"This Is How We Do It" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Montell Jordan | ||||
from the album This Is How We Do It | ||||
Released | February 6, 1995 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Montell Jordan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"This Is How We Do It" on YouTube |
"This Is How We Do It" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Montell Jordan. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on February 6, 1995, as the lead single from his debut studio album of the same name (1995). The single was Def Jam's first R&B release, and is Jordan's signature song. [4] [5]
The song is a tribute to South Central Los Angeles party culture in the hip hop soul style popular at the time. [2] [4] It features Jordan singing over an enhanced Teddy Riley drumbeat sample of Slick Rick's "Children's Story" which in turn has an added interpolation of the bass of Bob James' "Nautilus". [3] "This Is How We Do It" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on April 15, 1995, rising from number six the previous week and displacing Madonna's "Take a Bow" from the top spot. It remained at number one for seven consecutive weeks. It was also number one for seven weeks on the R&B singles chart. [6] The single sold one million copies domestically and received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [7] [8] The accompanying music video for "This Is How We Do It" was directed by Hype Williams. [9] [10]
The song earned Jordan a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. The same year, the song was named Best R&B 12-inch at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami. [11]
Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel found that the track "combines enough elements to make for an unavoidable crossover hit, as Jordan's lilting voice meshes with "phat" beats, an incessant title refrain and a sample of rapper Slick Rick's 'Children's Story'." [12] Connie Johnson from Los Angeles Times felt the American R&B crooner and songwriter "has a youthful bravado", describing the song as "hard-slammin'". [13] Simon Price from Melody Maker viewed it as "Bobby Brown grooves with Snoop Dogg rhymes". [14] Another Melody Maker editor, David Stubbs, noted its "auto-pilot, fast-buck, anthemic swingbeat with the usual ring-a-ring-a-roses singalong chant and laboured partytime chorus." [15] Dele Fadele from NME praised it as "anthemic, defiant, and catchy". [16] Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update wrote, "This record is typical of everything that urban contemporary soul is about with its chugging swing/funk rhythms and intense Aaron Hall-style vocal and it's been flying out on import lately. Its main appeal is the infectious multi-vocal chorus, blasting out the song's title to ram home its anthemic qualities." He remarked that "there's masses of dancefloor appeal". [17] Another RM editor, James Hamilton, described it as a "soulfully whined, chanted and rapped rolling jackswing joller". [18]
The music video for the song was directed by American music video and film director Hype Williams. [9] [10] The video opens at a house party with people mingling. Jordan sings and dances at the party, with back dancers on a sound stage, and later sitting in a booth with a woman. It was nominated for two awards at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, in the categories for Best Dance Video and Best R&B Video. [10] Remastered in HD, the video has generated more than 176 million views on YouTube as of January 2023. [19]
British music newspaper NME ranked "This Is How We Do It" number 12 in their list of the Top 20 of 1995 in December 1995. [20] In 1996, the song earned Jordan a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards. The same year, the song was named Best R&B 12-inch at the International Dance Music Awards in Miami. [11] German magazine Spex included "This Is How We Do It" in their "The Best Singles of the Century" list in 1999. [21]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [56] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [57] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | February 6, 1995 |
| [ citation needed ] | |
Japan | April 26, 1995 | CD | Rush Associated Labels | [58] |
United Kingdom | May 1, 1995 |
| [59] |
"This Is How We Do It" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Mis-Teeq | ||||
from the album Lickin' on Both Sides | ||||
A-side | "Roll On" | |||
Released | June 17, 2002 [60] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Mis-Teeq singles chronology | ||||
|
In 2002, British girl group Mis-Teeq released their version as a double A-side with "Roll On". It peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, [62] faring four places higher than the original there. The recording by Jordan was featured in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse alongside the Rishi Rich mix of Mis-Teeq's version. The Rishi Rich remix of "This Is How We Do It" is included on the film's soundtrack. "This Is How We Do It" is included on the special edition of the album Lickin' on Both Sides .
Chart (2002) [a] | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [63] | 42 |
Australian Urban (ARIA) [64] | 13 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [65] | 34 |
Germany (GfK) [66] | 100 |
Ireland (IRMA) [67] | 41 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [68] | 25 |
Scotland (OCC) [69] | 19 |
UK Singles (OCC) [62] | 7 |
"The Party (This Is How We Do It)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Joe Stone featuring Montell Jordan | ||||
Released | May 15, 2015 [70] | |||
Recorded | 2015 | |||
Genre | House | |||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | Spinnin' | |||
Songwriter(s) | Montell Jordan | |||
Joe Stone singles chronology | ||||
|
Dutch DJ Joe Stone released a remixed version of the song in 2015 with Jordan credited as the featured artist.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Party (This Is How We Do It) (Original Mix)" (featuring Montell Jordan) | 4:44 |
2. | "The Party (This Is How We Do It) (Radio Edit)" (featuring Montell Jordan) | 3:04 |
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ireland (IRMA) [71] | 65 |
Scotland (OCC) [72] | 9 |
UK Dance (OCC) [73] | 9 |
UK Singles (OCC) [74] | 17 |
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [75] | 14 |
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Ireland | July 31, 2015 | Digital download | Spinnin' |
United Kingdom [76] |
Mis-Teeq were a British girl group, consisting of Sabrina Washington, Su-Elise Nash and Alesha Dixon. They were active from 1999–2005.
"Incomplete" is a song by American R&B singer Sisqó. It was released on June 13, 2000, as the third and final single from his first solo album, Unleash the Dragon (1999). Written by Def Soul artist Montell Jordan and Anthony "Shep" Crawford, and produced by Crawford, the song was Sisqó's biggest solo single and his only number-one hit in the US, topping both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. "Incomplete" is also Sisqó's third and most recent Hot 100 top-40 hit; within two years of its release, Sisqó would return to his role as Dru Hill's lead singer.
Eye Candy is the second and final studio album by British girl group Mis-Teeq. It was released by Telstar Records on 29 March 2003 in the United Kingdom. As with their previous album Lickin' on Both Sides (2001), the trio worked with producers StarGate, Ed Case, Mushtaq, and Rishi Rich on the majority of the album, but also consulted new collaborators such as Dave Kelly, Salaam Remi and singer Joe. Musically, Eye Candy took the band's sound further into the contemporary R&B genre, combining pop and soul music with heavy hip hop, garage and reggae elements.
"Scandalous" is a song by British girl group Mis-Teeq. It was composed by band members Su-Elise Nash, Alesha Dixon, and Sabrina Washington along with frequent collaborators Hallgeir Rustan, Tor Erik Hermansen, and Mikkel Eriksen for their second studio album, Eye Candy (2003), with record production handled by the latter two under their production moniker StarGate. Written in the key of C minor, "Scandalous" is an up-tempo R&B song with a heavy bassline, strings, a siren sound, and suggestive lyrics.
"Can't Get It Back" is a song by American recording group Blaque. It was written by Salaam Remi, Marlon Williams, and Hernst "StayBent" Bellevue, and band member Natina Reed for the group's second album, Blaque Out (2002). Production was helmed by Remi with co-production from Bellevue. The song samples from the song "We're Going to a Party" (1977) by American R&B singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Aubrey Gravatt, Joseph Freeman, and Theodore Life are also credited as songwriters. "Can't Get It Back" was released as the first single on October 16, 2001 in the United States where it peaked at 91 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. With Blaque Out eventually being shelved, "Can't Get It Back" was later re-recorded, remixed, and released by British girl group Mis-Teeq in 2003.
Sabrina Fredrica Washington is a British singer, actress, and entrepreneur initially known as the lead singer of garage/R&B girl group Mis-Teeq.
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a song by Canadian recording artist Deborah Cox, released as the lead single from her second studio album, One Wish (1998). Written by Montell Jordan and its producer, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, the song was released on the same day as the album, on September 15, 1998, by Arista Records. It is Cox's most successful song, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and spending a then-record 14 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song at number five on its "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart.
"Bump n' Grind" is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer-songwriter R. Kelly. It was released on January 28, 1994 by Jive Records, as the second single from his debut solo studio album, 12 Play (1993). The track became a number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, and it also spent twelve weeks at number one on the US Hot R&B Songs chart as Kelly's third number-one R&B hit, becoming the longest-running number-one of 1994 in the US, and the longest-running R&B single at that time. The song also reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart, following the massive success of his previous single, "She's Got That Vibe".
"Get It On Tonite" is the lead single released from American singer turned pastor Montell Jordan's fourth album, Get It On...Tonite (1999). The song was produced by Brian "Lilz" Palmer and Sergio "PLX" Moore, who used a sample of Claudja Barry's 1976 single "Love for the Sake of Love".
"Let's Ride" is the lead single released from Montell Jordan's third album of the same name. The song was produced by Teddy Bishop, arranged by R&B singer Case and featured verses from American rappers Master P and Silkk the Shocker.
"B with Me" is a song by British girl group Mis-Teeq. It was written by band members Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash, and Sabrina Washington along with Mushtaq for their debut album, Lickin' on Both Sides (2001). Rather than the album version, Grant Nelson's Bump & Flex garage remix of the song was chosen as the fourth single from the album. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. The music video features the group dancing on a beach scene, moving into a shack for Dixon's rap.
"One Night Stand" is a song by British girl group Mis-Teeq, taken from their debut album, Lickin' on Both Sides (2001). The song was released as the third single from the album on 15 October 2001 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the song was released as the second single off Mis-Teeq's self-titled US debut album in 2004, after "Scandalous". The US single was commercially released as a maxi-single and as a digital download. Musically, "One Night Stand" is an R&B song with a garage edge.
"Why?" is the debut single by British girl group Mis-Teeq. It was written by Alan Glass, David Brant, Ronald St. Louis, and Maryann Morgan and produced by Brant for Vybrant Music. Originally a midtempo R&B track, it was remixed into an uptempo UK garage remix by Matt "Jam" Lamont and DJ Face. Released as a single in January 2001, it reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. "Why?" is the only single to feature original member Zena McNally, who left the group to pursue a solo career soon after the single was released.
"All I Want" is a song by British girl group Mis-Teeq. It was written by Alesha Dixon, Sabrina Washington, David Brant, Alan Glass and Maryann Morgan and originally produced by David Brant. A UK garage remix by Ceri "Sunship" Evans was produced for their 2001 debut album Lickin' on Both Sides, and was released as a single, reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 2001. It is their joint-biggest hit, along with "Scandalous" (2003).
"Roll On" is a song by British girl group Mis-Teeq. Produced by Blacksmith, it was recorded for the group's debut album, Lickin' on Both Sides (2001). The song was released as a double A-single along with a cover version of Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" on 17 June 2002, marking the album's final single. Upon its release, it became another top-10 success for the group on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven. "This Is How We Do It" is included on the Special Edition of Lickin' on Both Sides. The Rishi Rich mix of "This Is How We Do It" is featured in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse, along with the original by Jordan. Mis-Teeq's version also appears on the film's soundtrack.
This Is How We Do It is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Montell Jordan. The album peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified platinum. The album also featured the single "This Is How We Do It", which made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and No. 1 on the Rhythmic Top 40. Another single, "Somethin' 4 da Honeyz", peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Stargate is a Norwegian record production and songwriting duo, composed of Tor E. Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen and based in Los Angeles, California. The duo has been credited on hit songs and albums for American R&B, pop and hip hop acts.
"Somethin' 4 da Honeyz" is the second single released from American singer-songwriter Montell Jordan's debut album, This Is How We Do It (1995). Produced by Oji Pierce, the song was the follow-up to Montell's number-one hit, "This Is How We Do It" and was released in July 1995 by Def Jam and Island. It became his second consecutive hit, peaking at 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in September 1995 for shipments of over 500,000 copies. The official remix entitled the "Human Rhythm Remix" was produced by Derrick Edmondson and featured an appearance by Redman. Both the original and remix had promotional music videos released. The track sampled "Summer Madness" by Kool & the Gang.
"I Like" is a song by American artist Montell Jordan and Slick Rick that appeared both on Montell's second album, More... and the Nutty Professor soundtrack. Co-produced by Derick "D Man" McElveen and James Earl Jones, "I Like" became a hit in both the US, where it peaked at 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the UK, where it peaked at 24 on the UK Singles Chart. "I Like" was also Slick Rick's first single since his release from prison.
Shep Crawford is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and gospel musician, songwriter, and record producer best known for Whitney Houston's "Same Script, Different Cast", Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", Tamia's "Stranger in My House", Sisqó's "Incomplete", and Kelly Price's "As We Lay". He is the founder and pastor of The Experience Christian Ministries in Los Angeles, California.
The latest cut sees the Mis-Teeq girls moving away from garage to serve up a perfect slice of summery R&B pop.