"Cool Girl" is a song recorded by Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo for her second studio album Lady Wood (2016).

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.

The writing process for "Cool Girl" started when Tove Lo was taking a day off during her Queen of the Clouds Tour (2015) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

[4] "Cool Girl" is a downtempo[5] electropop song that incorporates elements of techno and house music,[3][6][7] with a length of three minutes and nineteen seconds.

"[16] During the bridge, "I got fever highs / I got boiling blood / I'm that fire kind / We could burn together", Lo's narrator admits she is not a "cool girl" and that she prefers to have a passionate connection with her lover.

Writing for The Guardian, Alexandra Pollard noted the song's sarcastic tone and concluded the lyrics are about the false lack of interest people—especially women—are expected to show at the beginning of a relationship.

[18] Alim Kheraj from DIY labelled "Cool Girl" as a "non-conformist anthem" in which the narrator prefers "lusty casualness" over monogamy.

[19] In contrast, Jenesaispop's Jordi Bardají concluded the song talks about the desire for freedom in a relationship, as indicated in the verses, "We don't put a label on it, so we can run free, yeah".

[22] On 29 July, on Twitter, Lo revealed her new single was called "Cool Girl" and uploaded a seven-second instrumental of the track and announced its release date.

[23] It was made available for digital download and streaming on 4 August 2016 as the lead single from Lo's second studio album Lady Wood (2016).

[8] In an interview with iHeart Radio, Lo said she selected "Cool Girl" as Lady Wood's first single because she felt it is a "great introduction" to the album that exemplifies its mix of pop melodies and personal lyrics with "minimal and aggressive" beats.

[15] The day before its release, New Zealand singer Lorde praised "Cool Girl" on Twitter, calling it the "pop song of the summer".

"[14] Heather Phares of AllMusic selected "Cool Girl" as a "track pick" for Lady Wood, saying it sets the musical tone for the rest of the record.

[30] Amy Mackelden of Bustle considered it the "perfect summer anthem" because of its "bold" lyrics and praised the track's themes about casual relationships.

[32] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters called "Cool Girl" a "wobbly single" that "struts in a deep funk that stands out from the rest of the album".

[33] Newsday's Glenn Gamboa said "Cool Girl" is a stylish song that shows "how crafty [Lo] can be with her lyrics when the groove, offered by producers The Struts, is unstoppable".

[11] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Ed Nash labeled "Cool Girl" one of "pop anthems of the entire year" because of its "infectious" chorus.

[36] The staff of website Idolator reviewed "Cool Girl"; Robbie Daw said it has a subtle, club-friendly charm and Rachel Sonis called it a "sarcastic, flirty anthem".

[37] Sebas E. Alonso of Jenesaispop noted "Cool Girl" was not as successful in North America as Lo's previous singles "Habits (Stay High)" (2013) and "Talking Body" (2015).

[47] In Denmark, "Cool Girl" peaked at number 26 on the Track Top 40 chart and was certified gold by the IFPI Danmark for selling 45,000 copies there.

[50][51] In France, "Cool Girl" reached number 145[52] and the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) certified it gold for selling 66,666 copies in the country.

[13][69] According to Tove Lo, the "Cool Girl" segment of Fairy Dust represents freedom from her "self-destructive side", which is portrayed by Esco, with whom she has a "love and hate relationship".

[77] Isis Briones of Teen Vogue stated the scene in which Lo shaves her head parallels the moment Amy Dunne "starts to snap" in Gone Girl.

[83] She wore a T-shirt, a sweater, and black underwear, and while she sang she briefly touched her crotch as a homage to Michael Jackson's dancing routines.

[84] Clara Tengbom, executive producer of Idol 2016, told the newspaper Expressen TV4 decided to broadcast the entire performance because they felt it was "important" the singer was not censored.

"[86] On 8 November,[87] Lo performed "Cool Girl" and a cover of Glass Animals' song "Life Itself" (2016) with an accompanying band on BBC Radio 1's segment Live Lounge.

[90] On 21 November, the singer performed "Cool Girl" on The X Factor Australia; she wore a bomber jacket and a bathing suit while singing and dancing on a barely illuminated stage.

[91][92] Rachel Sonis praised the performance, saying Lo "dazzled the crowd" and "effortlessly crooned her song's sultry lyrics" while dancing in her outfits.

[91] Kevin Apaza of Direct Lyrics complimented the singer's vocal rendition but criticized the stage lighting, saying he could not see Lo's face properly.