Say My Name
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Say My Name” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Destiny's Child from the album The Writing's on the Wall |
|||||
| Released | February 29, 2000 (U.S.) May 16, 2000 (U.K.) |
||||
| Format | Maxi single, 12" single | ||||
| Recorded | 1999 | ||||
| Genre | R&B | ||||
| Length | 4:00 (radio edit) 3:46 (radio edit 2) 4:28 (album version) |
||||
| Label | Columbia 42841 |
||||
| Writer(s) | Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland | ||||
| Producer | Darkchild | ||||
| Certification | Gold | ||||
| Destiny's Child singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
"Say My Name" is a song by American R&B group Destiny's Child. The song was the third single from the group's 1999 album The Writing's on the Wall, released through Columbia label in early 2000 (see 2000 in music). The single is the most successful of the four releases off of the album. It is considered to be one of their signature songs. It won a Grammy and an MTV Video Music Award.
Contents |
[edit] Background and writing
American producer-songwriter Rodney Jerkins was one of the hired people to work on the 1999 2nd album of Destiny's Child, The Writing's on the Wall, and was the group's first collaboration with him. When they wrote "Say My Name", however, Beyoncé was displeased with the track they were working on. She commented that there was "too much stuff" on the track and it sounded like a "jungle".[1]
During the photo shoot for the album, Beyoncé's father-manager Mathew Knowles went to the studio informing her that Jerkins reworked on the track she "hated". Her dad told her to "just have to take a listen to it". When the new mix was played to them, they liked it to the extent they could not "focus on anything".[1]
[edit] About the song
"Say My Name" features Destiny's Child lead singer Beyoncé Knowles's character calling her lover on the phone, and suspecting him of cheating. She asks him to "say her name". The young man hesitates, and the narrator believes it's because he doesn't want the girl he's cheating on her with to know who she is. Rodney Jerkins supports the song's lyrics with a backing track that shifts back and forth in dynamics, steadily bringing different elements (syncopated, 808 drum programming, synthesized strings, and 1970s-style wah-wah guitar licks) in and out of the mix. In the song, Beyoncé sings lead on the verses and bridge, LaTavia sings the echos to Beyoncé's verses, LeToya sings the high harmonies in the chorus, and Kelly (along with the rest of the girls) sings the chorus's melody. It is also one of the first Destiny's Child recordings to feature all four members; Beyoncé on the melody with the others harmonizing on their respective notes. Many of the group's early recordings feature only Knowles or Rowland as lead singer; from 2001 on, all members typically sung both leads and backgrounds on every song.
[edit] Music video
When the "Say My Name" music video debuted on February 15, 2000, audiences were shocked[who?] to see the absence of Letoya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, who had been replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. The video featured Franklin and Williams alongside Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland, and debuted on MTV and BET at the same time a press release announcing the lineup change was released.
The video featured the veterans and the rookie members along with two female dancers and one male dancer each in different colored rooms that were designed to look like living rooms in an apartment. Beyonce was featured in orange clothes to match her equally orange room. Kelly was in a blue room, newcomer Farrah was featured in a red room and Michelle was in a white room. The original video idea had more choreography in it but due to the abrupt group change the new girls were unable to dance in stiletto heels like their veteran counterparts. Instead the directors had the girls sit and stand in various positions around their rooms and pose with the beat of the song. After the first verse and the chorus the girls switched rooms but kept their respective color couches and clothes. Soon after the second verse during the "break down", Beyonce, Kelly, Michelle and Farrah all gathered in a garage-like room that was complete with cars and Destiny's Child in black leather pants and orange tops and all of the dancers, dressed in black, from the video. The dancers did a rotating dance which later became part of the live routine until their comeback in 2005. After this scene it was back to the colorful rooms in which the girls had now switched couches and continued the song until the end of the video where the final pose was back in the garage.
[edit] Lawsuit
Luckett and Roberson stated they did not know they were out of the group until seeing the "Say My Name" video, and filed suit against Knowles, Rowland, and Destiny's Child manager Mathew Knowles for what they saw as a plot to ruin Luckett and Roberson's careers. By the end of the year, Luckett and Roberson decided to drop their former bandmates as co-defendants, but continued to pursue action against Mathew Knowles.
[edit] Track lisitings
US Promo CD Single
- "Say My Name" - 4:28
- "Say My Name" (Timbaland Remix) - 5:02
US Maxi CD Single
- "Say My Name" - 4:28
- "Say My Name" (Timbaland Remix) - 5:02
- "Say My Name" (Maurice's Millennium Mix) - 7:35
- "Say My Name" (Daddy D Remix w/ Rap) - 4:48
- "Say My Name" (Featuring Kobe Bryant) - 4:27
German CD Single
- "Say My Name" (Radio Edit) -3:46
- "Say My Name" (Album Version) - 4:28
- "Say My Name" (Timbaland Remix) - 5:02
- "Say My Name" (Featuring Kobe Bryant) - 4:27
- "Say My Name" (Daddy D Remix w/o Rap) - 4:48
[edit] Formats and remixes
Several remixes of "Say My Name" were issued alongside the original version. The two most notable alternate versions are a remix by Timbaland, which features different vocals and a guest appearance from Static of Playa; and the "Nitro Remix" (featuring Nitro and Chief, with production by Mista Maze), which uses the original vocals over a bass music-styled backing track.
- "Say My Name" (Acapella)
- "Say My Name" (#1's Version)
- "Say My Name" (DJBBenAyJay LateNight Dance Mix Edit)
- "Say My Name" (DJBBenAyJay LateNight Dance Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Daddy D Remix)
- "Say My Name" (DJ Xtreme)
- "Say My Name" (Digital Black & Groove Club Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Dreem Teem Club Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Featuring Kobe Byrant)
- "Say My Name" (Instrumental)
- "Say My Name" (Jazzy Bass Remix)
- "Say My Name" (Maurice's Bass 2000 Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Maurice's Millennium Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Maurice's Old Skool Dub Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Nitro Remix) (feat Nitro & Chief of Mob Playas)
- "Say My Name" (Radio Edit)
- "Say My Name" (Noodles Mix)
- "Say My Name" (Remix) (feat Kobe Bryant)
- "Say My Name" (Sidney's 2step RMX)
- "Say My Name" (Storm Mix By Tariq)
- "Say My Name" (Timbaland Remix) (feat Static)
[edit] Cover version
In 2002 Australian indie rock band Sick Puppies made a cover version of Say My Name played in a post grunge-nu metal style. Characterized by turntable samples and heavy Flea-esque bass lines, this song was planned to be featured in their 2001 debut album Nothing Really Matters, played in a post grunge-nu metal style. The band uses the song "Brain Stew" by Green Day as the background music. However, due to a law suit threat from Destiny's Child's label this song got excluded from the album. Essentially playing the same song, "the Puppies" distorted to the melody to the minor version of the original which only has several repetitions of the chorus. The Puppies' version also contains additional lyrics with coarse language. For example, the chorus invariably ends with "you're acting kinda shady, ain't callin' me baby, so what the fuck!" continued with a heavy instrumental rock interlude.
Another interesting feature of the song is an additional verse at the end of the song as follows:
Singer: Say my name!
Faint reply in the background: What?
Singer: Say my name!
Faint reply in the background: What?
Singer: Say my name!
Faint reply in the background: What name?
Singer: Say my name!
Faint reply in the background: What name?
Singer: Just say it! What the, what the, what the fuck did you say? Say my name! Say my name, bitch!"
The humour of the song lies in the fact that the song is sung with the wrong attitude.[who?]
[edit] Awards
"Say My Name" won two Grammy Awards in 2001: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song. The song's music video won the 2000 MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video. It also captured a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo ("Say My Name")along a BMI Pop award for most played song.
[edit] Chart performances
"Say My Name" debuted at #83 on the Hot 100 on December 12, 1999 and reached its peak position thirteen weeks later, taking longer than any other Destiny's Child number one single to reach the summit. It went onto become the group's international breakthrough hit far exceeding the popularity of "No, No, No" which prior to this release was their only true international hit.
Produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and written by Jerkins, his brother Fred, LaShawn Daniels, and the members of Destiny's Child, "Say My Name" peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 Airplay chart and the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks in the United States for three weeks in 2000, from March 11, 2000 to April 1. The song was also a number-one hit in Australia. In the United Kingdom it was at that point the group's biggest hit to date peaking at #3 and sold over 190,000 copies. "Say My Name" was the second Destiny's Child single to become a number-one hit in the United States, following the previous year's "Bills, Bills, Bills".
The song spent thirty two weeks on the Hot 100 and was one of the top ten best-selling CD-singles of the year in the US. It is actually the group's third biggest-selling single in their homeland after "No, No, No" and "Bills, Bills, Bills" and was also their third gold RIAA certified single.
The song also scored Destiny's Child their first number one in Asia. This single enabled the group to break through the Asian market, when R&B music was just beginning to get strong airplay. In the Philippines, it was the longest number one single by an R&B girl group, topping the charts for seven weeks.
In Australia it was the first song ever by an R&B group to reach number one on the ARIA Singles chart and helped propel The Writing's On The Wall to multi-platinum success.
[edit] Chart performances
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 16 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US R&B Singles | 1 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Anthony, James (August 18, 2006). 'Of course you can lose yourself'. Guardian Unlimited. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- Mancini, Robert (March 24, 2000). "Destiny's Child Sued by Former Members". MTV.com.
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by "Amazed" by Lonestar |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single March 18, 2000- April 1, 2000 |
Succeeded by "Maria Maria" by Santana featuring The Product G&B |
| Preceded by "Hot Boyz" by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott featuring Nas, Eve and Q-Tip |
Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one single March 18, 2000 |
|
| Preceded by "Poison" by Bardot |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single May 7, 2000 |
Succeeded by "Oops!... I Did It Again" by Britney Spears |
