This Is How We Do It
Encyclopedia
"This Is How We Do It" is a 1995 song by American R&B singer Montell Jordan
. This song, Jordan's first single, is representative of the new jack swing
style popular at the time, featuring Jordan singing over an enhanced sample of Slick Rick
's "Children's Story
." "This is How We Do It" was number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
for seven weeks from April 15 to May 27, 1995, and was number one for seven weeks on the R&B singles chart. Notably, this is the first number-one pop hit single in the U.S. to be released by Def Jam
, ten years after the record label's launch.
The song has appeared on many dance compilations, including Jock Jams volume 2
. When played on Top 40 radio, the song's rap
bridge
is often edited out. The song ranked #95 on VH1
's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
police drama television series New York Undercover
.
The song can be heard in numerous films, including The Nutty Professor
, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
, Multiplicity, How High
, 8 Mile
, Ali G Indahouse
(covered by Mis-Teeq
), and Freedom Writers
. It was also used as the theme song for the 2009 TV series Howie Do It
. Also it appeared in the episode "Cotton's Plot" of King of the Hill
.
Dale (John C. Reilly
) sings the line "This is how we do it" from the song's chorus in the 2008 film Step Brothers
, before diving onto - and consequently breaking - a set of bunk beds.
In the NBC
television sitcom Parks and Recreation
, Tom Haverford
(Aziz Ansari
) references the song's chorus by singing the line "This is how you eat it" immediately prior to eating an entire Habanero pepper in one bite in the episode "Leslie's House
".
The song is featured prominently in the "Summer of Pepsi
" ad series of 2011.
Patrick Stump
has performed a cover of the song on The Bobby Bones Show.
Montell Jordan
Montell Jordan is a former American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. Jordan became the main solo male artist on its Def Soul imprint until leaving the label in 2003. Of his live performances it is often regarded that he is a rock oriented musician, with Jordan even going as far as to...
. This song, Jordan's first single, is representative of the new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
style popular at the time, featuring Jordan singing over an enhanced sample of Slick Rick
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
's "Children's Story
Children's Story
"Children's Story" is a single by British-born American hip hop artist Slick Rick, from his album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.-Reception:It's on the list of the top 100 rap songs, and is ranked #61 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop....
." "This is How We Do It" was number-one 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...
for seven weeks from April 15 to May 27, 1995, and was number one for seven weeks on the R&B singles chart. Notably, this is the first number-one pop hit single in the U.S. to be released by Def Jam
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, ten years after the record label's launch.
The song has appeared on many dance compilations, including Jock Jams volume 2
Jock Jams volume 2
Jock Jams, Volume 2 is the second album in the Jock Jams compilation album series, released in August 1996.-Track listing:#"Welcome to the Big Show" - Dan Patrick and Chris Berman#"No Limit" - 2 Unlimited#"Everybody Everybody" - Black Box...
. When played on Top 40 radio, the song's rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
is often edited out. The song ranked #95 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.
Appearances in other media
In March 1995, the song was featured prominently in the opening scene of "All in the Family", a first-season episode of the FOXFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
police drama television series New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
.
The song can be heard in numerous films, including The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor (1996 film)
The Nutty Professor is a 1996 science fiction-romantic comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. It is a remake of the 1963 film of the same name, starring Jerry Lewis. The original music score was composed by David Newman. The film won an Academy Award for Makeup.Murphy plays benevolent university...
, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday is a 1996 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Pressman, and starring Peter Gallagher and Claire Danes as a father and daughter struggling to come to terms with the tragic death of wife and mother Gillian . The original score was composed by James...
, Multiplicity, How High
How High
How High is a 2001 stoner comedy starring Method Man and Redman, written by Dustin Lee Abraham, and director Jesse Dylan's debut feature film. Entertainment Weekly rated it third in their "Best Stoner Movie" top ten list...
, 8 Mile
8 Mile (film)
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger....
, Ali G Indahouse
Ali G Indahouse
Ali G Indahouse is a British comedy film directed by Mark Mylod and starring the fictional character Ali G, who is performed by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen...
(covered by Mis-Teeq
Mis-Teeq
Mis-Teeq are a British R&B girl group, comprising singers Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington. Originally a quartet which included Zena McNally, the group was formed in 1999 and released three major studio albums and seven consecutive UK top ten singles, including international hits...
), and Freedom Writers
Freedom Writers
Freedom Writers is a 2007 American drama film starring Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton and Patrick Dempsey. It is based on the book The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell who wrote the story based on Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach,...
. It was also used as the theme song for the 2009 TV series Howie Do It
Howie Do It
Howie Do It is a Canadian/American comedy television series, co-commissioned by Global and NBC, that stars Howie Mandel. The series features practical jokes in the vein of earlier shows like Just for Laughs, Punk'd or Candid Camera – the supposed twist being that the cameras are in the open,...
. Also it appeared in the episode "Cotton's Plot" of King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
.
Dale (John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
) sings the line "This is how we do it" from the song's chorus in the 2008 film Step Brothers
Step Brothers
Step Brothers may refer to:* A member of a stepfamily*The Four Step Brothers, a South African dance team in the U.S. active from the 1920s through the 1960s*Step Brothers , a 2008 comedy film starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly...
, before diving onto - and consequently breaking - a set of bunk beds.
In the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television sitcom Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
, Tom Haverford
Tom Haverford
Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Haverford , born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani, is a fictional character in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. He is a sarcastic, underachieving government official for the city of Pawnee who is revered for his high levels of swagger and unmatched entrepreneurial skills...
(Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He currently stars as Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation....
) references the song's chorus by singing the line "This is how you eat it" immediately prior to eating an entire Habanero pepper in one bite in the episode "Leslie's House
Leslie's House
Leslie's House is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the twentieth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 21, 2010...
".
The song is featured prominently in the "Summer of Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
" ad series of 2011.
Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
has performed a cover of the song on The Bobby Bones Show.
Peak positions
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 7 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 8 |
| French Singles Chart | 34 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 22 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 38 |
| UK Singles Chart | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 11 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 29 |