering "Stronger" (2000) and "Toxic" (2003).[8] The song's lyrics reference an interview in which Barry incorrectly said people died in the Stonewall riots, a series of demonstrations by members of New York City's LGBT community at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, before being corrected by Belli.[2]
Release
[edit]The album was originally called Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol. 1 and re-issued as Songs in the Key of Nope to avoid copyright infringement with the compilation album series Now That's What I Call Music!. On November 23, 2018, Belli wrote:
Hey my album got removed from shelves due to a similarity in names from the NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC people. They thought "Now That's What I Call Drag Music vol. 1.0" was a violation of their copyright and since I don't have the money or time to fight it, I'm changing the album name to Songs in the key of Nope and rereleasing it. If you bought it on iTunes or Spotify, it'll be available again once the processing is done.[9]
Promotion
[edit]_2.jpg)
The music video for "Hoops" features nude men, some of whom have erections.[10] Belli also released a video for "Aileen", which features Trixie Mattel out of drag.[3][5] The music video for "Daddy D" was released in November 2018 and features a "bevy of smoking hot daddies", according to Instinct's Ryan Shea.[11] The video features gay pornographic film actors Angel Rivera, Drew Sebastian, and Trelino. Uncensored and safe for work versions were released on Patreon and YouTube, respectively.[12] Belli's music video for "Derrick", released in June 2020, features appearances by Barry and his partners Nebraska Thunderfuck and Nick San Pedro, as well as Drag Race contestant Courtney Act.[8] In the video, Belli says "stop!... doing impressions, girl", referring to Barry's talent show performance on the premiere episode of the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[8][13] Pride.com's Daniel Reynolds described the video as "both a burn and a celebration of Barry", and noted Belli's YouTube caption assuring viewers most scenes were filmed prior to stay-at-home orders implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Belli also encouraged people to donate to the Black Lives Matter movement instead of purchasing the song.[13]
Track listing
[edit]Track listing adapted from the Apple Store,[1] Spotify,[14] and Tidal[15]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hoops" | Willam Belli | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Aileen" (featuring Trixie Mattel) | 2:41 | |
| 3. | "Oral" (featuring Latrice Royale) | 3:36 | |
| 4. | "Daddy D" | Belli | 3:28 |
| 5. | "Unshart My Fart" |
| 4:06 |
| 6. | "Fries" (featuring Rhea Litré) | Belli | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Derrick" |
| 2:53 |
| 8. | "Drugs" | Belli | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Unshart My Fart" (Ballad) |
| 4:07 |
| Total length: | 32:35 | ||
Notes
- "Aileen" is a parody of "Jolene", written and performed by Dolly Parton.
- "Oral" is a parody of "Royals", written by Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little and performed by Lorde.
- "Unshart My Fart" is a parody of "Un-Break My Heart" written by Diane Warren and performed by Toni Braxton.
- "Derrick" is a parody of "...Baby One More Time", written by Max Martin and performed by Britney Spears. It also contains parody snippets of "Stronger", written by Martin and Rami Yacoub, and "Toxic" written by Cathy Dennis, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Henrik Jonback, both performed by Spears.
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Comedy Albums[16] | 4 |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol .1 – Willam". Apple Store. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c Daw, Stephen (October 26, 2018). "Willam Parodies Britney Spears, Rihanna & Dolly Parton on New Comedy Album: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Crowley, Patrick (November 1, 2018). "'A Star Is Born' Scene Stealer Willam Talks New Comedy Album, Aileen Wuornos, Lady Gaga & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Katz, Evan Ross (November 1, 2018). "Willam talks 'A Star Is Born' and new album 'Now That's What I Call Drag Music'". Mic. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Barrett-Ibarria, Sofia (September 19, 2019). "How Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos Became a Cult Hero". Vice. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ Henderson, Taylor (September 14, 2018). "Willam Talks Her Role in A Star Is Born and Kiki-ing with Lady Gaga". Pride.com. Here Media. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ Lopez, David (June 18, 2019). "Exclusive: Willam Gives Us Unapologetic Pride". Instinct. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Reynolds, Daniel (June 6, 2020). "Willam Roasts Derrick Barry With Derrick Barry in Britney Spoof Video". Pride.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ Belli, Willam. "Hey my album got removed from shelves due to a similarity in names from the NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC people . They thought "Now That's What I Call Drag Music vol. 1.0" was a violation of their copyright and since I don't have the money or time to fight it, I'm changing the album name to Songs in the key of Nope and rereleasing it. If you bought it on iTunes or Spotify, it'll be available again once the processing is done. If you'd like to buy it and download it once and for all, here's another link..." Facebook. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ "NSFW… but WATCH anyway: Willam's 'Hoops' video". Dallas Voice. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ Shea, Ryan (November 18, 2018). "Willam Releases Music Video That is All About 'Daddy D'". Instinct. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ "Watch: Gay Porn Stars Angel Rivera, Drew Sebastian & More Appear in Willam's NSFW Music Vid 'Daddy D'". Edge Media Network. November 23, 2018. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Megarry, Daniel (June 10, 2020). "Willam roasts Drag Race star Derrick Barry in Britney Spears parody video". Gay Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- ^ "Now That's What I Call Drag Music, Vol .1 – Willam". Spotify. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Songs in the Key of Nope: Willam". Tidal. 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ "Now That's What I Call Drag Music, 1.0: Willam". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.