"Top of the World" | ||||
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Single by Brandy featuring Mase | ||||
from the album Never Say Never | ||||
Released | July 7, 1998 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:41 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Brandy singles chronology | ||||
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Mase singles chronology | ||||
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"Top of the World" is a song by American singer Brandy Norwood, from her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). The song was written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Isaac Phillips, Nycolia "Tye-V" Turman, and Mason Betha, with Darkchild and Norwood producing and Mase having featured vocals. Released as the album's second international single in 1998, the track peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top 20 in Iceland, Ireland, and New Zealand.
The music video for "Top of the World" was directed by Paul Hunter in June 1998 and became a huge success on the music video channels, BET and MTV. In the video, Norwood floats in the air where she does somersaults and other gymnastic movements. She performed the song live at the MTV Movie Awards and the remix version with Big Pun and Fat Joe at the Soul Train Awards which aired in 1999. Norwood performed the song on her first world tour Never Say Never World Tour (1998-1999), the TV special Brandy in Concert: A Special for the Holidays (1999) and on her second world tour, Human World Tour (2009) where it was part of a "1990s medley".
Larry Flick from Billboard felt that the song was a fitting follow up to "The Boy is Mine" and that Brandy now "proves that she has the chops to take on the most seasoned champs of R&B and pop". [1] He also praised the lyrics and production, saying "the smart lyrics are couched in chunky funk beats and smooth guitar/keyboard interplay. [1] Music Week described the song as "another slick piece of Rodney Jerkins (Boy Is Mine) R&B" and felt that "the best bits comes from mase". [2]
"Top of the World" topped the UK R&B Singles Chart for six weeks and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song became the second consecutive European success for Brandy and peaked at number 20 on the Eurochart Hot 100. "Top of the World" also charted at number 11 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and 21 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. In the United States, it was a modest hit on the Billboard charts, peaking at number 44 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, number 19 on the Hot R&B Singles chart, and number 10 on the Rhythmic chart.
A music video for "Top of the World" was directed by Paul Hunter and filmed in June 1998. [3] A surrealistic clip built on digital effects, it features Norwood floating in the air, flipping and somersaulting above various objects such as telephone poles and vehicles—as passersby stopped to stare—and balancing vertically and horizontally alongside skyscrapers and other buildings. [4]
A remix version with Latin rappers Fat Joe and Big Pun appeared on Pun's 2001 compilation album Endangered Species . The Darkchild-produced song was previously released on the remix EP U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To) - The Remix EP (1999). The remix samples Ahmad's single "Back in the Day."
On 1 June 2023, Nigerian singer Burna Boy released the single "Sittin' On Top Of The World" featuring Atlanta rapper 21 Savage, which heavily samples "Top of the World". [5] [6] [7] [8] It earned a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Top of the World" (No Rap Edit) |
|
| 3:32 |
2. | "Top of the World" (Edit featuring Mase) |
|
| 4:11 |
3. | "Top of the World" (LP Version) |
|
| 4:41 |
4. | "Top of the World" (Boogiesoul Remix Radio Edit) |
| 4:16 | |
5. | "The Boy Is Mine" (Radio Edit With Intro; duet with Monica) |
|
| 4:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Top of the World" (Edit featuring Mase) |
|
| 4:11 |
2. | "Top of the World" (No Rap Edit) |
|
| 3:32 |
3. | "Top of the World" (Instrumental) |
|
| 4:41 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Top of the World" (Edit featuring Mase) |
|
| 4:11 |
2. | "Top of the World" (Boogiesoul Remix Radio Edit) |
| 4:16 | |
3. | "Top of the World" (Part II featuring Fat Joe & Big Pun) |
|
| 4:07 |
Notes
Sample credits
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Never Say Never. [9]
|
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [35] | Silver | 200,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | July 7, 1998 | Atlantic | [36] | |
Japan | September 5, 1998 | CD | [37] | |
United Kingdom | September 28, 1998 |
| [38] | |
Canada | October 27, 1998 | CD | [39] |
Rodney Roy Jerkins, also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
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"Full Moon" is a song recorded by American singer Brandy for her third studio album of the same title (2002). A breakaway from Rodney Jerkins' dominating influence on the album, it was written and produced by Mike City, one of the few producers Norwood worked with on Full Moon apart from Jerkins and his production and songwriting crew. Described by Norwood as "ghetto", the track is an R&B and pop song with a simple, piano-led production. Lyrically, the song follows Norwood as she experiences love at first sight in a nightclub, whose circumstances she attributes to a full moon night.
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American singer Brandy Norwood entered the music business as a backing vocalist for R&B boy bands such as Immature, prior to launching her own career in 1994. Her discography, as a solo artist, includes eight studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play, 42 singles, 46 album appearances and 26 soundtrack appearances. Norwood has sold over 8.6 million albums in the United States, and more than 40 million records worldwide. Additionally, she has won over 100 awards as a recording artist. In 1999, Billboard ranked Norwood among the top 20 of the Top Pop Artists of the 1990s.
"Sittin' Up in My Room" is a song by American recording artist Brandy. It was written and produced by Babyface and recorded by Norwood for the soundtrack of the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale, starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The song was among five of the album's singles and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, seeing Norwood's furthest commercial success on the chart at that time. The bass intro is similar to that of the riff performed by bassist Larry Graham, of Sly and the Family Stone, on their hit "Thank You ", and its remix featuring LL Cool J contains a sample of "Haven't You Heard" by Patrice Rushen.
"Never Say Never" is a song recorded by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. The song was written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Japhe Tejeda, Rick Williams, and Norwood for her same-titled second studio album, released in 1998, featuring main production by Jerkins and additional production by Norwood. The song was released along with "U Don't Know Me " as a promotional single in German-speaking Europe only in 2000, where it failed to chart or sell noticeably.
"Sad Eyes" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, recorded at Soundworks West in Los Angeles on January 25, 1990. The song was released as a single on the 1998 box set Tracks, as well as its 1999 single-disc version 18 Tracks.
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Human is the fifth studio album by American singer Brandy. It was released on December 5, 2008 by Epic Records, Knockout Entertainment and Koch Records. The album was Norwood's debut Epic Records release, following her split with Atlantic Records in 2005, and her reunion with longtime collaborator and mentor Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, who executively produced and wrote most of the album with his songwriting collective.
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Never Say Never is the second studio album by American singer Brandy. It was released on June 9, 1998, by Atlantic Records. Atlantic consulted David Foster, as well as producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and his team to work with Norwood on the record; Jerkins went on to craft the majority of the album and would evolve as Norwood's mentor and head producer on her succeeding projects.
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"Sittin' on Top of the World" is a song by Nigerian singer Burna Boy, released on 1 June 2023 as the lead single from his seventh studio album I Told Them... (2023). Produced by Skread, it contains a sample of "Top of the World" by Brandy featuring Mase. An official remix of the song featuring Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage was released on 23 June 2023.
I Told Them... is the seventh studio album by Nigerian singer Burna Boy. It was released on 25 August 2023, through Atlantic, Spaceship Records, and Bad Habit. The album features guest appearances from 21 Savage, Dave, Seyi Vibez, J. Cole, GZA and RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Byron Messia. The album was preceded by four singles, "Sittin' on Top of the World", "Talibans II", "Big 7", and "Cheat on Me".
Larry Flick reviewed the song under the pop banner and said that the lyrics are couched in funk beats.
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