No Scrubs
Encyclopedia
"No Scrubs" is a 1999 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 and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100
. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year
. 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 single was certified platinum
in the US, the UK, and New Zealand.
for four weeks from April 10, 1999 to May 7, 1999. The single stayed in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 consecutive weeks. "No Scrubs" airplay was at the time astonishing; it was the very first song to peak with over 140 million audience impressions, and was crowned the Top Airplay Song of 1999. It has holds the record for most weeks at #1 on the Rhythmic Top 40 with 15 weeks. "No Scrubs" is listed at number 161 on the All Time Singles Chart Worldwide with points of over 6,000,000.
also received massive airplay on MTV
, and won the group the 1999 MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, beating out favorites 'N Sync
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: white, black, silver and Left Eye in blue. 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 set up of the video is similar to Michael Jackson
and Janet Jackson
's video "Scream
".
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
for their album FanMail
FanMail
FanMail is the third studio album by American girl group trio TLC, released on February 23, 1999. As with previous album CrazySexyCool , the group re-teamed with Dallas Austin, Babyface, and Jermaine Dupri on the album's production and the album features the computer voice female named Vic-E .The...
. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
. 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 single was certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the US, the UK, and New Zealand.
Chart performance
"No Scrubs" climbed into the U.S. top ten as an airplay only song and jumped to number one upon the single release. The single stayed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for four weeks from April 10, 1999 to May 7, 1999. The single stayed in the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 consecutive weeks. "No Scrubs" airplay was at the time astonishing; it was the very first song to peak with over 140 million audience impressions, and was crowned the Top Airplay Song of 1999. It has holds the record for most weeks at #1 on the Rhythmic Top 40 with 15 weeks. "No Scrubs" is listed at number 161 on the All Time Singles Chart Worldwide with points of over 6,000,000.
Music video
The futuristic music video directed by Hype WilliamsHype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
also received massive airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and won the group the 1999 MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video, beating out favorites 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
and the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, 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: white, black, silver and Left Eye in blue. When there are shots of the girls together they have two different outfits: black and silver. T-Boz's hair is fuchsia
Fuchsia
Fuchsia is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. The first, Fuchsia triphylla, was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in 1703 by the French Minim monk and botanist, Charles Plumier...
in the video. The set up of the video is similar to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's video "Scream
Scream/Childhood
"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...
".
Tracklisting
- US CD Single
- "No Scrubs" (Album Version) - 3:39
- "No Scrubs" (Instrumental) - 3:37
- International CD1
- "No Scrubs" (Album Version) - 3:37
- "No Scrubs" (Main Mix with Left Eye's Rap) - 4:00
- "No Scrubs" (Instrumental) - 3:37
- "Silly HoSilly Ho"Silly Ho" is a song recorded by R&B girl group TLC for their album FanMail. Without an official single release, the song managed to reach number seventy-four on the Billboard R&B chart based on radio airplay alone. The song also peaked at number sixty-nine on Billboard Hot 100. It was sent to...
" (Album Version) - 4:16
- International CD2
- "No Scrubs" (Album Version) - 3:39
- "Waterfalls" (Radio Version) - 4:19
- "CreepCreep (TLC song)"Creep" is the Grammy-winning first single by American R&B group TLC from their second studio album CrazySexyCool, released on October 31, 1994 by LaFace Records...
" (Radio Version) - 4:26
Peak positions
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canada Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Netherland Singles Chart | 3 |
| German Singles Chart | 4 |
| French Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 16 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 26 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990-1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |
Covers
- During live performances, Blink-182Blink-182Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
commonly used the "No Scrubs" chorus during the bridge of the 1998 hit "Dammit". - Welsh band Kids in Glass HousesKids in Glass HousesKids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, and are considered a significant part of the Cardiff music scene. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles...
covered this song at an acoustic night of the Full Ponty festival. - Swing Out SisterSwing Out SisterSwing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
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 StarsShooting StarsShooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
. - IncubusIncubus (band)Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
covered part of "No Scrubs" during their MTV Acoustic performance - Lisa LoebLisa LoebLisa Anne Loeb is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She launched her career in 1994 with the song, "Stay ". She was the first artist to have a number one single in the United States while not signed to a recording contract.Loeb's efforts now include music, film, television, voice-over...
performed an acoustic cover of part of the song when she appeared on a late-night talk show in 2000. - Lizette Carter recorded a cover for the animated film Happy Feet (2006).
- UK band The SaturdaysThe SaturdaysThe Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
covered the track in 2010, but their version remains unreleased, Only a live version exists. - Philidelphia singer/songwriter Avi Wisnia covered the song on his 2010 album "Something New"