"Bug a Boo" is a song recorded by American group
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
for their second studio album ''
The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by group members
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most culturally significant figu ...
,
LeToya Luckett,
LaTavia Roberson and
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling gir ...
along with
Kandi Burruss and
Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, featuring production by the latter. The song uses interpolations of the 1978 song "
Child's Anthem" by
Toto.
"Bug a Boo" was released as the second single from ''The Writing's on the Wall'' on July 7, 1999 by
. "Bug a Boo" peaked at number 33 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Bug a Boo" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top 30 of the charts in Australia.
Background
"Bug a Boo" is a song that
Kandi Burruss and
Kevin Briggs worked with Destiny's Child with for their second album. When Burruss and Briggs were brainstorming song ideas to the group, "Bug a Boo" was one of the first songs to be discussed and created. The group initially did not like it as Burruss stated that they were unsure on how they could sing over the track as it seemed like an instrumental that you would rap over.
Commercial performance
"Bug a Boo" debuted at No. 87 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on September 25, 1999, and peaked at No. 33 before descending the chart. It spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart. Following the huge success of "
Bills, Bills, Bills", "Bug a Boo" was a commercial disappointment. It performed better on
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
, reaching No. 15, but remains one of only three Destiny's Child's singles not to reach the top ten on that chart. The Refugee Camp Remix version of the song refers to its commercial failure, with the opening lyrics saying the group was doing "it right the second time".
In the Netherlands, "Bug a Boo" peaked at number six on the
Dutch Single Top 100
The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...
, spending 15 weeks on the chart.
In the United Kingdom, "Bug a Boo" debuted and peaked at number nine on the
UK Singles Chart on October 24, 1999 – for the week ending date October 30, 1999 – becoming Destiny's Child's third top ten song in Britain, following "
No, No, No" in March 1998 and "
Bills, Bills, Bills" in July 1999.
In Australia, "Bug a Boo" peaked at number 26 on the
ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the fourth and final song from "The Writing's on the Wall" to chart there.
Music video
The video was directed by
Darren Grant on August 18, 1999. It was the group's final music video to feature former members
LaTavia Roberson and
LeToya Luckett.
In the video, the group are walking down Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. Four men are driving a red car, trying to attract their attention, but the girls of Destiny's Child are uninterested. The girls accidentally run into a men's locker room where they see basketball star
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...
getting ready for a game. In the next shot, the group are wearing gold cheerleader outfits doing a routine cheer with
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...
as bandleader. The marching scene was filmed at
Fairfax High School. The marching band in the video were actual members of the
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
Marching Band. By the end of the video, the group members meet up with the four men from earlier. They all drive away in the red car, laughing.
A second version of the video was produced for the "Refugee Camp Remix" with additional footage from the same session. The original music video is featured on the video compilation ''
The Platinum's on the Wall
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'', whereas the video for the "Refugee Camp Remix" was never released to any disc.
The music video for "Bug a Boo" premiered on
BET the week ending September 12, 1999. It later made its debut on
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
the following week ending September 19, 1999. Beyoncé's gold two piece outfit from the shoot is on display at the
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...
restaurant in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California.
Track listings
European Maxi CD
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "Bug a Boo" (Refugee Camp Remix) (featuring
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...
)
1 – 4:02
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Xclusive "Bug A Boo" Dub Mix)
2 – 8:08
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Bug A Dub Mix)
2 – 7:14
US promo 12" vinyl
''Side A''
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Xclusive "Bug a Boo" Club Mix)
2 – 8:08
# "Bug a Boo" (Refugee Camp Remix) (featuring Wyclef Jean)
1 – 4:02
''Side B''
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's "Bug a Boo" Dub Mix)
2 – 7:14
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Xclusive "Bug a Boo" Club Mix a cappella)
2 – 5:58
UK promo single
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
UK Maxi CD Part 1
CA 668188 2
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "So Good" (album version) – 3:14
# "Bills, Bills, Bills" (album version) – 4:16
# "Bills, Bills, Bills" (music video)
UK Maxi CD Part 2 with Poster
CA 668188 5
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "Bug a Boo" (Refugee Camp Remix) (featuring Wyclef Jean)
1 – 4:02
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Xclusive "Bug A Boo" Club Mix)
2 – 6:59
European Maxi CD
COL 667779 5
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Xclusive "Bug a Boo" Club Mix)
2 – 8:08
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's "Bug a Boo" Dub Mix)
2 – 7:14
# "Bug a Boo" (Gentleman's Revenge) (featuring
Gentleman
''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...
) – 3:55
European 2-track single
German promo
SAMPCS 1510
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "Bug a Boo" (Refugee Camp Remix) (featuring Wyclef Jean)
1 – 4:02
Australian Maxi CD Part 1
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's Xclusive "Bug a Boo" Club Mix)
2 – 8:09
# "Bug a Boo" (Maurice's "Bug a Boo" Dub Mix)
2 – 7:14
# "Bug a Boo" (a cappella) – 3:13
Australian Maxi CD Part 2
# "Bug a Boo" (album version) – 3:31
# "
Jumpin', Jumpin'
"Jumpin', Jumpin' is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for its second studio album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). The song was co-written and co-produced by Chad Elliott and group member Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, with a ...
" (So So Def Remix) (featuring
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris-Dupart (née Harris; born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, she began her career in 1992 and signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings two years l ...
,
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
, &
Lil' Bow Wow
Shad Gregory Moss (born March 9, 1987), better known by his stage name Bow Wow (formerly Lil' Bow Wow), is an American rapper and actor. His career began upon being discovered by rapper Snoop Dogg in 1993 at the age of six; five years later, ...
) - 3:45
# "Jumpin', Jumpin'" (Azza's Radio Mix) - 4:10
# "Jumpin', Jumpin'" (Maurice's Radio Mix) - 4:05
Notes
*
1 The "Refugee Camp Remix" is a re-recorded hip-hop version of the single.
*
2 The "Maurice" Remixes contain additional re-recorded vocals (
ad-libs) by Beyoncé, arranged by Maurice Joshua.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bug A Boo
1999 singles
1998 songs
Columbia Records singles
Destiny's Child songs
Music videos directed by Darren Grant
Songs written by Beyoncé
Songs written by Kandi Burruss
Songs written by Kelly Rowland
Songs written by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs
Songs written by LaTavia Roberson
Songs written by LeToya Luckett
Toto (band)
Songs about stalking