Doo Wop (That Thing)

"Doo Wop (That Thing)"
Single by Lauryn Hill
from the album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
B-side
ReleasedAugust 10, 1998 (1998-08-10)
Recorded1997–1998[1]
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 5:20 (album version)
  • 4:02 (single edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Lauryn Hill
Producer(s)Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill singles chronology
"Retrospect for Life"
(1997) 		"Doo Wop (That Thing)"
(1998) 		"Ex-Factor"
(1998)
Audio sample

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill from her debut solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.[2][3]

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" became Hill's first and only US Billboard Hot 100 number one hit. It marked the first US number one written, produced and recorded by one sole woman since Debbie Gibson's "Lost in Your Eyes" (1989). It debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first hip hop song by a soloist to debut at number one, and the first debut single to premiere atop the chart. It also marked the first song by a female rapper to peak at number one on the Hot 100, and remained the only solo song by a female rapper to debut at number one for nearly a quarter of century afterwards.[4][5] The song reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and surpassed 50 million audience listeners on radio, which was a record at the time for a hip hop song.

Critically acclaimed, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was named the best single of the year by Rolling Stone.[6] It went on to win Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards (1999). According to Apple Music, it is one of the most streamed songs of the 1990s.[7] The song was included in the list of "Songs of the Century", by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts; and was named one of the 300 most important songs of the 20th century by NPR.[8] "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was ranked number 49 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021). In 2023, Billboard named it one of the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". The accompanying music video for "Doo Wop (That Thing)" won Hill four awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, including the top prize Video of the Year (a first for a rapper).[9] VH1 and Slant have both ranked it as one of the 100 greatest music videos.[10]

  1. ^ Checkoway, Laura (August 26, 2008). "Inside 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference samuels was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference faison was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Cardi B's "Up" Becomes Hot 100 Chart's Highest-Debuting Solo Female Rap Song Since 1998". AllHipHop.com. February 17, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  5. ^ "Nicki Minaj equals Lauryn Hill chart record". BBC News. August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Rock On The Net: Lauryn Hill". www.rockonthenet.com. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "200 Most Streamed Songs from the '90s". Apple Music. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  8. ^ "NPR 100: Master List of top 300 Songs". news.npr.org. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (August 25, 2018). "Flashback: See Lauryn Hill Perform Lush Version of 'Lost Ones' at MTV VMAs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "The 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time". Slant Magazine. November 15, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.