Songoftheday 11/1/21 - At first we started out real cool taking me places I ain't never been, but now you're getting comfortable ain't doing those things you did no more...
"Bills, Bills, Bills" - Destiny's Child
from the album The Writing's On The Wall (1999)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 16
Today's song comes from Destiny's Child, who made their big debut in the spring of 1998 with the top ten pop/#1 R&B hit "No, No, No (Part 2)". Despite that success though, the album failed to give up a big pop follow-up. Later that year, the group contributed a song to the soundtrack to the Halle Berry movie Why Do Fools Fall In Love; "Get On The Bus", featuring Timbaland, only made it to #63 on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay chart in the U.S., and missed the pop Hot 100, but did well overseas, scoring their third top-20 hit in the UK at #15. The following year, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson returned with their sophomore effort, The Writing's On The Wall, with five of the fourteen songs co-written and produced by Kevin "Shekspere" Briggs. One of those, "Bills, Bills, Bills" would be released as the lead single. Written by Briggs with Knowles, Rowland, Luckett, and Xscape member Kandi Burriss, the song has the group confronting a freeloading lover, who takes advantage of their car, their phone, and most importantly their credit card. They even reference TLC's dissing "No Scrubs" in the lyrics as an insult to the golddigger. The song proceeds with the usual late 90's R&B shuffle groove, but when they hit that "I don't think you do so you and me are through" breakdown on the chorus it definitely gets your attention.
"Bills, Bills, Bills" became the group's first #1 on Billboard magazine's pop Hot 100 chart in July of 1999. The song was massive at urban radio, spending nine weeks at the top of the R&B chart, their biggest run of their stay together. The dance remixes of the track, dominated by the house music reworks by Maurice Joshua, helped it become their first hit on the Dance Club Play chart at #13. Internationally, the single reached the top ten in the UK (#6), Canada (#7), Iceland (#7), Belgium (#8F/#10W), and the Netherlands (#9). It also made the top-40 in New Zealand (#12), Ireland (#17), Germany (#19), France (#20), Australia (#26), Switzerland (#28), and Sweden (#30). The Writing's On The Wall album, released as "Bills" was peaking in July, rose to #5 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, spending 99 weeks on the list and going on to selling over eight million copies. At the Grammy Awards in 2000, the song was nominated for two categories, losing Best R&B Song and Best Duo/Group R&B Performance to TLC's "No Scrubs" (another Briggs/Burriss co-write). Both Destiny's Child and the album will be back to the series.
(9/10)
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In 2011, the musical show Glee had Darren Criss and the Warblers sing "Bills, Bills, Bills" in season two of the show. The show's version went to #44 on the American Hot 100 and #58 on the British singles chart...
Up tomorrow: Nerdy drummer turned pop star heads for the jungle.
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