CynicKill said:

Kandi (of the R&B group Xscape) is good at writing those types of songs. She wrote "Bills, Bills, Bills," and "Bug-a-Boo" for Destiny's Child. She penned "No Scrubs" for TLC and she even had a minor hit with her own "Don't Think I'm Not." Her 2000 self-titled debut was a study in eye-rollin' and neck-snappin'.

JANFAN4L said:

Along with a committee of what, 6 other people?

VoicesCarry said:

No, the head-waggin, eye-rolling, tell-off genre. (LOL)

VoicesCarry said:

Kandi was the primary writer for that track. If you listen to her self-titled debut, you can clearly hear her style of songwriting emblazoned all over her LP. She has a penchant for starting her tunes like nursery rhymes and using current urban vernacular in every line. Topics such as bills, "game recognizing game," cheating while the kids are at home, findin'-yo'-man-is-gay, a "real woman" a.k.a. the Houswife/freak type -- cooks but got some mean poo-nanny, etc. are common for her. She just disappeared all of a sudden, along with her producer-partner Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs.

JANFAN4L said:

I was kinda wondering what happened to She'kspere. Maybe it was the goofy spelling...

CynicKill said:

No, that is Mary Wells' "You Beat Me To The Punch".

I also like Martha Reeves & The Vandellas singing "Come And Get These Memories".

Early prototypes, and they remain the best. That type of song has been a mainstay of R&B and disco for decades. "Bills Bills Bills" is definitely near the bottom of the list when it comes to quality.
[Edited 9/30/04 15:06pm]

VoicesCarry said:

Yeah I'm sure Betty Wright has a few in there too. (o:`,
But in "Bills Bills Bills" defense it does have audacity going for it. Perfectly oversung. Demanding. etc etc

Song - Survivor
Album - Survivor

Now that you're out of my life
I'm so much better
You thought that I'd be weak without you
But I'm stronger
You thought that I'd be broke without you
But I'm richer
You thought that I'd be sad without you
I laugh harder
You thought I wouldn't grow without you
Now I'm wiser
Though that I'd be helpless without you
But I'm smarter
You thought that I'd be stressed without you
But I'm chillin'
You thought I wouldn't sell without you
Sold 9 million

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?
) I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

Thought I couldn't breathe without
I'm inhaling
You thought I couldn't see without you
Perfect vision
You thought I couldn't last without you
But I'm lastin'
You thought that I would die without you
But I'm livin'
Thought that I would fail without you
But I'm on top
Thought it would be over by now
But it won't stop
Thought that I would self destruct
But I'm still here
Even in my years to come
I'm still gon be here

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm wishin' you the best
Pray that you are blessed
Bring much success, no stress, and lots of happiness
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gon blast you on the radio
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gon lie on you and your family
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gon hate on you in the magazines
('m better than that)
I'm not gon compromise my Christianity
(I'm better than that)
You know I'm not gon diss you on the Internet
Cause my mama taught me better than that

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)

(Beyonce)
Oh (oh) oh (oh)...

After of all of the darkness and sadness
Soon comes happiness
If I surround my self with positive things
I'll gain prosperity

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)


Beyonce and Co. got into a heap of trouble over this scandalous diatribe aimed ot their former bandmates, The 2L's. When The 2L's got an earful of these lyrics they quickly sued, claiming breach of contract. Seems Destiny's Child promised not to disparage or mention The 2L's in public after their first round of litigation. Beyonce broke the breach and a second lawsuit was filed. Will there ever be peace among the young and beautiful?

CynicKill said:

Hate to peel at old scabs, but I read in an interview that Beyoncé had sobbing fits and suffered a brief bout of depression during the period the DC roster was constantly changing.

VoicesCarry said:

Can you pay my automo' bills? WTF?
Who's responsible for this?

During the height of their success, weren't TLC the best-selling girl group ever?

And where does LaBelle fit in?

UptownDeb said:

TLC was the best-selling girl group ever until the Spice Girls showed up. After that, TLC became the best selling trio ever

UptownDeb said:

Hey Automo' bills is just a fun lyric, and quite clever within the context of the song I might add.

Destiny's Child were being interviewed on MTV once before the 2000 Grammies and were going on about how Momma Knowles wouldn't want the girls showing too much this or that. *eyeroll*

Suffice it to say DC did perform at The Grammies that year, but the outfits were barely-there little numbers that the girls could barely move in without giving away major plot details. But it was a hit with the guys. The question is was DC being hypocritical when they wrote this for their follow up album "Survivor"?


Song - Nasty Girl
Album - Survivor

You's a nasty (nasty) Trashy (nasty)
Sleazy (nasty) Classless (nasty)

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

Shakin' that thang on that man, lookin' all stank and nasty
Swore you look cute girl in them dukes, booty all out lookin' trashy
Sleazy put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out ya heezy without clothes on, I told ya
You nasty girl, you nasty you trashy
You classless girl, you sleazy you freaky
I ain't never met a girl that does the things that you do
Change don't come your way it will come back to you
Put some clothes on girl

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

Booty all out, tongue out her mouth, cleavage from here to Mexico
She walks wit a twist, one hand on her hip, when she gets wit'cha she lets it go
Nasty put some clothes on, you look to' down
Nasty don't know why you, will not sit down
Heels on her feet, swear she's in heat, flirtin' wit every man she sees
Her pants hangin' low, she never says no, everyone knows she's easy
Nasty put some clothes on, you lookin' stank
Nasty what's your problem, you should be ashamed

Hard...for women like me who try to have some intergrity
You make it hard...for girls like myself who respect themselves
And have dignity
You nasty girl, you nasty, you trashy
You classless girl, you sleazy, you freaky
N-A-S-T-Y ya nasty, F-R-E-A-K ya freaky
Girl where's your P-R-I-D-E, put some clothes on

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohh oh oh oh (Repeat)
You so nasty girl, you so...you so nasty girl
You so nasty girl, you so...you so nasty girl
Put some clothes on girl!

Nasty put some clothes on, I told ya
Don't walk out your house without no clothes on, I told ya
Girl what ya thinkin' bout lookin' that to' down, I told ya
These men don't want no hot female that's been around the block female, you nasty girl

I don't get why folks get ALL deep about it, they're cool IMHO not enough to make me rush to the wrecka stow tho.

I'd say my FAVE girl-trio would be The Emotions & The Jones Girls

Dewrede said:

If you really think so? Then so is Rock N' Roll since its the baby of RnB in the 1st place

Harlepolis said:

Well it's a deconstruction. It's supposed to be serious.

CynicKill said:

Not to me.

To think that skank hootchie show-off bitch Beyonce was singing ''Put some clothes on'' in ''Nasty girl'' is hilarious , damn i hate that hootchie with a passion .
And i that shite R&B , period , 'cause there's no emotion in it .
[Edited 10/4/04 12:22pm]

What saves "Nasty Girl" is that it's so funny.

The greatest girl groups of all time would definately be the ones from the 1960s. Personally, I enjoy the ones from the early 1980s but realistically, the 1960s girls have them beat hands down.

As for Destiny's Child, they have got to be one of the WORST girl groups of all time. I would take girls like Vanity or Apollonia, that cannot sing, over ANY of the girls from Destiny's Child anyday. At least they had good music to back them up, which is more than I can say for Destiny's Child.

One wonders why a group with such a strong vocal presence as Destiny's Child would lipsync so much during live performances. I know they dance in heels a lot but wouldn't a group known for it's vocal strenght emphasize those abilities more, especially during a "live" setting?

CynicKill said:

Maybe it's because they don't have such a "strong vocal presence" as you might think?

VoicesCarry said:

I've seen them a couple times acapella and their harmonies were tight.

I'd put them in the "insignificant, ho-hum and boring" category myself. Particularly Beyonce.

Where is "Lose My Breath" this week on the Hot 100?

UptownDeb said:

I was always under the impression that the reason TLC got this "title" (if you will), because Motown never put forth the cash to certify the Supremes record sales.

RipHer2Shreds said:

It's not hard to believe that TLC probably sold more then The Supremes for the mere fact that artists sell a hell of a lot more nowadays then they used to. It used to take most of your career to sell 10 million albums. The industry then found a way to promote a single album to sales that number. Then again these records seem to be getting broken every year so...

CynicKill said:

Mmmmmm.....actually, many big artists from the 50's/60's sold hundreds of millions of records around the globe, so that doesn't really wash.

VoicesCarry said:

Things were done differently then. Back then it was about making singles go gold or platinum. You easily buy a 45 of the latest single out, causing people to not buy the album. Now, singles are rarely released for sale because the labels want to push album sales. So, it isn't far off that the numbers of albums sold back then were much lower than these days. I'm sure there's a way to research the number of albums sold for an artist in the 50's and 60's during the year of release and compare it to now. I don't think the numbers would be the same
[Edited 10/6/04 20:59pm]

Janfriend said:

Yes, I know. But it's very difficult to find sales figures for albums of the period. Big stars like Elvis did sell huge numbers, though (his total album sales were certainly more than 10 million).