Song Context and Formation
The song opens with will.i.am meditating on and affirming a new, futuristic sound for himself and the rest of the Peas: "I got that rock-and-roll, that future flow". Fergie, Taboo, and apl.de.ap each offer a variation on this theme, after which Will.i.am (introduced by Fergie) demonstrates the theme at work in a series of rapid-fire raps, punctuated with digital effects. The song concludes with Fergie repeating her initial verse, forming an outro of sorts and taking the listener more or less full-circle. Fergie has commented on the unusual structure of the song, stating:
| “ | I feel that "Boom Boom Pow" is not your typical first single. It's not the typical, let's do a hooky chorus, and you know, have a feel good-heart love song, or anything like that. It's basically kind of to the left. We've always been kind of misfits, and so it kind of fits. The song is to the left, but it works, because we're being true to ourselves. | ” |
The song also attempts a futuristic quality, with Fergie rapping the lyric "I'm so three thousand and eight, you so two thousand and late." The song's beat is influenced by 1980's electro song "Planet Rock". Will.i.am stated that the lyric helped inspire the futuristic concept of the video. Will.i.am also stated on the Merrick and Rosso breakfast radio show that the song was heavily influenced by the electro sounds he heard in the nightclubs in Sydney, Australia, during the filming of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and his visit to Australia. Following the band's record breaking success with "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling", will.i.am commented in a video on Billboard on the song's success, saying:
| “ | "Boom Boom Pow" was made for underground clubs. Like, if I would've thought that was gonna be a radio song, I would've made it different. For example, when we made "Don't Lie", I was like 'oh, let's make this radio friendly. "Big Girls Don't Cry", ooh this sounds like a radio song, let me put some radio touch on it.' That don't exist anymore. There's no such thing as a radio song. Radio is what the people want, and "Boom Boom Pow" is proof that if something's dope, regardless of if it has that sprinkled radio vibe, that it should be played on the radio and the people are gonna like it. | ” |
The song received criticism for the use of the word "shit" in Will.i.am, Fergie and Taboo verses. The word was censored in the music video for the song.
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