Ms. Jackson
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| “Ms. Jackson” | |||||
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| Single by OutKast from the album Stankonia |
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| B-side | "Sole Sunday", "Elevators (Me & You)" |
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| Released | January 16, 2001 | ||||
| Format | 12", CD | ||||
| Recorded | 2000 | ||||
| Genre | Hip hop | ||||
| Length | 4:30 | ||||
| Label | Arista | ||||
| Writer(s) | André Benjamin, Antwan Patton, David Sheats | ||||
| Producer | Earthtone III | ||||
| Certification | Gold | ||||
| OutKast singles chronology | |||||
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"Ms. Jackson" is a song by OutKast and the second single from their fourth album Stankonia. It topped the U.S. charts for the week of February 17, 2001, and won a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It also reached number one in Germany and number two in the United Kingdom, held from the top spot by Atomic Kitten's "Whole Again".
The titular "Ms. Jackson" is the real-life mother of Erykah Badu, André 3000's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son Seven. The song discusses the problems that break-ups, separation, and divorce can have on a couple, and the animosity that a woman's mother can have for her daughter's former boyfriend or husband.
The single helped sell the album following mixed reaction to the lead single "B.O.B.", which only reached #69 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
The song features an altered version of a tune from "Bridal Chorus" from the opera Lohengrin by German composer Richard Wagner (also known as "Wedding march"), played on piano.
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[edit] Music video
The video for "Ms. Jackson" features the two members of Outkast in an old house. Big Boi is cleaning a car, and Andre is making home improvements. The house is overrun with pets, mostly dogs, a cat, a snapping turtle and an owl that, at times, seems to contribute to the song. Through camera effects, the pets are made to nod their heads to the song.
Soon it begins to rain, spoiling Big Boi's hard work. The light rain rapidly turns into a storm, lighting strikes the car and it explodes. Meanwhile, Andre attempts to keep the house, which has a roof littered with leaks, dry with the use of buckets. Big Boi attempts to climb the roof and fix the holes in the rain.
The lights go out in the house, creating yet another problem for Andre, who runs about trying to fix it. Big Boi, in a yellow raincoat, is on top of the roof and getting considerably more annoyed with his inability to complete the repairs.
The lights however, eventually return. Big Boi climbs down and joins Andre, helping with the rainwater. But the storm, ironically, clears almost instantly. The two stare up through a ceiling hole torn open by the storm, at the bright blue sky and shining sun.
The video works as a possible metaphor for the two artists' "stormy" relationships with the mothers of their children and their families (themes expressed by both artists in the song). The storm theme is alluded to in the song, particularly by Andre 3000:
- Me and yo' daughter got a special thing going on
- you say it's puppy love...we say it's full grown
- hope that we feel this...feel this way forever
- you can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather
[edit] Covers
- Australian garage rock band The Vines released an acoustic cover version of "Ms. Jackson" as a B-side on their 2002 single "Outtathaway!". The rap verses are not sung, leaving only the chorus and bridge.
- Butch Walker sings part of "Ms. Jackson" in the middle of "Suburbia" on his album This Is Me... Justified and Stripped.
- Tom Frampton covers the song on his album Making Folk A Threat, Again! Vol.1.
- Styles P and Jadakiss covered the track on Styles' album Independence.
- Kanye West sampled the song for the chorus of "Diamonds from Sierra Leone".
[edit] Parodies
- The FOX sketch show MADtv parodied the song as a music video about Jesse Jackson (played by Aries Spears) getting divorced over news about his love child.
- Adam Spencer and Wil Anderson, former breakfast radio presenters in Australia on Triple J, wrote an alternate version called "Sorry Matt Hayden" apologising to the Australian cricketer for not believing that he could play well on a tour of India.
- Jadakiss and Styles P of D-Block released a version of the song mocking rapper 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson.
[edit] Formats and track listings
- British 12" vinyl single
- "Ms. Jackson" – 4:30
- "Elevators (Me & You)" – 4:56
- British CD single
- "Ms. Jackson" – 3:36
- "Elevators (Me & You)" – 4:56
- "Ms. Jackson" (video) – 4:58
- European CD single
- "Ms. Jackson" (radio mix) – 4:03
- "Ms. Jackson" (instrumental) – 4:34
- Australian CD single
- "Ms. Jackson" (Radio Mix) – 4:03
- "Ms. Jackson" (Instrumental) – 4:34
- "Sole Sunday [Featuring Gooodie Mob]" (Radio Mix) - 4:41
- "Sole Sunday" (Instrumental) - 4:41
[edit] References
| Preceded by "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy featuring Ricardo "Rikrok" Ducent |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 17, 2001 |
Succeeded by "Stutter" by Joe featuring Mystikal |
| Preceded by "I Wish" by R. Kelly |
'Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one single December 16, 2000 |
Succeeded by "Independent Women Part I" by Destiny's Child |
| Preceded by "Danger (Been So Long)" by Mystikal featuring Nivea |
'Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one single February 3, 2001 |
Succeeded by "Stutter" by Joe featuring Mystikal |
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