Bag Lady

"Bag Lady"
Single by Erykah Badu
from the album Mama's Gun
B-side	"On & On (Live)"
Released	September 12, 2000 (See release history)
Format	CD-single, cassette single
Genre	Neo soul
Length	4:04 (remix edit) 5:48 (album version)
Label	Motown Records
Writer(s)	Erykah Badu, André Young
Producer(s)	Erykah Badu Tone Da Backbone
Erykah Badu singles chronology
"Southern Gul" (1999) "Bag Lady" (2000) "Didn't Cha Know?" (2000)

"Bag Lady" is the first single from singer Erykah Badu's 2000 album Mama's Gun. The song is about a woman who is trying to begin a new relationship but has too much emotional "baggage" and can't get close to people. The message of the song is to "pack light" and have hope for the future. The song was a success on the charts, entering the Billboard Top Ten and peaking at number six; it topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Charts for seven weeks.

To date, this is the last single released by Motown Records to reach number-one on the R&B chart under the original banner of the label before merging with Universal. It earned Badu two nominations at the 43rd Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.

Music video

The music video uses the Cheeba Sac remix of the song which samples Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive" from his 1999 album 2001. In a segment during the music video, Erykah and her "bag ladies" (consisting of singers Yahzarah and N'dambi, as well as Badu's mother and sister) dance to an excerpt of Johnny Hammond's "Gambler's Life" (1974). (Badu also interpolates "Gambler's Life" on "Booty," another song from the Mama's Gun album.)^[1] The video was shot on Mini DV digital video — an unusual choice for a mainstream music video production, which gave it an appearance comparable to a home movie.

CD single track list

1. Bag Lady (Cheeba Sac Radio Edit) (4:04)
2. Bag Lady (Main Radio Edit) (4:06)
3. Bag Lady (Cheeba Sac Instrumental) (4:57)
4. On & On (Live) (5:25)
5. Bag Lady (Remix Radio Edit) (20:14)

12" single track list

1. Bag Lady (Cheeba Sac Main) (5:09)
2. Bag Lady (Cheeba Sac Radio) (4:04)
3. Bag Lady (Main Radio Edit) (4:06)
4. Bag Lady (Cheeba Instrumental) (4:57)
5. Bag Lady (Main Instrumental) (5:50)
6. Bag Lady (Main Acapella) (5:40)

Release history

Country	Release date	Format
United States	September 12, 2000	Compact disc
Worldwide	October 12, 2000

Charts

Chart (2000)	Position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[2]	93
US Billboard Hot 100[3]	6
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (Billboard)[4]	1

References

1. "Erykah Badu's Booty sample of Johnny Hammond's Gambler's Life". WhoSampled.com. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
2. "Dutchcharts.nl – Erykah Badu – Bad Lady" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
3. "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Archived from the original on 2000-11-09. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 42.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics