No Scrubs
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| “No Scrubs” | ||||||||||||||
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| Single by TLC from the album Fanmail |
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| B-side | "Silly Ho" | |||||||||||||
| Released | March 23, 1999 | |||||||||||||
| Format | CD Single | |||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||||||||||||
| Genre | Pop/R&B | |||||||||||||
| Length | 3:34 (album version) 4:00 (main mix w/ rap) |
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| Label | LaFace | |||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs Kandi Burruss Tameka Cottle |
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| Producer | Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs | |||||||||||||
| Certification | RIAA: Gold | |||||||||||||
| TLC singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"No Scrubs" is a song recorded by R&B girl group TLC for their album Fanmail. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in April 1999. TLC got their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year but lost again, this time to Santana's "Smooth". The single is generally considered to be one of the group's signature songs and was the 2nd biggest Hot 100 single of 1999, according to Billboard's Year End Charts. The song also won a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs along with Tameka Cottle and Kandi Burruss (both from the group Xscape), the track lyrically explains "scrubs", the plural form of a slang term for a womanizer who is jobless, lacks a car, and has virtually no class. "No Scrubs" was the first TLC single to feature lead vocals by group member Rozonda "Chili" Thomas rather than Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. There were two versions of the song: the album version (which was released to radio), and a "Main Mix" with a rap by Left-Eye. The latter mix was featured in the music video for the song.
Prior to the release of Fanmail, the track "Silly Ho" received some radio airplay, prompting a peak of number 59 in the U.S., although it was never released by LaFace as a single. "No Scrubs" climbed into the U.S. top ten as an airplay-only song and jumped to number one upon the single release.
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[edit] Music video
The futuristic music video directed by Hype Williams also received massive airplay on MTV, and won the group the 1999 MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, beating out favorites 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. Each member had a set in the video. The video also has a dance sequence where the girls dance in front of the "TLC" logo. The Main Mix is used in the video instead of the album version. The video features the girls in three different outfits: Chilli wears white, Left Eye in blue and T-Boz in white and red. When there are shots of the girls together they have two different outfits: black and silver. T-Boz's hair is fuchsia in the video. The look of the video is similar to the Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson video, "Scream".
[edit] Trivia
- "No Scrubs" was parodied in a song by Sporty Thievz titled "No Pigeons".
- "No Scrubs" also draws parallels with Destiny's Child's single "Bills, Bills, Bills", which was written and produced by the same people. Both songs drew minor controversy as the members were accused of being gold diggers, women who only like men for their wealth, in their songs. Both songs were also parodied by Sporty Thievz.
- During live performances, Blink-182 commonly used the 'No Scrubs" chorus during the bridge of the 1998 hit Dammit.
- Welsh band Kids in Glass Houses covered this song at an acoustic night of the Full Ponty festival.
- Swing Out Sister also covered the 'No Scrubs' chorus in their version of "Now You're Not Here" registered live on "Live In Tokyo" (2005).
- Marjorie Dawes sang part of the song on the UK comedy show Shooting Stars.
- Incubus covered part of 'No Scrubs' during their MTV Acoustic performance
- Lisa Loeb did an acoustic cover of part of the song when she appeared on a late-night talk show in 2000.
- On the show Will & Grace, Jack McFarland breathes in helium and sings "No Scrubs".
- The phrase "No Scrubs" appears in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
[edit] Tracklisting
- CD1
- "No Scrubs" (Album Version) - 3:37
- "No Scrubs" (Main Mix with Left Eye's Rap) - 4:00
- "No Scrubs" (Instrumental) - 3:37
- "Silly Ho" (Album Version) - 4:16
- CD2
- "No Scrubs" (Album Version) - 3:39
- "Waterfalls" (Radio Version) - 4:19
- "Creep" (Radio Version) - 4:26
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1(4) |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks | 1(5) |
| ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1(3) |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart | 1(7) |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1(2) |
| Danish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Italy Singles Chart | 1 |
| Japan Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1(2) |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles | 2 |
| Netherland Singles Chart | 3 |
| German Singles Chart | 4 |
| French Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 16 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 26 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 32 |
| Hot 100 Airplay | 1(13) |
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by "Believe" by Cher |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 10, 1999- May 1, 1999 |
Succeeded by "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin |
| Preceded by "What's It Gonna Be?!" by Busta Rhymes featuring Janet |
Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one single April 10, 1999- May 1, 1999 |
Succeeded by "Fortunate" by Maxwell |
| Preceded by "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number one single 2 May 1999 – 20 June 1999 |
Succeeded by "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer |
| Preceded by "That Don't Impress Me Much" by Shania Twain |
RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single 9 May 1999 – 15 May 1999 |
Succeeded by "Tonight" by TrueBliss |
| Preceded by "..Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears |
United World Chart number one single May 8, 1999 - June 5, 1999 |
Succeeded by "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys |
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