| "Doo Wop (That Thing)" | ||||
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| Single by Lauryn Hill | ||||
| from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | ||||
| Released | October 27, 1998 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | R&B Neo Soul Alternative hip hop |
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| Length | 5:20 3:51 (Single Edit) |
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| Label | Ruffhouse/Columbia 78868 |
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| Writer(s) | Lauryn Hill | |||
| Producer | Lauryn Hill | |||
| Lauryn Hill singles chronology | ||||
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"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a 1998 track by American hip hop singer/rapper Lauryn Hill, included on her debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Contents |
Release and reception
Hill's first solo single were to 1997 movie soundtracks : "The Sweetest Thing" from Love Jones (soundtrack) and a cover of Frankie Valli's 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for Conspiracy Theory (film).
That Thing--released in Spring 1998 as her first solo song from her debut album—was a major success. Some consider it her only major solo success[by whom?]. It became the 10th single to debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed there for two weeks in the fall of 1998. It won two Grammy Awards the following February. The successes of "Doo Wop" and the Miseducation album established Hill as a success outside of her group, The Fugees.
Background
The song is a warning from Hill to African-American men and women caught in "the struggle". Both the women who "try to be a hardrock when they really are a gem", and the men who are "more concerned with his rims, and his Timbs, than his women", are admonished by Hill, who warns them not to allow "that thing", whatever it may be, to ruin their lives[citation needed].
Awards and Recognition
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is included as number 359 on the Songs of the Century list. At the Grammy Awards of 1999, the song won two awards: Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The song's music video won four 1999 MTV Video Music Awards for: Best Female Video, Best R&B Video, Best Art Direction, and Video of the Year.
Music video
The music video for Doo Wop (That Thing) was filmed using a split screen technique, the video features Hill, who was six months pregnant at the time, performing "Doo Wop" at block parties in two different eras: the mid-1960s and the late-1990s. The video was directed by duo Big TV!. It was filmed in Washington Heights, Manhattan.
Covers
Devendra Banhart has covered the song during live performances including Bonnaroo 2006, the Pitchfork Music Festival and Tim Festival 2006, in Brazil. Amy Winehouse has also incorporated the song into her own "He Can Only Hold Her" at live concerts in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Rihanna covered the song while on Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour in 2008. The American avant-rock band Mr. Bungle often performed an excerpt of the song as an outro for their song Travolta (Quote Unquote) during live shows in the mid- to late nineties, and up to their unofficial demise in 2002.
Sales chart performance
The song charted on several charts in the U.S. upon release.[1]
| Chart (1998) | Peak Position[1] |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks | 12 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
References
| Preceded by "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies |
Billboard Hot 100 1998 November 14, 1998(first run) November 21, 1998(second run) |
Succeeded by "Lately" by Divine |
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