The Writing's on the Wall

The Writing's on the Wall
Studio album by Destiny's Child
Released July 27, 1999 (1999-07-27)
Recorded December 1998—March 1999
Genre
Length 64:52
Label Columbia
Producer
Destiny's Child chronology
Destiny's Child
(1998)		 The Writing's on the Wall
(1999)		 Survivor
(2001)
Singles from The Writing's on the Wall
  1. "Get on the Bus"
    Released: September 29, 1998
  2. "Bills, Bills, Bills"
    Released: June 14, 1999
  3. "Bug a Boo"
    Released: August 23, 1999
  4. "Say My Name"
    Released: November 7, 1999
  5. "Jumpin, Jumpin"
    Released: July 4, 2000

The Writing's on the Wall is the second studio album by American girl group Destiny's Child, released on July 27, 1999 in the United States. The album featured production from Missy Elliott, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Rodney Jerkins, Eric Nealante Phillips, and Beyoncé among others and featured guest appearances from Missy Elliott and R&B trio Next. The Writing's on The Wall spawned four singles, including the number one-hits "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name". This is the last album with the group's original line-up.

The album saw the group taking creative control from writing and producing their own tracks working closely with producer Eric Nealante Phillips and singer-songwriter Xscape member Kandi Burruss. "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Bug a Boo" were among the first songs written and produced by the group.

The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart on August 14, 1999 with first-week sales of 132,000 units and later peaked at number five on May 6, 2000. It earned Destiny's Child six Grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (twice), Best R&B Song (twice), Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The Writing's on the Wall was certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA on November 6, 2001.

Billboard magazine ranked The Writing's on the Wall at number 39 on the magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[2]

Chart performance

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
Robert ChristgauB+[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

In the United States the album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 on August 14, 1999 selling over 132,000 copies in its first week and slipped to #10 the following week with 100,000 copies. It remained in the Top 40 for most of 1999 and had sold over 1.6 million copies by the end of the year according to Nielsen SoundScan and was certified 2× platinum in January, 2000. Nine months after its release The Writing's on the Wall, following the huge success of its third single, the Billboard Hot 100 number one "Say My Name", returned to the top ten peaking at #5 on May 6, 2000. During its first year on the chart it spent 47 out of 52 weeks in the Top 40 (including 11 weeks in the Top 10) or better and was the tenth best-selling album of the year 2000 selling 3.8 million copies during the year. The Writing's on the Wall enjoyed its best week of sales more than one year after its release when it sold over 163,000 units during Christmas week 2000, and by the release of the group's third album Survivor it had scanned 5.8 million in the U.S. and shipped over 7,000,000. The Writing's on the Wall spent 99 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 (from the summer of 1999 to the spring of 2001) and was certified eight-time platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 8, 2001. It has sold 6,347,000 copies to date in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[8] and over 700,000 at BMG's Music Club.

Worldwide The Writing's on the Wall was a similarly huge hit and became one of the best-selling R&B albums of all-time. It achieved gold, platinum and multi-platinum status across Europe and was certified 2× platinum by the IFPI in early 2001 in recognition of 2 million albums sold. In Canada the album peaked within the top and was certified 5× platinum (500,000 sales), it was certified 3× platinum in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.

Track listing

  1. "Intro (The Writing's on the Wall)" (Beyoncé Knowles, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett) – 2:05
  2. "So Good" (Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Kandi Burruss, B. Knowles, L. Luckett, L. Roberson, K. Rowland) – 3:13
  3. "Bills, Bills, Bills" (E. Phillips, K. Briggs, Kandi, B. Knowles, L. Luckett, K. Rowland, L. Roberson) – 4:16
  4. "Confessions" (featuring Missy Elliott) (M. Elliott, D. Holmes, G. Thomas) – 4:57
  5. "Bug a Boo" (K. Briggs, Kandi, B. Knowles, L. Luckett, L. Roberson, K. Rowland) – 3:32
  6. "Temptation" (Dwayne Wiggins, C. Wheeler, A. Ray, B. Knowles, K. Rowland, L. Luckett, L. Roberson) – 4:05
  7. "Now That She's Gone" (Chris Valentine, K. Fambro, D. Boynton, T. Geter, L. Simmons, A. Simmons) – 5:35
  8. "Where'd You Go" (P. Status, C. Stokes, L. Roberson, L. Luckett, K. Rowland, B. Knowles) – 4:15
  9. "Hey Ladies" (K. Briggs, Kandi, B. Knowles, L. Luckett, L. Roberson, K. Rowland) – 4:16
  10. "If You Leave" (featuring Next) (T. Turman, R. L. Huggar, C. Elliot, O. Hunter) – 4:35
  11. "Jumpin, Jumpin" (R. Moore, Chad Elliot, B. Knowles) – 3:50
  12. "Say My Name" (Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, B. Knowles, L. Luckett, K. Rowland, L. Roberson) – 4:31
  13. "She Can't Love You" (K. Briggs, Kandi, B. Knowles, L. Luckett, I. Lindo, K. Rowland, L. Roberson) – 4:04
  14. "Stay" (Darryl Simmons) – 4:51
  15. "Sweet Sixteen" (D. Wiggins, J. Watley, B. Knowles, K. Rowland) – 4:12
  16. "Outro" (Amazing Grace... Dedicated to Andretta Tillman) (John Newton) – 2:38

Departure of Luckett and Roberson

Michelle Williams joined the group as a replacement for Luckett and Roberson.

In December 1999, Luckett and Roberson attempted to split with their manager, claiming that he kept a disproportionate share of the group's profits and unfairly favored Knowles and Rowland.[12] While they never intended to leave the group, when the video for "Say My Name" surfaced in February 2000, Roberson and Luckett found out that two new members were joining Knowles and Rowland.[12] Prior to the video premiere, Knowles announced on TRL that original members Luckett and Roberson had left the group.[13] They were replaced by Michelle Williams, a former backup singer to Monica, and Farrah Franklin, an aspiring singer-actress.[14] Shortly after her stint with Monica, Williams was introduced to Destiny's Child by choreographer Braden Larson aka "Peanut Orlando", and was flown to Houston where she stayed with the Knowles family.[14]

In March 2000, Roberson and Luckett filed a lawsuit against Mathew Knowles and their former bandmates for breach of partnership and fiduciary duties. Following the suit, both sides were disparaging towards each other in the media.[12] Five months after joining, Franklin left the group. The remaining members claimed that this was due to missed promotional appearances and concerts. According to Williams, Franklin could not handle stress.[14] Franklin, however, disclosed that she left because of the negativity surrounding the strife and her inability to assert any control in the decision making.[12] Her departure was seen as less controversial. Williams, on the other hand, disclosed that her inclusion in the group resulted in her "battling insecurity": "I was comparing myself to the other members, and the pressure was on me."[14]

Towards the end of 2000, Roberson and Luckett dropped the portion of their lawsuit aimed at Rowland and Knowles in exchange for a settlement, though they continued the action against their manager. As part of the agreement, both sides were prohibited from speaking about each other publicly.[12] Roberson and Luckett formed another girl group named Anjel but also left it due to issues with the record company. Although band members were affected by the turmoil, Destiny's Child's success continued. The following years of their career were seen as the group's most successful stretch,[12] becoming a pop culture phenomenon.[13]

Credits and personnel

  • Bill Ortiz – trumpet
  • Daryl Simmons – drum programming, keyboard programming
  • D'Wayne Wiggins – guitar, producer
  • Rodney Jerkins – producer
  • Claudine Pontier – assistant engineer
  • James Hoover – engineer
  • Steve Baughman – mixing assistant
  • Missy Elliott – performer
  • Jimmy Douglass – engineer
  • Prince Charles Alexander – mixing
  • Vince Lars – saxophone
  • Albert Sanchez – photography
  • Blake Eiseman – engineer
  • Dexter Simmons – mixing
  • Brian Springer – engineer
  • Joey Swails – engineer
  • Destiny's Child – main performer
  • Dan Workman – engineer
  • LaShawn Daniels – vocal producer
  • Anthony Hardy – producer
  • Beyoncé Knowles – lead vocals, background vocals
  • LeToya Luckett – background vocals, Lead vocals
  • LaTavia Roberson – background vocals, lead vocals
  • Mathew Knowles – executive producer, mixing
  • Kelly Rowland – lead vocals, background vocals
  • Michelle Williams – background vocals (re-issued version only on UK Limited Edition Bonus CD "Independent Women Part I & II")
  • Farrah Franklin – background/lead vocals (re-issued version only on UK Limited Edition Bonus CD "Independent Women Part I & II")
  • Kenny Stallworth – assistant engineer
  • Donald "Lenny" Holmes – producer
  • Nealante - producer
  • K-Fam – producer
  • Gerard Thomas – producer
  • Chris Bell – engineer
  • Brad Gildem – engineer
  • Jean Marie Hurout – engineer, mixing
  • Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs – producer
  • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
  • Tara Geter Tillman – background vocals
  • Mike Calderon – engineer
  • Jon Gass – engineer
  • Thom "TK" Kidd – engineer
  • Tony Williams – drum programming
  • Vernon J. Mungo – engineer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2001) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] 18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 8
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 19
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[20] 16
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[21] 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 32
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 8
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[25] 33
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] 6
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[27] 7
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 10
US Billboard 200[31] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[32] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1999) Position
Australian Albums Chart[33] 13
Dutch Albums Chart[34] 44
Chart (2000) Position
Dutch Albums Chart[35] 42

Decade-end charts

Chart (2000–09) Rank
U.S. Billboard 200[36] 39

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[37] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Belgium (BEA)[38] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[39] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[40] Gold 25,000^
France (SNEP)[41] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[42] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[43] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] 3× Platinum 45,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[45] Gold 25,000*
Sweden (GLF)[46] Gold 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47] Gold 25,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] 8× Platinum 6,400,000[50]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[51] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Brunner, Rob (July 16, 1999). "Music Review - The Writing's on the Wall (1999) - Destiny's Child". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Best of the 2000s – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "allmusic ((( The Writing's on the Wall > Overview )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ Brunner, Rob (July 16, 1999). "Music Review – The Writing's on the Wall (1999) – Destiny's Child". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Destiny's Child". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (September 2, 1999). "Destiny's Child: The Writing's On The Wall : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 18, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  7. ↑ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard (2004). "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". ISBN 9780743201698.
  8. ↑ Paul Grein (October 30, 2013). "Katy Perry Knocks Miley Cyrus Down a Couple Pegs". Chart Watch (Yahoo).
  9. ↑ "Destiny's Child – The Writing's On The Wall (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  10. ↑ Destiny's Child The Writing's On The Wall BELGIUM PLATINUM EDITION (4943946)
  11. ↑ Destiny's Child The Writing's On The Wall UK DOUBLE CD (170648)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6
  13. 1 2
  14. 1 2 3 4
  15. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Destiny's Child Album & Song Chart History". Prometheus Global Media. Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Destiny's Child: The Writing's on the Wall" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  25. ↑ "DESTINY'S CHILD – THE WRITING'S ON THE WALL (ALBUM)". Oricon. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
  26. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Destiny's Child | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  31. ↑ Illegal name entered destinys-child/destinys-child/chart?f=305 "destinys-child – Chart history" Billboard 200 for destinys-child. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Illegal name entered destinys-child/destinys-child/chart?f=333 destinys-child – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for destinys-child. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  33. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2000". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl - Jaaroverzichten - Single 2001" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl - Jaaroverzichten - Single 2001" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Billboard Charts – Decade-end Albums – Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  37. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  38. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2000". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Music Canada.
  40. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". IFPI Denmark.
  41. ↑ "French album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  42. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Destiny's Child; 'The Writing's on the Wall')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  43. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
  44. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.
  45. ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  46. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2000" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  47. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Destiny's Child; 'The Writing's on the Wall')". Hung Medien.
  48. ↑ "British album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The Writing's on the Wall in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  49. ↑ "American album certifications – Destiny's Child – The Writing's on the Wall". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  50. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (December 30, 2015). "Beyoncé's 'Dangerously in Love' Surpasses 5 Million Sold in U.S.". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  51. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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