Sally Walker (song)

On 11 December 2018, Azalea shared a preview of the single through Instagram.[2] In February 2019, the announcement of the single release was accompanied by a picture of Azalea in a "dramatic cobalt-blue eye makeup and a bold red lip" with a "Barbie-esque look" in front of a blood-orange background. The song title is in a cross shape above her head, and below Azalea are the words "A Celebration of Life" and the release date.[3] The official single cover was then unveiled a few days later and featured the rapper posing on the hood of a monster-truck hearse wearing a giant red veil.[4] The title is a reference to children's rhyme dance game Little Sally Walker. Internet personality and makeup artist James Charles, who did Azalea's makeup for the artwork, filmed a makeup tutorial with Azalea ahead of the release date.[5]

"Sally Walker" was written by Azalea alongside its producer J. White Did It, who also serves as the executive producer on In My Defense.[6] The track is two minutes and fifty-eight seconds long.[7] It is a trap-inspired hip hop song,[8][9] that includes a piano melody.[10] Its piano beat was noted to be similar to Cardi B's "Money" (2018), which was also produced by White, and Kendrick Lamar's "Humble" (2017), produced by Mike Will Made It.[11][12] The song interpolates the popular nursery rhyme of the same name and follows the same flow.[10] The "sassy, attitude-heavy" lyrics are described as showcasing "an Iggy that is unbothered by criticism as she's her own number one fan."[13]

"Sally Walker" received positive reviews from music critics. Mike Nied of Idolator said the song "puts a fresh spin on the much-loved kiddie anthem," describing it as "both twerkable and hummable".[14] Writing for V magazine, Julian Wright stated that Azalea "shows off her lyrical prowess and playful delivery" and the song "weaves through coy choruses of the game's repetitive nursery rhyme and clever bars delivered with heft".[15] HipHopDX commented that "Iggy has been making a huge effort with her career as of lately, and it has been paying off, as many of the work she puts out really slaps,"[16] while Rap-Up said "the twerk-ready banger marks a return to Iggy's mixtape roots."[17] Dani Blum of Pitchfork, in an otherwise negative review of its parent album In My Defense, praised "Sally Walker" as the best song on the album, comparing its "sparkling piano chords" to Cardi B's "Money".[18]

The first televised performance of the song took place on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 4 April 2019 during the show's week-long stint in Las Vegas, with Azalea performing at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in front of the famed Stardust logo. After a solo intro from Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, who is also featured in the song's music video, Azalea emerged from inside a red coffin in a red bodysuit covered with pearls, along with female dancers, as neon logos for some iconic Strip landmarks flashed on stage throughout the performance.[24]