Claim: Gwen Stefani co-wrote a song.

`` Hollaback Girl '' is a song recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani for her debut solo studio album , Love . Angel . Music . Baby . -LRB- 2004 -RRB- . As part of Stefani 's vision of creating `` a silly dance record '' , `` Hollaback Girl '' is a hip hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip hop and dance music . The song was written by Stefani , Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo , supposedly as a response to Courtney Love 's statement that Stefani was a `` cheerleader '' in an interview with Seventeen magazine . The song was released as the album 's third single on March 15 , 2005 , and was one of the year 's most popular songs , peaking inside the top 10 on the majority of the charts it entered . It reached number one in Australia and the United States , where it became the first digital download to sell one million copies .   `` Hollaback Girl '' received several award nominations , including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year at the 48th Grammy Awards , but lost in both categories . The single divided pop music critics , with some praising its minimalistic production and others declaring it embarrassing ; men 's magazine Maxim called it the `` Most Annoying Song Ever '' . In the United States , it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and was ranked at number two on the Year-End Hot 100 . The recording topped the charts in Australia and reached the top ten in several other countries , including Ireland , Italy , New Zealand and the United Kingdom . It has since been certified platinum in United States by the RIAA , and in Australia by ARIA .   A music video representing Stefani as a cheerleader at a California high school was released on March 21 , 2005 , and was directed by Paul Hunter . The visual received four nominations at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards , and ultimately won for Best Choreography . The singer has performed `` Hollaback Girl '' on numerous occasions , including on all three of her concert tours , and on several televised appearances .