Doo Wop (That Thing)

"Doo Wop (That Thing)"
Single by Lauryn Hill
from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Released	October 27, 1998
Format	CD single
Recorded	1998 Chung King Studios (New York) Marley Music, Inc. (Kingston)
Genre	R&B, soul, hip hop, hip hop soul
Length	5:20 3:51 (Single Edit)
Label	Ruffhouse/Columbia 78868
Writer(s)	Lauryn Hill
Producer	Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill singles chronology
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" (1998) "Ex-Factor" (1999)

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is the debut single from American R&B/Hip-Hop artist Lauryn Hill. The song is taken from debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Written and produced by Hill, the song was released as the album's lead single in October 1998. It was Hill's first and only Billboard Hot 100 number-one, to date. The song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 1999 Grammy Awards on February 24, 1999. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the tenth song in the chart's history to do so.

Release and reception

Hill's first solo singles were two 1997 movie soundtracks : "The Sweetest Thing" from Love Jones and a cover of Frankie Valli's 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for Conspiracy Theory.

"That Thing," released in 1998 as her first solo song from her debut album, was a major success. 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" to ruin their lives.

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) is considered to be a modern classic. It 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.

Tracklisting

UK CD1

1. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [Radio Edit] - 4:00
2. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [Instrumental] - 4:00
3. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [Gordon's Dub] - 4:00

UK CD2

1. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [Album Version] - 4:59
2. "Lost Ones" [Album Version] - 5:33
3. "Forgive Them Father" - 3:05

Australian Single

1. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [Radio Edit] - 4:00
2. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [Gordon's Dub] - 4:00
3. "Lost Ones" - 5:33
4. "Tell Him" - 4:40
5. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" - 4:03

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 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]

Peak positions Chart (1998) Peak Position[1] U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles 1 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 2[2] U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks 12 UK Singles Chart 3

End of year charts End of year chart (1998) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 41 Certifications Country Certification (sales thresholds) Sales United States Gold[4] 500,000

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by "The First Night" by Monica

U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single November 14, 1998 – November 21, 1998

Succeeded by "Lately" by Divine

References

1. ^ ^{a b} allmusic.com - Artist Chart History - Lauryn Hill
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1999. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
4. ^ RIAA Certifications