Stomp Your Feet to Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" Classroom Instruments Video
This bit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" is a sassy spelling lesson, so it's fitting that she'd finally take it into the classroom. In a video from November 26, Stefani joined Jimmy Fallon and The Roots in the iconic Classroom Instruments setting to perform "Hollaback Girl," the beloved single from the singer's 2004 solo debut album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
The Voice Coach recently stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform "Bouquet," the title track off of her latest album. So Stefani treating fans to a new rendition of her classic track was a...bananas holiday surprise.
RELATED: Gwen Stefani Blossoms With Sweet "Bouquet" Performance on The Tonight Show
In addition to their percussion instruments, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots all held silver poms — appropriate for the song's cheerleader motif. Stefani not only had her hands full with her own pom, she also started off by singing into a banana, inspired by the catchy lyrics.
Since there's no cursing in the classroom, they had to refrain from shouting a part of the chorus. That didn't stop the group from still belting "B-A-N-A-N-A-S" — making this latest Classroom Instruments video not only a funky throwback jam, but also educational.
It's been 20 years since the song premiered, and Stefani is still teaching the children!
What is the meaning of the Hollaback Girl lyrics?
In a 2021 video for Brut, Stefani explained that, "Basically [a 'hollaback girl' is] someone who is going to be, like, going back at somebody that’s coming at them. It could be in a bad way or a good way. But the way that I use it, I wouldn't be that person. I'm above that kind of thing."
The term could be interpreted in different ways. According to Urban Dictionary, a "hollaback girl" is someone "who responds only with these verbal insults, without ever actually taking it to the next level."
RELATED: Here's What Gwen Stefani's Song "Hollaback Girl" Is Really About
The "Purple Irises" singer wrote "Hollaback Girl" with Voice alum Pharrell Williams, and she explained to NBC how after coming up with the chorus, the two knew they had a hit on their hands.
"We wrote the song pretty quickly. He kinda came [up] with the chorus and then he left...He came back and helped me finish things up," she recalled. "And I remember both of us looking at each other and going, 'OK, wait a minute.' We literally called everyone. We got the champagne. We couldn’t have been more excited about it."
Watch Stefani, Fallon and The Roots perform "Hollaback Girl" with Classroom Instruments in the video above.
