Mr. Big Stuff

"Mr. Big Stuff"
Single by Jean Knight
from the album Mr. Big Stuff
B-side	"Why I Keep Living These Memories"
Released	May 1971
Genre	Soul
Length	2:27
Label	Stax
Writer(s)	Joseph Broussard Carol Washington Ralph Williams
Producer	Wardell Quezergue
Jean Knight singles chronology
"Mr. Big Stuff" (1971) "You Think You're Hot" (1971)

"Mr. Big Stuff" is a song by R&B singer Jean Knight. Released from her 1971 debut album of the same title, it became a huge crossover hit. The song spent five weeks at number-one on Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.^[1] "Mr. Big Stuff" would become one of Stax Records's most popular and recognizable hits. It was also featured in the film D2: The Mighty Ducks and in the 1977 mini-series, "The Bronx Is Burning.".^[2]

Cover versions

• American all-female heavy metal band Precious Metal (which included singer-guitarist Janet Robin as a member) released a cover of the song from their self-titled 1990 album.
• Canadian singer Sheree Jeacocke included a cover of the song on her 1995 EP Jeacocke.

Sampling

• In 1987, rapper Heavy D recorded "Mr. Big Stuff", which also became a hit. Though his version was entirely different from the original version, Knight's hook line ("Mr. Big Stuff, who do you think you are?") was prominently featured throughout the song.
• In 1994, the song was prominently interpolated into TLC's "Switch" on their CrazySexyCool album.
• A sample of the composition was used for the self-titled song by Queen Latifah, Shades and Free, which was included on the soundtrack of the 1996 movie The Associate.
• "Mr. Big Stuff" was sampled in 2000 by Everclear in the song "AM Radio from their album Songs from an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile."

References

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 331. 
2. ^ "D2: The Mighty Ducks - Original Soundtrack" allmusic.com. Retrieved 2010-11-03.

External links

• Song overview on Allmusic

Preceded by "Don't Knock My Love (Pt. 1)" by Wilson Pickett

Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles number one single July 3 - July 31, 1971

Succeeded by "Hot Pants (Pt. 1) by James Brown