Yah Mo B There
| "Yah Mo B There" | ||||||||||
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| Single by James Ingram and Michael McDonald | ||||||||||
| from the album It's Your Night | ||||||||||
| Released | December 9, 1983 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||||||||
| Genre | R&B | |||||||||
| Length |
4:40 3:08 (7") | |||||||||
| Label | Qwest, Warner Bros. | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | James Ingram, Michael McDonald, Rod Temperton, Quincy Jones | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Quincy Jones | |||||||||
| James Ingram singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Yah Mo B There" is an R&B song by American singers James Ingram and Michael McDonald. It was written by Ingram, McDonald, Rod Temperton, and producer Quincy Jones. The song originally appeared on Ingram's 1983 album It's Your Night, released on Jones's Qwest Records label. It was released as a single in late 1983, peaking at #19 on the U.S. charts in 1984, and #44 on the UK charts also in 1984, (the re-mix hit #12 in the Spring of 1985 in the UK), and has subsequently appeared on several of Ingram and McDonald's greatest hits albums as well as various 1980s compilation albums. A remixed version by John 'Jellybean' Benitez was also available on both 7 and 12" format.
The performance earned the duo a 1985 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. It was one of a series of very successful duets involving Ingram.
Pop culture references
The song was referred to in the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The main characters work in an electronics store in which a Michael McDonald concert DVD has constantly been playing on the TVs for two years. A salesman, David (played by Paul Rudd), has developed an intense hatred of the DVD and tells the manager, "I would rather listen to Fran Drescher for eight hours than have to listen to Michael McDonald. Nothing against him, but if I hear 'Yah Mo B There' one more time, I'm gonna 'yah mo' burn this place to the ground!"
In the web comedy series Yacht Rock, Ingram and McDonald write "Yah Mo" after mishearing Kenny Loggins say "Yeah, I'll be there" while eating an apple and talking on a cordless phone.
In the animated TV series American Dad!, the song was used in episode "Home Wrecker" as a favorite of Principal Lewis and sung by Steve and his friends.
Charts
| Chart (1983/84) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[1] | 44 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[3] | 5 |
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart[1] | 12 |
Cover Versions
In 1988, pop/R&B singer Jon Gibson covered "Yah Mo B There" on his Change of Heart album released on Christian rock/pop label Frontline Records. The same record featured the emerging rap artist MC Hammer. Yah Mo B There was covered by Louise Seville and released in the UK in 1996. British singer Steve Brookstein covered a slightly re-written version of the song with BeBe Winans for the 2005 album Heart and Soul.
References
- 1 2 "Chart Stats - James Ingram and Michael McDonald". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ↑ "James Ingram Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
- ↑ "James Ingram Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
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