Bills, Bills, Bills
Encyclopedia
"Bills, Bills, Bills" is a 1999 hit single by Destiny's Child
, released as the first single from their second album The Writing's on the Wall
. It echoed the female empowerment sentiments of TLC
's single "No Scrubs
", and featured the same producer (Eric Nealante Phillips) and songwriter (Kandi Burruss
). The song provided the quartet with their first US chart-topper in July 1999, and also reached the UK Top 10. The album featured a greater creative input from the quartet, although they still relied on a heavyweight production crew including Rodney Jerkins
, Missy Elliott
, Chad Elliot, and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné!
. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards: "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
" and "Best R&B Song
" at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. Glee
covers the song in the Super Bowl episode (2nd Season) with actor Darren Criss
leading in a performance with the Dalton Academy Warblers.
for "Bills, Bills, Bills" (directed by Darren Grant
) was shot in a beauty salon as a tribute to Tina Knowles, group member Beyoncé Knowles
mother. It was also the first of three videos that would include Farrah Franklin
, though she played only a minor role as a salon client.
The clip is featured on the video compilation The Platinum's on the Wall
and as an enhanced video on the UK CD Part1 edition of the "Bug a Boo
" CD-Single.
chart. The song also won a BMI Pop award for being the most played song. Before "Bills, Bills, Bills," the only top ten single the group had achieved was "No, No, No Pt. 2".
"Bills, Bills, Bills" also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks for nine consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest running number one singles ever on this chart and the most weeks at the summit in 1999. It was also the ninth best-selling single of the year in the U.S.
In the UK
"Bills, Bills, Bills" peaked at number six and went onto sell over 165,000 copies.
Certain lyrics within the song reveal that the targets of its criticism are men who do not repay debts, not all men in general. These include lines such as "Now you've been maxing out my card," "And then you use my cell phone / And when the bill comes, all of a sudden you be acting dumb," and "And now you ask to use my car / Drive it all day and don't fill up the tank." These same complaints are referred to in the refrain, when the women ask, "Can you pay my bills? / Can you pay my telephone bills? / Do you pay my automo' bills?"
Sporty Thievz
, the same group that wrote "No Pigeons" as response to TLC's "No Scrubs
", wrote a response to "Bills, Bills, Bills" entitled "No Billz (Why, Why, Why)." Sporty Thievz were also featured on "I Can't Go For That", a re-recorded remix of Bills, Bills, Bills with new lyrics, produced by the Trackmasters, along with a female rapper called Jazz.
Side A
Side B
12" Single
Side A
Side B
CD Maxi-Single
CD Single 38K 79175
Side A
Side B
CD Single
Notes
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, released as the first single from their second album The Writing's on the Wall
The Writing's on the Wall
-Credits and personnel:*Bill Ortiz – trumpet*Daryl Simmons – drum programming, keyboard programming*D'Wayne Wiggins – guitar, producer*Rodney Jerkins – producer*Claudine Pontier – assistant engineer*James Hoover – engineer...
. It echoed the female empowerment sentiments of TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
's single "No Scrubs
No Scrubs
"No Scrubs" is a 1999 song recorded by R&B girl groupTLC for their album FanMail. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year...
", and featured the same producer (Eric Nealante Phillips) and songwriter (Kandi Burruss
Kandi Burruss
Kandi Burruss , better known by her stage names Kandi or Kandi Girl, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. She is also a former member of the group Xscape from Atlanta.-Early life:...
). The song provided the quartet with their first US chart-topper in July 1999, and also reached the UK Top 10. The album featured a greater creative input from the quartet, although they still relied on a heavyweight production crew including Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Chad Elliot, and Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American Soul/R&B group from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy...
. The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards: "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...
" and "Best R&B Song
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance...
" at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
covers the song in the Super Bowl episode (2nd Season) with actor Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
leading in a performance with the Dalton Academy Warblers.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Bills, Bills, Bills" (directed by Darren Grant
Darren Grant
Darren Grant is an American music video director. He has done over 80 music videos for mostly R&B and Hip Hop artists.He is best known for directing all the music videos from Destiny's Child's debut album, he also worked with them on their later music videos including Grammy winning single...
) was shot in a beauty salon as a tribute to Tina Knowles, group member Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
mother. It was also the first of three videos that would include Farrah Franklin
Farrah Franklin
Farrah Destiny Franklin is an American singer, actress, and model. She is an ex-member of Destiny's Child who replaced LaTavia Roberson; she left the group after 5 months.-Recording & movie career:...
, though she played only a minor role as a salon client.
The clip is featured on the video compilation The Platinum's on the Wall
The Platinum's on the Wall
The Platinum's on the Wall is a 2001 DVD that features Destiny's Child's Greatest Hits Videos from the albums Destiny's Child and The Writing's on the Wall...
and as an enhanced video on the UK CD Part1 edition of the "Bug a Boo
Bug a Boo
"Bug a Boo" is a song by Destiny's Child, which appears on their second album The Writing's on the Wall. It peaked at number thirty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
" CD-Single.
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Australia | |
| Germany |
Chart performance
"Bills, Bills, Bills" debuted at #84 on the Hot 100 and climbed to #1 five weeks later, where it remained for a week and spent a total of twenty weeks on the chart. It was the first Destiny's Child song that peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. The song also won a BMI Pop award for being the most played song. Before "Bills, Bills, Bills," the only top ten single the group had achieved was "No, No, No Pt. 2".
"Bills, Bills, Bills" also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks for nine consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest running number one singles ever on this chart and the most weeks at the summit in 1999. It was also the ninth best-selling single of the year in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
"Bills, Bills, Bills" peaked at number six and went onto sell over 165,000 copies.
Peak positions
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
7 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 64 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 21 |
Responses
Despite the success of the single, some listeners questioned the theme, interpreting the demand that the man pay the woman's bills and the accompanying threat of leaving him if he did not as male bashing . Additionally, the man in the song is subjected to insults, accusing him of being a "triflin', good for nothing type of brother." Destiny's Child countered that their lyrics were meant to be empowering for women .Certain lyrics within the song reveal that the targets of its criticism are men who do not repay debts, not all men in general. These include lines such as "Now you've been maxing out my card," "And then you use my cell phone / And when the bill comes, all of a sudden you be acting dumb," and "And now you ask to use my car / Drive it all day and don't fill up the tank." These same complaints are referred to in the refrain, when the women ask, "Can you pay my bills? / Can you pay my telephone bills? / Do you pay my automo' bills?"
Sporty Thievz
Sporty Thievz
Sporty Thievz was a Yonkers, New York hip-hop group, originally a trio, composed of King Kirk , Big Dubez and Marlon Bryant Brando...
, the same group that wrote "No Pigeons" as response to TLC's "No Scrubs
No Scrubs
"No Scrubs" is a 1999 song recorded by R&B girl groupTLC for their album FanMail. Released as the album's first single, "No Scrubs" became TLC's third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year...
", wrote a response to "Bills, Bills, Bills" entitled "No Billz (Why, Why, Why)." Sporty Thievz were also featured on "I Can't Go For That", a re-recorded remix of Bills, Bills, Bills with new lyrics, produced by the Trackmasters, along with a female rapper called Jazz.
US Single
12" PromoSide A
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Livegig Mix) - 7:12
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Dub Mix) - 8:03
Side B
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Digital Black-N-Groove Mix) - 7:22
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Album Version) - 4:16
12" Single
Side A
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Album Version) - 4:16
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix) - 7:16
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (A Capella) - 4:00
Side B
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Livegig Mix) - 7:33
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Dub Mix) - 8:04
CD Maxi-Single
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Album Version) - 4:16
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix) - 7:07
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (A Capella) - 4:02
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Livegig Mix) - 7:34
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Dub Mix) - 8:03
CD Single 38K 79175
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Album Version) - 4:16
- "Bug-A-Boo" (snippet) - 1:18
- "So Good" (snippet) - 1:03
- "Now That She's Gone" (snippet) - 1:11
UK Single
CD Maxi-Single- "Bills, Bills, Bills" - 4:16
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (I Can't Go For That Remix) - 3:57
- "No, No, No" (Part II) (featuring Wyclef JeanWyclef JeanWyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
) - 3:30
France Single
12" SingleSide A
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" - 4:16
- "I Can't Go For That" (Bills, Bills, Bills Remix) - 3:57
Side B
- "I Can't Go For That" (Bills, Bills, Bills Remix - Radio Edit) - 3:38
- "I Can't Go For That" (Bills, Bills, Bills Remix - W/O Rap) - 3:22
CD Single
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" - 4:16
- "I Can't Go For That" (Bills, Bills, Bills Remix) (Radio Edit) - 3:38
European Maxi Single
CD Maxi-Single COL 665287 2- "Bills, Bills, Bills" - 4:16
- "I Can't Go For That" (Bills, Bills, Bills Remix) (Radio Edit) - 3:38
- "I Can't Go For That" (Bills, Bills, Bills Remix) - 3:57
- "No, No, No" (Part I) (featuring Wyclef JeanWyclef JeanWyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
) - 4:07 - "With Me" (Part II) (featuring Master PMaster PPercy Robert Miller , better known by his stage name Master P or his business name P. Miller, is an American rapper, actor, entrepreneur, investor, and producer. He is the founder of the popular label No Limit Records, which went bankrupt and was relaunched as New No Limit Records through Koch...
) - 4:14
Formats and remixes
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Radio Edit)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Acapella)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (#1'sNumber 1's (Destiny's Child album)#1's is a compilation album released by R&B group Destiny's Child containing songs from their albums The Writing's on the Wall, Survivor, This Is The Remix, and Destiny Fulfilled...
Edit) - "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Instrumental)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Ben Jay Remix)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix Instrumental)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Digital Black-N-Groove Club Mix)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Digital Black-n-Groove Club Radio Remix)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (DJ Def Club's Xclusive Mix)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Dub Mix)1
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Livegig Mix)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (Maurice's Xclusive Mix)1
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (UK Garage Mix)
- "Bills, Bills, Bills" (D'n'D 2-Step Mix)
- "I Can't Go For That" ('BBB' Trackmasters Remix Radio Edit) (feat Jazz-Ming & Sporty ThievzSporty ThievzSporty Thievz was a Yonkers, New York hip-hop group, originally a trio, composed of King Kirk , Big Dubez and Marlon Bryant Brando...
) - "I Can't Go For That" ('BBB' Trackmasters Remix) (feat Jazz-Ming & Sporty Thievz)
- "I Can't Go For That" ('BBB' Trackmasters Remix Acapella) (feat Jazz-Ming & Sporty Thievz)
- "I Can't Go For That" ('BBB' Trackmasters Remix Instrumental)
Notes
- 1 remixes contain re-recorded vocals with Beyoncé (ad-libsAd-LibsAd-Libs is an improvisational comedy troupe based in Dallas, Texas. Combining improvisation along with video segments, Ad-Libs was conceived by Phil Larsson in 1986...
) and Kelly (ad-libs on bridge), arranged by Maurice Joshua.
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals: Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
(2 verses), Kelly RowlandKelly RowlandKelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
(2 bridges) - Background vocals: Kelly Rowland, Letoya Luckett and LaTavia RobersonLaTavia RobersonLaTavia Marie Roberson is a two-time Grammy Award–winning American contralto singer-songwriter, as well as an original member of Girl's Tyme which later became Destiny's Child. She was eventually replaced by Farrah Franklin in 2000. She was an original founder of the group with Beyoncé as they...
, Beyoncé Knowles - Vocal production: Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Letoya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson and Eric Nealante Phillips
See also
- R&B number-one hits of 1999 (USA)R&B number-one hits of 1999 (USA)These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1999:-Chart history:-Chart comparisons:*Three songs reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100/pop chart: "No Scrubs," "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Heartbreaker."...
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1999 (U.S.)