Dirty Dawg

Last updated
"Dirty Dawg"
Dirty Dawg.jpg
Single by NKOTB
from the album Face the Music
ReleasedDecember 20, 1993 (1993-12-20)
Recorded1993
Genre New jack swing [1]
Length
  • 4:12 (album version)
  • 3:34 (album version with no rap)
  • 3:16 (radio edit)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
  • D. Wahlberg
  • J. Johnson
  • J. Knight
  • J.R. Jackson
  • Larry Thomas
  • Nice & Smooth
NKOTB singles chronology
"If You Go Away"
(1991)		"Dirty Dawg"
(1993)		"Never Let You Go"
(1994)
Music video
"Dirty Dawg" on YouTube

"Dirty Dawg" is a song by American boyband NKOTB (formerly New Kids on the Block), which became their final single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 until the 2008 single "Summertime". It was featured on their 1994 album Face the Music and released in December 1993, by Columbia Records. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg rapped in the song, but he rapped only small bits during the instrumental breaks. There was another rap in the song featured by the former East Coast hip hop duo Nice & Smooth. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 66 and broke the top 40 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 27. The accompanying music video was directed by Scott Kalvert. "Dirty Dawg" contains a sample of "That's the Way Love Goes", as performed by Janet Jackson.

Contents

Critical reception

Upon the single release, Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Something happened to these "kids" during their three-year break from recording ... they grew into credible vocalists. Smokin' first single from the new Face the Music album shines with solid singing, a red-hot groove, and a tune that sticks to brain upon impact. It may be an uphill battle at radio, though an open mind will hear a track that demands airtime." [2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Besides, of all newcomers during NKTOB's three-year absence, East 17 is the only act with a similarly streetwise attitude. But then again, the first single 'Dirty Dawg' shows up the unbridgable difference between combat zones Walthamstow (London) and the Bronx (NYC). The daily problems are thesame though." [3]

James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update named it a "moaning funky jack-swing lurcher" in his weekly dance column. [1] Tony Cross from Smash Hits gave the song a score of four out of five, writing, "NKOTB have been as reliable as a fake Rolex recently. But from the moment 'Dirty Dawg' literally barks out of the speakers you'll know they are back. Harder and better than anything else they've done, 'Dirty Dawg' sees the Oldish Kids taking their pop talent, mixing in a dash of Cypress Hill and coming up with a growling groove that East 17's Lecy would be proud of." [4]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Dirty Dawg" was directed by American film director Scott Kalvert. It starts off with a young woman running through the forest with a search dog barking after her. Then the scene switches back and forth from the band attending a party being held at a brothel to a construction site where the group raps and dances. Towards the end, Nice & Smooth appear to give a rap cameo, while the group breakdances.

The music video received a formal warning from the Independent Television Commission, which led to MTV Europe being force to move the video into late-night time slots. [5] The Canadian station MuchMusic banned it from appearing on its schedule, due to the suggested violence and misogynistic themes.

Track listings

  1. "Dirty Dawg" (LP Version) – 4:12
  2. "Dirty Dawg" (Radio Version No Rap) – 3:16
  3. "Dirty Dawg" (Greg Nice Remix) – 4:46
  4. "Dirty Dawg" (Barbosa / Liggett House Mix) – 7:03
  5. "Dirty Dawg" (Liggett / Barbosa Hip Hop Mix) – 5:01
  1. "Dirty Dawg" (LP Version) – 4:12
  2. "Dirty Dawg" (Radio Version No Rap) – 3:16

Charts

Chart (1994)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [6] 20
Canada Retail Singles ( The Record ) [7] 3
Europe (European Dance Radio) [8] 5
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) [10] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] 41
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [12] 13
Scotland (OCC) [13] 60
Spain (Top 40 Radio) [14] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [15] 15
UK Singles (OCC) [16] 27
UK Club Chart ( Music Week ) [17] 66
US Billboard Hot 100 [18] 66
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [19] 73
US Cash Box Top 100 [20] 84

References

  1. 1 2 Hamilton, James (February 19, 1994). "DJ directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  2. ↑ Flick, Larry (January 8, 1994). "Single Reviews: Pop" (PDF). Billboard . p. 71. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  3. ↑ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 6. February 5, 1994. p. 11. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  4. ↑ Cross, Tony (February 2, 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits . p. 50. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  5. ↑ Russell, Deborah (June 4, 1994). "The Eye: 'Sound fX' Set To Wing It; NKOTB's Too-Dirty 'Dawg'" (PDF). Billboard . p. 63. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ "NKOTB – Dirty Dawg". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Hits of the World: Canada" (PDF). Billboard . February 19, 1994. p. 46. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  8. ↑ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 12. March 19, 1994. p. 25. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). ""New Kids On The Block". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960-30.6.21 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 182" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Tipparade-lijst van week 10, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  11. ↑ "NKOTB – Dirty Dawg" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  12. ↑ "NKOTB – Dirty Dawg". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  14. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  15. ↑ "NKOTB – Dirty Dawg". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  17. ↑ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). February 12, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  18. ↑ "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  19. ↑ "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. LVII, no. 24. February 26, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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