Case of the Ex
Encyclopedia
"Case of the Ex" is an R&B/Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...

. The track was produced by Tricky Stewart for Harrison's sophomore studio album Fear of Flying
Fear of Flying (album)
Fear of Flying is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Mýa, released April 25, 2000 on Interscope Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during late 1999 to early 2000...

. Case of The Ex was written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Traci Hale
Traci Hale
Traci Hale is a Atlanta-based American Pop, R&B songwriter and vocalist. She began her career as a back up singer for R&B superstars Keith Sweat and Aaliyah before becoming a songwriter for artists including Rihanna, Blu Cantrell, Mýa and Brandy...

, and Tab. The lyrics speak about an ex lover who will not go away. It became Harrison's breakthrough hit and generally considered her signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

.

Case of The Ex was released August 28, 2000 in the United States as the second single from Harrison’s sophomore studio album Fear of Flying
Fear of Flying (album)
Fear of Flying is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Mýa, released April 25, 2000 on Interscope Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during late 1999 to early 2000...

. The single was a critical and commercial success; it reached number two on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

s Hot 100 and number ten on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was a commercial success internationally topping the Australian Singles Chart for two consecutive weeks and reaching the Top 10 in United Kingdom
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...

 and Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. "Case of the Ex" was certified platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...

 by Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

.

Writing & Recording

"Case of the Ex" was a dominant radio hit, featuring its unmistakable, keyboard hook and its unique, lyric theme (about a strong woman who will not tolerate her man returning to his ex-girlfriend).

It was in fall that Stewart co-wrote "Case of the Ex" with Traci Hale and Tab:
"Traci and Tab are two of my writing partners, and we got together to write a song specifically for Mya. We kicked around some subjects which Mya could potentially sing. We wanted to create a lyric theme that would keep her young, yet would show that she was growing up. Then Traci came up with the lyric idea, which was inspired by a relationship she was going through at the time. Traci and Tab wrote most of the lyrics, and I wrote most of the music and played all of the tracks, with Traci singing on the original demo." said Stewart.


The initial demo also featured the compelling, percussive, keyboard hook which became the song's musical trademark. "I followed an old philosophy, which is to try to catch the listener's attention," explained Stewart. "I wanted to make a statement with that hook, creating a special sound that people would react to and remember. It was like a loud, horn blast, which was derived from a sampled sound, and then enhanced with my K-25 keyboard." Soon after completing the demo, Stewart played the song for Mýa, and she immediately loved it. The following day, Mýa recorded her vocals at Stewart's studio for the master version. "Mýa did a great job with her vocals; she truly brought the song to life," said Stewart.

Reception

NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

gave the song a mixed review:

No-good boyfriend anthem number four thousand eighty time, y'all. We've had some choice cuts about guys who think going Dutch means travelling to Holland. About guys who live at home, don't see their kids and still think they have something to offer you in recent times.

Bringing up the rear of this manifesto is former 'Ghetto Superstar' vocalist Mýa. Culled from her second album, 'Fear of Flying
Fear of Flying (album)
Fear of Flying is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Mýa, released April 25, 2000 on Interscope Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during late 1999 to early 2000...

', 'Case...' is a lot more jovial than, say, Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...

's 'Ex-Factor
Ex-Factor
"Ex-Factor" is the third single from American recording artist Lauryn Hill from her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill . It features a sample of "Can It Be All So Simple", a song by Wu-Tang Clan...

' because the ex in question isn't Mýa's man, but her man's ex, who's constantly a-ringing her home and a-bugging her man prompting her to pose the dodgy question: "do you want her back?!"

The stuttering arrangement of the original is cool and suits Mýa's brooding mood, but after a while it simply sits in the wind - there's no real build into a bassline leaving the track to run along a continuos pop/r&b vibe. The Sovereign remix is broader in its intent, and was created to appeal to the UK garage contingent, but the more you listen to it, bolstered as it is by a throbbing club bassline and its sheer clutter, you realise that the weight it adds to Mýa's delicate vocals adds real depth to the song.

Anyway, we all know what to do when ex-girlfriends re-emerge don't we? Round up your girls and give the wench a beat-down.

Chart performance

"Case of the Ex" is Mýa's biggest hit in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

; it debuted at number seventy-two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard 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 and peaked at number two in its 16th week. It spent 3 weeks at number two and 29 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single became Mýa's second non-consecutive top 10 hit (solo) and longest running single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart to date. It stayed in the top ten for 12 weeks and the top forty for 24 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became a top ten hit on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart peaking at number ten and spent 28 consecutive weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. The single became Mýa's third non-consecutive top ten hit and fifth consecutive top forty hit (solo) on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. It reached number one on the Hot 100 Singles Sales
Hot 100 Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the...

 chart; spending one week at number one.

Internationally the single was successful as well; it reached the top spot in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

; spending two weeks at number one and was certified platinum by ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

 selling over 70,000 copies. It reached the top ten in the United Kingdom
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...

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 and the top forty in Beligum, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

Background and Development

The music video
Music 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 Case of the Ex was directed by Diane Martel
Diane Martel
Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...

. Harrison worked with legendary choreographer Tina Landon
Tina Landon
Tina Landon is an award-winning Mexican-American choreographer based in Los Angeles who has worked with Prince, Anastacia, Mýa, Pink, Jay-Z, Marc Anthony, Kristi Yamaguchi, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Pussycat Dolls, Tina...

 who won an American Choreography Award for Best Hip Hop Music Video for Case of the Ex.

Synopsis

The video opens in a Mad-Maxish
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...

 desert setting, where a posse of well-muscled girls stands before a group of somewhat nonplussed boys. At first they look like they're going to perform for the boys, like the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...

 in "Say You'll Be There
Say You'll Be There
"Say You'll Be There" is a song by British pop group Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls and Eliot Kennedy, for their debut album Spice, released in November 1996. Production duo Absolute incorporated a mix of pop and R&B into the song, which includes an harmonica solo, played by Judd...

" or maybe taunt them a bit, like Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

 and her crew in "You Want This
You Want This
"You Want This" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth studio album, janet. . Released as the album's seventh single in August 1994, the track was written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.-Song information:Based on samples from Diana Ross & the Supremes'...

". But there's another story here, having to do with the juxtapositions of the post-apocalyptic environment, the athletic survivor-girls wielding their martial-arts sticks, and the song's lyrics. These last concern Mýa's query to her man, wondering why another girl is calling his phone "after midnight." This caller, says narrator Mýa, is "Saying come over / Cause she's all alone. / I could tell it was your ex / By your tone."
At first it might appear that boyfriend's busted, straight up. But it's more complicated than that, especially as you see Mýa and her girls engaged in their own energetic calisthenics, then (apparently) commanding their male admirers to hit the ground and perform push-ups, constructing a kind of reciprocal relationship that, for instance, Christina Aguilera's video for "What A Girls Wants
What a Girl Wants (song)
"What a Girl Wants" is the second single performed by Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut album. The song was released on November 28, 1999, which was ten days after Aguilera's nineteenth birthday. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 15, 2000 for two weeks,...

" can not do, in its celebration of the most excellent boyfriend whose job is to be endlessly appreciative of his girlfriend's super-gloriousness (see also, Christina's video for Genie in a Bottle
Genie in a Bottle
"Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...

," in which she also dances seductively with a group of girls for a group of boys). Director Diane Martel
Diane Martel
Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...

 has done her share of conventionally alluring Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...

 and Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

 videos, but here the terms are shifted. Mýa and her girls — in moves recalling Janet's — don't pretend to be charming or enticing. Instead, they present themselves as young women with demands and desires, proudly hard-bodied and self-possessed.
Mýa can rock the midriff tops like any other pop star, but as always, she remains slightly offbeat, neither apologetic nor solicitous. Sexy and self-assured without being coy, she knows who she is and what she wants, and she says it out right: "What'cha gonna do / When you can't say no / And your feelings start to show? / Boy I really need to know / And how you gonna act?" In Mýa's world, it's not the girl who turns emotional and unsure of herself when a question of integrity arises, but the more fragile, less stable boy. She warns, "There's no need to / Reminisce about the past, / Obviously, cause that shit did not last." The video's imagery underlines her admonition, as the camera shoots up at her looking unafraid and austere, backed by her crew as the dust flies from their work-out: "She don't know me. / She's about to know me. / I'm in your life. / That's how its gon' be." And if you want to mess around, you're free to choose, but it will cost: "If you want her back / You can take her back. / Cause game recognize game. / I could do the same thing." And she does. At video's end, Mýa and her dancers exit, leaving their audience dusty and on their own.

Tracklisting

U.S. CD single
  1. "Case of the Ex" (radio edit)
  2. "Case of the Ex" (album version)
  3. "Case of the Ex" (instrumental)


European maxi single
  1. "Case of the Ex" (radio edit)
  2. "Case of the Ex" (2-step mix)
  3. "Take Me There
    Take Me There (Blackstreet song)
    "Take Me There" is a Pop/R&B song by American quartet Blackstreet and Mýa and features Bad Boy rappers Ma$e and Blinky Blink. The track was produced by Teddy Riley for the soundtrack for the motion picture film The Rugrats Movie and featured on Blackstreet's fourth studio album Finally...

    "
  4. "Ghetto Superstar"


UK CD single
  1. "Case of the Ex" (radio edit)
  2. "Case of the Ex" (Sovereign remix)
  3. "Case of the Ex" (main version)
  4. "Case of the Ex" (video)

Charts

(2000/2001) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 1
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart 16
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart 26
Canadian 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....

14
Dutch Singles Chart
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...

8
French Singles Chart 29
German Singles Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

39
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

12
New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

17
Swiss Singles Chart 72
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

3
UK R&B Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...

1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard 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...

2
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 10
U.S. Billboard Pop Songs 3
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales
Hot 100 Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the...

1

Year-end charts

Year Chart Position
2001 Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

11
Belgian Singles (Flanders) 91
Billboard Hot 100 40
2000 Billboard Hot 100 72
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 87

Certifications

Country (Provider) Certification
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 (ARIA)
Platinum

Release history

Country Date
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

August 28, 2000
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

August 28, 2000
United Kingdom
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...

January 29, 2001
Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

May 22, 2001

Personnel

  • Produced by: Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
    Christopher Stewart (music producer)
    Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...

  • Music by: Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
  • Lyrics by: Traci Hale, Tab, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
  • Keyboards and programming by: Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
  • Recording engineer: Brian "B-Luv" Thomas
  • Mix engineer: Kevin "KD" Davis
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