Genie in A Bottle - Writing and Development

Writing and Development

An executive for EMI records, Carla Ondrasik decided to introduce two of her most prominent songwriters, David Frank and Steve Kipner.Together the pair started work together, and soon after decided to collaborate with another writer, named Pamelia Sheyne. The night before their songwriting appointment David Frank awoke with an idea for a song which consisted of an eight bar loop with "a lot of different changes" and during the time in which he was presenting the track to Sheyne, she performed the lyrics "If you want to be with me" which Frank liked. Together the three writers continued adding lyrics to a "really fast" writing session, the writers agreed that intellect was an afterthought during the writing sessions, with the main intention to create a "hit song". A writer for Allmusic, Ed Hogan, summarized the writing session noting;

Keyboardist/songwriter/producer David Frank had decided to write some songs with songwriter/producer Steve Kipner and Pam Sheyne. Before this first writing session, Frank had accumulated some song ideas. Still, he felt that he needed a song idea that would get the trio's first-time collaboration off to a good start. Waking up at 2 o'clock in the morning, Frank's muse was wide open and six hours later, he'd created the instrumental track for what would become "Genie in a Bottle." One of the song's most arresting features is the rapid 32nd-note bass drum pattern, an arranging feature that Frank used when he was half of the pioneering synth duo the System. When presented with the completed track the next day, Kipner and Sheyne were delighted. The trio decided that a female would sing lead since Sheyne could do the lead vocal on the song demo. Remembering a tape that was passed along to him by RCA executive Ron Fair, Frank suggested Christina Aguilera. Teamed with teenager Aguilera's dazzling, very adult-sounding vocals, it was a can't-miss combination.

Christina failed to write any of the lyrics for the record but instead contributed a spoken hook, explaining "Basically, because there wasn't enough time as we didn't want a long gap between the release of the Mulan soundtrack and my album. In "Genie in a Bottle" the only writing thing I think I got in there was the little hook "I'm a Genie in a Bottle baby" so that little "come, come, come on in" that was whole little thing, my little hook-y thing in there." However later Aguilera claimed increasingly that she had a substantial role in the production of the track, she was unsatisfied with the "rough beginnings" of the track and decided to spend time developing it, recalling "I was a little unhappy with the rough beginnings of the song, so I put my own flavor into it. Before that, it was too keyed into the pop sound that was happening at the time, which often has no soul. I put some ad-libs into it, spiced it up, and the R&B drum pattern, changed it." The title of the track was originally presented as "If You Want to Be With Me" and it wasn't until Aguilera's management questioned the title adding the idea that it should be titled "Genie in a Bottle" that the final track-name was produced. The titling was conceived to present an Arabian theme, something with the label felt they could market noting it could inspire beaded jewelry and clothing and it was a way to develop the record's theme. After the track with the original name was presented to acts it received a lot of interest and after group Innocence, an up-and-coming band expressed interest the writers thought the band would have a better chance making the song a hit. However Ron Fair, executive for RCA pushed for the track, the writers allowed Aguilera to record the track to see what they thought and after she had completed the recording, the three had "no doubt" she was right for the track.