"Work It" | ||||
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Single by Missy Elliott | ||||
from the album Under Construction | ||||
B-side | "Pussycat" | |||
Released | September 16, 2002 | |||
Studio | Hit Factory Criteria (Miami) [1] | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
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Missy Elliott singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Work It" on YouTube |
"Work It" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Missy Elliott and her producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Elliott's fourth studio album Under Construction (2002). The song's musical style,and production by Timbaland,were heavily inspired by old school hip hop from the early 1980s. It samples Run-D.M.C.'s "Peter Piper" and Rock Master Scott &the Dynamic Three's "Request Line".
Released as the album's first single on September 16,2002,the track reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks,becoming Elliott's most successful single. A remix of this song features 50 Cent. The synth pattern in the rhythm track samples the intro of "Heart of Glass" by Blondie.
A portion of the song's lyrics helped popularize the slang term "badonkadonk" with mainstream audiences ("Love the way my butt go bum-bump-bum-bump-bump/Keep your eyes on my bum-bump-bum-bump-bump/And think you can handle this badonk-a-donk-donk"). [2]
During the chorus,the lyric "I put my thing down,flip it,and reverse it" is followed by the same line played in reverse. In the middle of the song,after the lyric "Listen up close while I take you backwards",the lyric "Watch the way Missy like to take it backwards" is also played in reverse. Elliott also used reversed vocals in several of her productions during the following years.
In the song's chorus,an elephant trumpeting is heard to hide a sexual reference ("If you got a big [elephant trumpet],let me search it"). This is present in the explicit and edited versions;the obscured word is meant to be left to the listener's imagination. In both the explicit and edited versions,the song uses onomatopoeia such as "ra-ta-ta-ta" and "buboomp buboomp boomp" to refer to sexual bodily moves. [3]
The music video to "Work It" was directed by Dave Meyers. Timbaland and Tweet make cameos in the video. Alyson Stoner appears as the lead kid dancer. The video pays tribute to Aaliyah (1979–2001) and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (1971–2002),who at the time had both recently died. They are commemorated in the music video with their images airbrushed on a car's hood. It also features an appearance by dancer and graffiti writer Mr. Wiggles from Rock Steady Crew. There is another music video that features 50 Cent rapping the first verse on the remix.
In shooting the video,director Meyers shot the opening scene with live honey bees;only one crew member was stung. Additionally,he forgot to replace a glass of wine with a glass of water when filming the restaurant scene,so Elliott was heavily drunk after production. [4]
The video won the award for Video of the Year at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. [5] In a 2010 interview with "Dance Spirit",Alyson Stoner revealed that she almost didn't go to the audition for "Work It" and her dancing is featured in a clean part of the video. [6] "Work It" was choreographed by Hi-Hat. [7] Alyson Stoner won the role of Lead Kid Dancer out of 400 to 500 kids. [8] In 2018,Billboard critics ranked it 2nd among the "greatest music videos of the 21st century." [9]
In 2015,13 years after "Work It" came out Alyson Stoner reunited with her former co-stars to release a tribute dance video of "Work It" for Missy Elliott. [10] This was done after people had been asking her why she didn't dance with Missy Elliott and Katy Perry during the 2015 Super Bowl. [11] [ failed verification ] [12]
John Bush of AllMusic described the song as "turn[ing] the tables on male rappers,taking charge of the sex game,matching their lewdest,rudest rhymes,and also featuring the most notorious backmasked vocal of the year." Bush cited the song as an example of Elliott's "artistic progression,trying to push hip-hop forward...neatly emphasizing her differences from other rappers by writing tracks for nearly every facet of the female side of relationships." [13]
Rolling Stone ranked "Work It" 25th in its list "100 Best Songs of the 2000s" and number 56 on its list "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [14] [5] In 2003,The Village Voice named "Work It" the best single of 2002 on their annual year-end critics' poll Pazz &Jop;"Get Ur Freak On",a previous Elliott single,topped the same poll a year earlier. Stereogum and Paste ranked the song number two and number one,respectively,on their lists of the 10 greatest Missy Elliott Songs. [15] [16]
"Work It" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on chart issue dated September 14,2002,at number 75. [17] In its second and third weeks,it leaped up to number 42 and number 24,respectively,taking the Airplay Gainer title in both weeks. [18] [19] Within five weeks,it reached the top ten,at number 8,and gradually rose from there. [20] On the chart issue dated November 16,2002,the song reached number 2,but because of the massive success of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem,it never reached number one. Instead,the song stayed at number two for ten weeks,a record that it shares with "Waiting for a Girl Like You" by Foreigner from 1981. Despite never topping the Hot 100 chart,the song topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for five weeks.
On the Billboard magazine issue dated February 21,2015,"Work It" re-entered at number 35,more than a decade after its original chart run. This re-entry occurred as a result of Elliott's performance at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show earlier in the month;another Elliott single,"Get Ur Freak On," also re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 the same week. [21]
US 12-inch single [26]
UK CD single [1]
| UK 12-inch and cassette single [27] [28]
European CD single [29]
Australian CD single [30]
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [72] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [73] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [74] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [75] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | September 16, 2002 | [76] | ||
September 30, 2002 | Contemporary hit radio | [77] | ||
Australia | November 4, 2002 | CD | [78] | |
United Kingdom |
| [79] | ||
New Zealand | December 16, 2002 | CD | [80] |
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott, sometimes nicknamed as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began on her musical career as a member of the R&B girl group Sista during the 1990s, who were part of the larger musical collective Swing Mob—led by DeVante Swing of Jodeci. The former group's commercially unsuccessful debut album, 4 All the Sistas Around da World (1994), was released by Elektra Records and met with positive critical reception. She collaborated with album's producer and Swing Mob cohort Timbaland to work in songwriting and production for other acts, yielding commercially successful releases for 702, Aaliyah, SWV, and Total.
Supa Dupa Fly is the debut studio album by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, released July 15, 1997, on The Goldmind, East West, and Elektra Entertainment Group. The album was recorded and produced solely by Timbaland in October 1996, and features the singles, "The Rain ", "Sock It 2 Me", "Hit Em wit da Hee" and "Beep Me 911". Guest appearances on the album include Busta Rhymes, Ginuwine, 702, Magoo, Da Brat, Lil' Kim, and Aaliyah. The album was recorded in just two weeks.
Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.
"Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Janet Jackson with Carly Simon from Jackson's seventh studio album, All for You (2001). It was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with additional lyrics by Simon. The R&B and hip hop song is built around a sample of 1972's "You're So Vain" by Simon, who also added some new spoken parts into the song; it talks about an unidentified man who attempted to extort money from Jackson. A remix featuring Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott was released as the third and final single from the album on November 6, 2001, by Virgin Records.
"Lose Control" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott featuring American singer Ciara and American hip hop artist Fatman Scoop. It was released as the lead single from Elliott's sixth studio album, The Cookbook, on May 23, 2005. It contains samples from Hot Streak's "Body Work" and Cybotron's "Clear". The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number two in New Zealand, and in the top thirty in various countries.
"So Gone" is a song by American R&B recording artist Monica. It was one out of several tracks rapper-producer Missy Elliott wrote and produced along with Kenneth Cunningham and Jamahl Rye from production duo Spike & Jamahl for Monica's fourth studio album, After the Storm (2003), following the delay and subsequent reconstruction of her 2002 album, All Eyez on Me. Incorporating elements of hip hop and 1970s-style smooth jazz as well as soul music, it features a sample from the 1976 song "You Are Number One", penned by Zyah Ahmonuel and performed by The Whispers.
"Gossip Folks" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott featuring fellow American rapper Ludacris, released as the second single from her fourth studio album, Under Construction (2002), on December 9, 2002. Written alongside producer Timbaland, it peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart, and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart.
Make It Hot is the debut studio album by American singer Nicole Wray. The album was released in August 1998 through Missy Elliott's Elektra-distributed vanity label, The Goldmind. The album was produced by Missy Elliott and Timbaland. Some editions of the release credit Nicole as Nicole Ray, a name she only used here and on her single "I Can't See".
"She's a Bitch" is a song recorded by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. It was written by Elliott and Timbaland for her second album, Da Real World (1999), while production was helmed by the latter. The song was released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records as the album's lead single in April 1999.
"Get Ur Freak On" is a song by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. It was written and produced by Elliott and Timbaland for her third studio album Miss E... So Addictive (2001). Based on heavy bhangra elements, a popular music and dance form from the region of Punjab in India, the song features a six-note base that is a Punjabi melody played on a tumbi and rhythm and bassline played on tabla.
"Pass That Dutch" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott. It was written and produced by Timbaland and Elliott for her fifth studio album, This Is Not a Test! (2003), and contains samples of "Magic Mountain" by War and "Potholes in My Lawn" by De La Soul.
"Oops (Oh My)" is a song by American singer Tweet from her debut studio album, Southern Hummingbird (2002). It features vocals from American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, who co-wrote the song with Tweet, while production was handled by Timbaland. The song was released on January 11, 2002, as the album's lead single.
"One Minute Man" is a song written by American rapper Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. It was written and produced by Elliott and Timbaland for her third studio album Miss E... So Addictive (2001) and features guest vocals by rapper Ludacris. Incorporating elements of oriental music, the song deals with premature ejaculation. Elliott, a rapper, also sings on the record.
Based on a True Story is the debut album by American singer Lil' Mo. It was released on June 26, 2001, through Elektra Records and Warner Music Group. Created over a period of three years, in which its original version was delayed numerous times following arguments with Elektra executives over her image and material, and with preceding singles such as "5 Minutes" and "Ta Da" failing to chart noticeably on the mainstream charts, it went through major reconstructions throughout its creation process. Lil' Mo worked with production duo Flavahood on the majority of the album, with Shep Crawford, Duro and DJ Clue also contributing.
Canadian singer and songwriter Tamia has released nine albums, and twenty-six singles. She began her career in 1995 as a protégé of musician Quincy Jones, who offered her the chance to appear on his album Q's Jook Joint (1995). Selected as the album's first single, their collaboration "You Put a Move on My Heart" became a top 20 success on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song, along with their second collaboration "Slow Jams" and "Missing You", a song she recorded with Brandy, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off, was later nominated for a Grammy Award.
"Into You" is the third single from American rapper Fabolous's second studio album, Street Dreams (2003), featuring either Ashanti or Tamia. The song also appears on Tamia's album More. "Into You" originally featured Ashanti, but after Irv Gotti of Murder Inc. Records refused to let her film a music video to promote the single, Fabolous reached out to Tamia to re-record a commercial version. Both the album and single versions received heavy radio-play, resulting in all three artists being credited on the US Billboard Hot 100. The single was released through Elektra Records and DJ Clue's Desert Storm Records.
American singer and songwriter Tweet has released three studio albums, one live album, one extended play, 13 singles, two promotional singles, and 13 music videos.
"Ching-a-Ling" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott. It was written by Elliott along with frequent collaborator Cainon Lamb as well as Shawn Campbell and Marshall Leathers from production duo The Arkitects for what was supposed to be Elliott's seventh studio album Block Party, while production was helmed by Lamb, Campbell, and Leathers. In the song, sound elements of the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong are heard throughout the song.
"Can We" is a song by American R&B trio SWV featuring guest vocals from Missy Elliott and production by Timbaland and Elliott. The song was eventually included on SWV's third album, Release Some Tension (1997), but was originally a hit earlier in the year when it was included on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Booty Call.
"Take That" is the debut single by American R&B singer, Torrey Carter. It features guest vocals by Carter's former mentor Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and was released as the lead single from Carter's unreleased debut album, The Life I Live (2000).
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Keazor, Henry; Thorsten Wuebbena: Video Thrills The Radio Star. Musikvideos: Geschichte, Themen, Analysen . 3rd. edition, Bielefeld 2011; ISBN 3899427289, pp. 83–113
Michael Rappe, Under Construction. 2 Vols., Cologne 2011