| "The Boy Is Mine" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Brandy and Monica | ||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Never Say Never and The Boy Is Mine |
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| Released | May 19, 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format | 12", cassette, CD single | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | October—December 1997 in Los Angeles, California Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Genre | R&B | |||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:54 (album version) 4:03 (radio version) |
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| Label | Atlantic, Arista | |||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Brandy Norwood, Japhe Tejeda | |||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Rodney Jerkins, Brandy, Dallas Austin | |||||||||||||||||||
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"The Boy Is Mine" is a duet by American recording artists Brandy and Monica. It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Brandy with co-production by Darkchild and Dallas Austin, and released as the lead single from both singers' second albums during the second quarter of 1998. The song's lyrics tell a story about two women disputing the love of a man. At least one source suggests that "The Boy Is Mine" is an answer song to Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson's 1982 duet "The Girl Is Mine".[1]
"The Boy Is Mine" was the first number-one pop record for both artists, both stateside and internationally. Exploiting the media's presumption of a rivalry between the two young singers,[2] the song became one of the most successful records of the year, spending a record-breaking 13 weeks on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1998, and it reached the top five on most of the other charts on which it appeared.[2] According to Nielsen Soundscan "The Boy Is Mine" has sold 2,591,000 copies domestically in 1998 and is therefore the best-selling song of the year in the United States.[3] The song won the first Grammy Award of his career of both singers'.
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"The Boy Is Mine" was written by Brandy Norwood, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins Fred Jerkins III, Japhe Tejeda, LaShawn Daniels, and produced by Darkchild and Dallas Austin, featuring co-production by Norwood. The singer revealed that she came up with the concept for the song while watching the The Jerry Springer Show, where love triangles among the guests was the theme of an episode.[4] Originally intended as a solo track,[5] Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson's 1982 duet "The Girl Is Mine" inspired the idea to record a duet version of the song.[6]
The video, shot in April 1998 and directed by Joseph Kahn, begins with the girls in their apartments, watching television. Brandy watches The Jerry Springer Show (whose episode title is that of the song) but then Monica accidentally turns Brandy's TV to a romantic movie, in which Monica is watching on her own TV set. Whenever Brandy or Monica turns the channel, the other's TV stays on that channel and they grow sick of it. They then give up and start to sing. The next scene shows Brandy and Monica discussing their problem with their separate groups of friends. The video premiered on Wednesday, April 29, 1998. The "boy" himself (played by Mekhi Phifer, who played Brandy's boyfriend in the movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) then appears outside the two girls apartment, where all their friends walk by him as they exit their respective friends place. The girls are in pajamas next, and then each one calls the man over to choose. After Brandy and Monica fight with words, the man comes to the apartment, frustrated over whom to choose. The door opens, and only Brandy is shown. Then it swings a little wider and Monica comes. The man gets a startled expression, and the door is slammed in his face. The video was nominated for two 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, for Best R&B Video, and Video of the Year, which both lose for Wyclef Jean's Gone Till November and Madonna's Ray of Light respectively.
On June 6, 1998, "The Boy Is Mine" became both singers' first solo number-one hit and fifth top ten entry for each on the US Billboard Hot 100.[7] Bouncing from number 23 to the top spot, it became the second song in the history of the chart to jump from outside of the top 20 to number-one, following The Beatles and the 27–1 leap of their single "Can't Buy Me Love" in April 1964.[7] The same week, "The Boy Is Mine" also moved to number-one on the Hot R&B Singles, Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts.[7] The song sold 605,000 units within the first month of its purchasable release and stayed atop the Hot 100 chart for thirteen consecutive weeks.[8] has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA.
The song spent 15 weeks at number-one on the Canadian Singles Chart, which made it one of the biggest singles of the 1990s, selling over two million copies. The song became the first significant European success for Brandy and Monica and peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom and #3 in Sweden. "The Boy Is Mine" also charted at #3 in Australia. In the U.S. it ascended 22 positions from number 23 to number one the week of June 6, 1998, and became one of the biggest jumps to number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.[9]
The song garnered the pair a number of industry awards, including a Grammy for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and three Billboard Music Awards. It was also nominated for Record of the Year. Billboard listed it 54th on the Billboard: All-Time Hot 100 Top Songs. It is listed as the 62nd on the most successful singles in France ever.[10][11] It is also listed among one of the most successful 200 singles in Australia, Netherlands and Belgium in music history.[12]
Brandy and Monica first promoted "The Boy Is Mine" together with a live performance at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California on September 10, 1998.[13]
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Weekly chartsIllegal chart entered United World Chart|1
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
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| Preceded by "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls |
Canadian Singles Chart number-one single August 17, 1998 |
Succeeded by "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls |
| Preceded by "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" by Pras Michel feat. ODB & Mýa |
Dutch Top 40 number one single July 11–18, 1998 |
Succeeded by "De Bestemming" by Marco Borsato |
| Preceded by "We Don't Know How Lucky We Are" by Fred Dagg |
RIANZ number one single July 12–26, 1998 |
Succeeded by "Kung Fu Fighting" by Bus Stop feat. Carl Douglas |
| Preceded by "My All" by Mariah Carey |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single June 6, 1998- August 29, 1998 |
Succeeded by "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith |
| Preceded by "I Get Lonely" by Janet |
Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number one single June 6, 1998- July 25, 1998 |
Succeeded by "Friend of Mine" by Kelly Price |
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States[8] | May 5, 1998 | radio |
| United States[8] | May 19, 1998 | CD single |
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