| "Cool Girl" | ||||
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| Single by Tove Lo | ||||
| from the album Lady Wood | ||||
| Released | 4 August 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2016 | |||
| Genre | Electropop | |||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | The Struts | |||
| Tove Lo singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Cool Girl" on YouTube | ||||
"Cool Girl" is a song recorded by Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo for her second studio album Lady Wood (2016). Lo co-wrote the song with its producers Jakob Jerlström and Ludvig Söderberg, who are known collectively as The Struts. The track was released for digital download and streaming on 4 August 2016 as the album's lead single. It was released to contemporary hit radio stations in the United States on 23 August and three days later in the United Kingdom.
"Cool Girl" is a downtempo electropop song with elements of techno and house music. Its lyrics were inspired by a monologue spoken by the character Amy Elliott-Dunne in the 2014 film Gone Girl. According to Lo, the lyrics are about the games people play in a relationship because they are scared to be vulnerable. Critics had diverse opinions about the track's meanings, with some of them noting its themes of casual relationships. The song received positive reviews, commending its production and lyrical themes. "Cool Girl" entered the top 30 in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden. It was certified platinum in Sweden and gold in Australia, Denmark and New Zealand.
A music video for "Cool Girl" premiered on 19 August 2016 as the first installment of the Tim Erem-directed short film Fairy Dust, which features six songs from Lady Wood. In the clip, Lo dances in a motel parking lot with a group of dancers while in another scene she is seen shaven-headed and writhing on top of a glass coffin in a desert. Lo performed "Cool Girl" in 2016 on television shows The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Sweden's Idol and The X Factor Australia. Lo's performance on Idol garnered negative reviews from viewers, who criticized the singer for touching her crotch on a family-friendly show. Lo later included "Cool Girl" on the set list of her Lady Wood Tour in 2017.