"Caught Out There" is the debut single by American singer

Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...

, released on October 5, 1999, from her debut studio album, ''

Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a symmetrical pattern when viewed fro ...

'' (1999). Written and produced by

the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

, the song peaked at number 54 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but fared better outside the United States, reaching the top ten in Canada, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

of the Neptunes said in an interview that the instrumental track was originally meant for rapper

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

, who rejected it.

Critical reception

Quentin Harrison of Albumism stated that Kelis is "burning with righteous anger" on the song, noting that she is "all heart with a hint of hedonism". He added that "Caught Out There" was " heonly one song

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

could announce Kelis with a bang", when her debut album was launched.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Jaime Sunao Ikeda picked it as a "standout" track of the ''

'' album. Daryl Easlea for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

said in his 2012 review that "it still steals the show today, and was one of those songs that was heard everywhere at the time." Swedish newspaper ''

Expressen (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden. Describing itself as independent liberal, was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or " to your rescue". The newspaper awards the cultu ...

'' stated that "over a crunchy beat, she makes up with a lying boyfriend". Brian Rusnica from '' The Heights'' described it as a "five minute explosion of emotion and female rage featuring the raw chorus, "I hate you so much right now!"". Ireland's ''

Evening Herald ''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Ev ...

'' stated that the song "established her as a leading light on the music scene", while the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' called it "shouty". Jim Wirth from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' commented, "Men, men, men; we're untrustworthy, lying scoundrels at heart, and as this

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

-based hip-hop soulster rightly points out, we're always at our worst shortly after we've gone through the old 'I love you' routine. Kelis knows the score, though, because on Valentine's Day last year, some no-good, scum-sucking wretch did the dirty on her. Still, he did her a favour in the end, because 'Caught Out There', with its unforgettable primal-scream refrain, looks set to be massive very soon. Stretched out over a spartan backbeat, it would be a cynical swine who would dismiss this titanic slab of

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that uses drum breaks, often sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as Florida breaks, hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat ...

pop as

Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ( ...

's '

Ain't No Doubt "Ain't No Doubt" is a song by English actor and singer-songwriter Jimmy Nail, released on 29 June 1992 by EastWest as the first single from his second album, '' Growing Up in Public'' (1992). Composed by Nail with Guy Pratt, Danny Schogger, and ...

' but, y'know, for girls." Another editor stated that Kelis's "honeyed vocal, which broke into unfiltered madness, was the thing that took this track over the top." Sal Cinquemani from ''

Slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non- objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant ...

'' wrote that it "proves why Kelis's legacy should extend beyond simply bringing the boys to the yard. No, she wasn't "the first girl to scream on a track", as she claims on 2006's "Bossy", but her debut single, released when she was a 19-year-old with pink eyebrows, not only became a girl-power anthem thanks to its livid hook and indignant lyrics, but helped announced the

Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

as one of the premier superstar production teams of 21st-century pop music." A reviewer from '' Sunday Life'' deemed it as "attentiongrabbing".

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Caught Out There" was directed by

Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...

. In the video, Kelis, in her technicolor spiral afro, blond, gold, orange, red, and fuchsia hair, starts in a confessional style, before opening to the chorus where she rips up the living room. Afterwards, Kelis and a group of fed-up women boycott and picket men. Finally, as she sings, "Got something for y'all", a gun cock is heard and the video finishes by alluding to her exacting revenge for her former lover's infidelity. The video premiered on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

the week ending on October 10, 1999.

Impact and legacy

The song was used on

MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...

's ''Shortest Weddings'' special. The signature yell "I hate you so much right now!" was used in the ''

Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom television series created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It centers on the titular character, D ...

'' episode "Partner's Complaint", first aired on February 25, 2000, and later in 2009 in British children's television sitcom '' Hotel Trubble''. It was also used in BBC3's '' Most Annoying People 2007'', under

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

(8 on the list), and in 2011 in a

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

ad for

CK One CK One is a citrus aromatic chypre unisex fragrance developed by Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont for Calvin Klein. Composition and marketing CK One's top notes include pineapple, mandarin orange, papaya, bergamot, cardamom and lemon. Its mid ...

. In 2010, the line "look, I found her red coat" was sampled extensively in the James Blake song "CMYK". In 2003, '' Q'' magazine ranked "Caught Out There" at number 649 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2010, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' named it the 161st-best track of the 1990s. They wrote, "Soundtracking this post-breakup mania is a top-rate, ahead-of-its-time Neptunes production, with snapping keyboards accompanied by high-pitched tones that sound like dynamite exploding in space. In a word: Damn." In 2012, ''NME'' placed the song at number 24 on its list of the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s". In 2012, ''Porcys'' listed the song at number 24 in their ranking of "100 Singles 1990-1999", adding, "Here's the classic Kelis at its best. A perfect, uncommon bit of Neptunes in the foreground is the perfection of this protest- or rather statement-song." In 2021, American rapper

Ashnikko Ashton Nicole Casey (born February 19, 1996), known professionally as Ashnikko ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her 2019 single "Stupid (Ashnikko song), Stupid" featuring Yung Baby Tate gained viral popularity on the video-sha ...

sampled the song in her single "Deal with It", which also features Kelis as a guest artist.

Track listings

* US and Australian CD single # "Caught Out There" (single radio edit) – 4:09 # "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:22 # "Caught Out There" (LP version) – 4:51 # "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended instrumental mix) – 6:22 * US 12-inch single :A1. "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:22 :A2. "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended instrumental mix) – 6:22 :A3. "Caught Out There" (LP version) – 4:51 :B1. "Caught Out There" (extended edit) – 5:52 :B2. "Caught Out There" (single radio edit) – 4:09 :B3. "Caught Out There" (single radio edit—no rap intro) – 4:09 * US cassette single :A1. "Caught Out There" (LP version) – 4:51 :A2. "Caught Out There" (single radio edit) – 4:09 :B1. "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:22 * UK CD single # "Caught Out There" (UK radio edit) – 3:36 # "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:23 # "Suspended" – 4:53 # "Caught Out There" (video) * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:23 :A2. "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended instrumental mix) – 6:23 :B1. "Suspended" – 4:53 * UK cassette single # "Caught Out There" (UK radio edit) – 3:36 # "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:23 # "Suspended" – 4:53 * European CD single # "Caught Out There" (single radio edit) – 4:09 # "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes extended mix) – 6:22

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1999 songs 1999 debut singles Kelis songs Music videos directed by Hype Williams Song recordings produced by the Neptunes Songs about infidelity Songs written by Chad Hugo Songs written by Pharrell Williams Virgin Records singles