It Wasn't Me

"It Wasn't Me"
Single by Shaggy featuring Rikrok
from the album Hot Shot
Released September 11, 2000[1]
Format CD single, Cassette single, 7" single, 12" single
Recorded 1999–2000
Genre Reggae fusion[2]
Length 3:47
Label MCA
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Shaun Pizzonia
Certification Gold (BPI)
Shaggy singles chronology
"Luv Me, Luv Me"
(1998)
"It Wasn't Me"
(2000)
"Angel"
(2001)

"It Wasn't Me" is the first single from Jamaican-American reggae artist Shaggy's multi-platinum studio album Hot Shot (2000). The song features vocals from English singer Rikrok.

The lyrics of the song depict one man asking his friend what to do after his girlfriend caught him having sex with another woman. His friend's advice is to deny everything, despite clear evidence to the contrary, with the phrase "It wasn't me."

"It Wasn't Me" has been regarded as Shaggy's breakthrough in the pop market, and is his highest-charting song to date, topping the charts in Australia, Austria, France, Ireland, the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It was the best-selling single of 2001 in the United Kingdom, selling over 1.15 million copies that year[3] and over 1.37 million as of 2015.

In the U.S., the song was the first #1 single of the 21st century according to Billboard Magazine.

Background

The lyrics of the song depict one man asking his friend what to do after his girlfriend caught him having sex with another woman. His friend's advice is to deny everything, despite clear evidence to the contrary, with the phrase "It wasn't me." Ultimately, the narrator says that the advice "makes no sense at all".

The clean version of the song replaces the lyric "Picture this: we were both butt-naked banging on the bathroom floor" with "Picture this: we were both caught making love on the bathroom floor" and "Saw me banging on the sofa" with "Saw me kissing on the sofa". "It Wasn't Me" was originally never intended to be released as a single.

Before the original version of Hot Shot was released in August 2000, Hawaiian DJ Pablo Sato downloaded the album from "a Napster-like MP3 site he won't name" and discovered that "It Wasn't Me" was "the album's standout cut." He played the song on American radio the next day, and in an interview, claimed, "The phone lines lit up right away. Within a couple of days, it was our number-one requested song."[4] The song was then released as the album's first single in September 2000, following its radio success. The song is written in the key of C, in the Mixolydian mode.

The song was spoofed by Bob Rivers, as Shaggy One Handed, making an reference to the Scooby-Doo character, Shaggy Rogers. The video focused on him being caught masturbating (about the girl next door) by his mother. The song was also spoofed on Svengoolie. On The Chris Moyles Show, the song was used as a prank call with Shaggy trying to book a taxi, with the final line being "Can you drop me off at The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1?, 97 to 99 FM".[5]

Chart performance

"It Wasn't Me" was Shaggy's first number-one hit in the United States. The song peaked at number two for two weeks from December 16, 2000[6] to December 23, 2000.[7] On December 30, 2000, it was bumped down one position to number three.[8] It moved back up to the number two spot on January 4, 2001.[9]

The song also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on March 4, 2001, selling 345,000 copies, making the song a transatlantic chart-topper.[10] It also reached number one in Australia on April 1, 2000. It is also the 11th biggest selling single of the 21st century in the United Kingdom,[11] with sales of over 1.37 million as of June 2015.[11][12]

As of August 2014, it is the 49th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 399,500 units sold.[13]

Music video

The music video was directed by Stephen Scott.

It starts out with Rikrok running to Shaggy's mansion to explain to him what has just happened. Rikrok tells him that he cheated on his girlfriend and got caught. Shaggy tells him to tell her that "It wasn't me." The video then cuts into a flashback to earlier that day. Rikrok has been caught sleeping with another woman, and his girlfriend is outside the apartment in her convertible when two women pull up next to her on their motorcycles (sport bikes).

Then, the three women go into the building. He then sneaks out the window, takes the motorcycle of one of his girlfriends accomplices and leaves. The women come out and the girlfriend and one of the accomplices get in the convertible and the other gets on her motorcycle and they chase after him. From his mansion, Shaggy, using his futuristic technology, tracks down where Rikrok is going and prepares an escape for him. Rikrok then gets on a bridge over the highway when the accomplice rode on the bridge in front of him.

He then hits the brakes to stop while she stops her motorcycle. Rikrok then hears a noise behind him and it's the other accomplices and the girlfriend driving the convertible on the other side of the bridge with the highway down below. An eighteen-wheeler drives by, and Shaggy leaves Rikrok a text message telling him to look behind and he notices the truck and jumps off the side of overhead and lands on the truck. He is then dropped off at Shaggy's mansion, showing the same scene from the start of the video.

Legacy

The lyrics of "It Wasn't Me" inspired Slate writer Josh Levin to coin the term the "Shaggy defense" to describe R. Kelly's defence at his child pornography trial stemming from the production of a sex tape: "I predict that in the decades to come, law schools will teach this as the 'Shaggy defense'. You allege that I was caught on camera, butt naked, banging on the log cabin floor? It wasn't me."[14]

Levin repeated the term on NPR.[15] The term describes a strategy of flatly denying guilt and refusing to engage with the evidence against the defendant, no matter how overwhelming. R. Kelly was ultimately found not guilty on all charges.[16]

Track listings

CD Single
  1. "It Wasn't Me" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
  2. "It Wasn't Me" (Vocal 12" Mix) – 3:49
  3. "Dance & Shout" (Pussy 2000 Club Mix Edit) – 8:07
  4. "It Wasn't Me" (Enhanced Video) – 3:43
Cassette single
  1. "It Wasn't Me" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
  2. "It Wasn't Me" (Album Version) – 3:47
  1. "It Wasn't Me" (Album Version) – 3:47
  2. "It Wasn't Me" (Squeaky Remix) – 4:25
  3. "It Wasn't Me" (Instrumental) – 3:47
  4. "It Wasn't Me" (Sports Remix) – 3:27
  1. "It Wasn't Me" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
  2. "It Wasn't Me" (Vocal 12" Mix) – 3:49
  3. "Dance & Shout" (Pussy 2000 Club Mix Edit) – 8:07
  4. "Dance & Shout" (Dancehall Version) – 3:46
  5. "It Wasn't Me" (Enhanced Video) – 3:43

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Chart (2000–01) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[20] 2
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) 18
Denmark (Tracklisten)[21] 2
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[22] 1
France (SNEP)[23] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[24] 1
Italy (FIMI)[25] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 6
Norway (VG-lista)[28] 2
Poland (Polish Singles Chart)[29] 1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[30] 13
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[33] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[35] 1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[36] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2001) Position
Australian Singles Chart[37] 2
Austrian Singles Chart[38] 25
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[39] 6
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[40] 6
Dutch Top 40[41] 7
French Singles Chart[42] 7
Irish Singles Chart[43] 2
Swiss Singles Chart[44] 17
UK Singles Chart[3] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[45] 12

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[46] 3× Platinum 210,000
Austria[47] Gold 15,000
France[48] Platinum 500,000
Germany[49] Gold 150,000
Netherlands[50] Platinum 60,000
Norway[51] Platinum 10,000
Switzerland[52] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] 2× Platinum 1,320,000[12]

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

Chart successions

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Independent Women Part I" by Destiny's Child
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
February 3, 2001 February 10, 2001 (2 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Ms. Jackson" by OutKast
Preceded by
"Puf / Schudden" by Def Rhymz
Dutch number-one single
March 3, 2001 April 7, 2001 (6 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Damn (I Think I Love You)" by Starmaker
Preceded by
"Always Come Back to Your Love"
by Samantha Mumba
Irish (IRMA) number-one single
March 3, 2001 (1 week)
Succeeded by
"Uptown Girl" by Westlife
Preceded by
"Whole Again" by Atomic Kitten
UK number-one single
March 4, 2001 (1 week)
Preceded by
"La Passion" by Gigi D'Agostino
Belgian (Flanders) number-one single
March 24, 2001 April 14, 2001 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus
Preceded by
"Seul" by Garou
French SNEP number-one single
March 31, 2001 June 2, 2001 (10 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Hasta la Vista" by MC Solaar
Preceded by
"Ms. Jackson" by OutKast
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
March 31, 2001 June 2, 2001 (10 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Whole Again" by Atomic Kitten
Preceded by
"Case of the Ex" by Mýa
Australian ARIA number-one single
April 1, 2001 – April 22, 2001 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Me, Myself and I" by Scandal'us

See also

References

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  2. "Timelinkz bands". Timelinkz.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
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  4. Paiva, Derek (January 18, 2001). "Isle deejay takes credit for Shaggy hit". The Honolulu Advertiser. Gannett Co., Inc. Archived from the original on February 22, 2001. Retrieved February 22, 2001.
  5. "Shaggy - Taxi". 2015-04-28.
  6. Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. Paoletta, Michael. 2000: The Year In Music. Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  9. "'Independent' Stays On Top". Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  10. "SHAGGY RETURNS IN STYLE". NME. 4 March 2000. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  11. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (11 June 2015). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of the Millennium so far revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  13. "Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, épisode 6 (50-41)". Chartsinfrance. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  14. Josh Levin. May 21, 2008. "Dispatches From the R. Kelly Trial".
  15. NPR. May 23, 2008. "Trapped in a Courtroom: The R. Kelly Trial".
  16. R. Kelly Found Not Guilty!
  17. "Australian-charts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
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  22. "Hits of the World: Eurochart Hot 100 (IFPI/Nielsen Marketing Research) 04/07/01". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 113 (14): 73. April 7, 2001. ISSN 0006-2510.
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  29. "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on 2008-05-08.
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  36. "Shaggy – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Shaggy. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
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  40. 2001 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
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  45. "2001". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
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  51. Norwegian certifications Ifpi.no (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
  52. Swiss certifications Swisscharts.com (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
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External links

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