What A Girl Wants
Christina Aguilera · Christina Aguilera [1999]
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever makes me happy and sets you free
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
(Yeah, c'mon)
Ooh ohh, yeah yeah
I wanna thank you for giving me time to breathe
Like a rock you waited so patiently
While I got it together, oh, while I figured it out (yeah, yeah)
I only looked but I never touched
'Cause in my heart was a picture of us
Holding hands making plans
And it's lucky for me you understand
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
And I'm thanking you for knowing exactly
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
And I'm thanking you for being there for me
Ooh, ohh oh yeah yeah
A weaker man might have walked away but you had faith
Strong enough to move over and give me space
While I got it together, yeah, while I figured it out
They say if you love something let it go
If it comes back it's yours and that's how you know
It's for keeps, yeah, it's for sure
And you're ready and willing to give me more than
What a girl wants (yeah) what a girl needs (yeah)
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
And I'm thanking you for giving it to me
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
And I'm thanking you for being there for me
Oh baby, oh darling
Thank you, thank you
A girl needs somebody sensitive but tough
Somebody there when the going gets rough
Every night he'll be giving his love
(He'll be giving his love)
To just one girl (to one girl, oh)
Somebody cool but real tender too
Somebody, baby, just like you
Can keep me hanging around
With the one who always knew...
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
(You knew, you knew, you knew)
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
Ohh oh, I'm thanking you for being there for me
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
Whatever keeps me in your arms is what I need
What a girl wants, what a girl needs (ooh, yeah)
Whatever makes me happy sets you free...
Always what I need, always what I want
What I need, what I want, and you've got, yeah yeah
Oh baby, I thank you, cause you know... ooh...
What you got, is what I need
What you want, hahaha, what I want
Ooh, ohh yeah
Oh baby, oh darling
I thank you, thank you
For giving me what I need
And for what I want
Ohh... oh yeah yeah
(Ooh, oh oh)
I turn around there, whenever you're not there
Oh yeah yeah
Whatever makes me happy and sets you free
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
(Yeah, c'mon)
Ooh ohh, yeah yeah
I wanna thank you for giving me time to breathe
Like a rock you waited so patiently
While I got it together, oh, while I figured it out (yeah, yeah)
I only looked but I never touched
'Cause in my heart was a picture of us
Holding hands making plans
And it's lucky for me you understand
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
And I'm thanking you for knowing exactly
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
And I'm thanking you for being there for me
Ooh, ohh oh yeah yeah
A weaker man might have walked away but you had faith
Strong enough to move over and give me space
While I got it together, yeah, while I figured it out
They say if you love something let it go
If it comes back it's yours and that's how you know
It's for keeps, yeah, it's for sure
And you're ready and willing to give me more than
What a girl wants (yeah) what a girl needs (yeah)
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
And I'm thanking you for giving it to me
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
And I'm thanking you for being there for me
Oh baby, oh darling
Thank you, thank you
A girl needs somebody sensitive but tough
Somebody there when the going gets rough
Every night he'll be giving his love
(He'll be giving his love)
To just one girl (to one girl, oh)
Somebody cool but real tender too
Somebody, baby, just like you
Can keep me hanging around
With the one who always knew...
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
(You knew, you knew, you knew)
Whatever makes me happy sets you free
Ohh oh, I'm thanking you for being there for me
What a girl wants, what a girl needs
Whatever keeps me in your arms
Whatever keeps me in your arms is what I need
What a girl wants, what a girl needs (ooh, yeah)
Whatever makes me happy sets you free...
Always what I need, always what I want
What I need, what I want, and you've got, yeah yeah
Oh baby, I thank you, cause you know... ooh...
What you got, is what I need
What you want, hahaha, what I want
Ooh, ohh yeah
Oh baby, oh darling
I thank you, thank you
For giving me what I need
And for what I want
Ohh... oh yeah yeah
(Ooh, oh oh)
I turn around there, whenever you're not there
Oh yeah yeah
What A Girl Wants
Released in 1999 on Christina Aguilera's self-titled debut album, 'What A Girl Wants' stands as a defining pop anthem of the late nineties. The track showcases Aguilera's powerful vocal range and her ability to blend R&B sensibilities with mainstream pop production. As a lead single, it became a global commercial success, reinforcing her status as a major new talent and establishing a template for female-led pop ballads that year. The song's enduring appeal lies in its catchy melody and Aguilera's emotive delivery, which resonated with audiences worldwide and remains a staple of her early discography.
