After the release of
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004, Stefani originally intended to return to
No Doubt and start recording tracks for their upcoming and untitled sixth studio album, which would later become
Push and Shove (2012). Instead,
Pharrell Williams convinced her to record several more songs in
Miami, Florida and
Hollywood,
California in July 2005, for a possible
extended play (EP) or as bonus tracks on her live album
Harajuku Lovers Live. "
Wind It Up" and "Orange County Girl" were re-recorded after being originally featured during Stefani's 2005
Harajuku Lovers Tour, while tracks "U Started It", "Breakin' Up", "Candyland", and "Yummy" were developed for the singer's second album. On November 11, 2006, "Yummy" was released as a
promotional single on
CD and
12-inch format, with both containing the instrumental, an a cappella version, and either the radio edit or album version. "Yummy" was written by Stefani and
Pharrell Williams, while
The Neptunes handled the track's production. Its style can be described as
dance pop that contains a day-glo
rap. As described by Mark Pytlik from
Pitchfork, the song "mov[es] from a skeletal rhythmic backbone and resound[s a] '
Milkshake'-pitching triangle into a spiraling melody line that sounds like a
Sherman Brothers outtake". The recording opens with a "subdued, subtle and quiet atmosphere", while the outro consists of "scary and demented circus music", Stefani discusses roles of a
homemaker in the lyrics, singing: "I know you've been waiting but I've been out making babies" and "Man, there's so much heat beneath these clothes / It's time to make you sweat". Food imagery is continually mentioned in its lyrics, which Quentin B. Huff, writing for
PopMatters, saw as an imitation of "Milkshake". == Critical reception ==