"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American rapper and singer

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

from her debut solo studio album, ''

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 19, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. Recorded after the Fugees embarked on a hiatus, the a ...

'' (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released to radio as her solo debut and

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' on August 10, 1998, by

Ruffhouse Records Ruffhouse Records is an American record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo closed the label, and Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation ...

and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" became Hill's first and only US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number one hit. It marked the first US number one written, produced and recorded by one sole woman since

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She released her debut album ''Out of the Blue (Debbie Gibson album), Out of the Blue'' (1987) at age 16, writing and largely producing the material. The a ...

's "

Lost in Your Eyes "Lost in Your Eyes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson, released as the first single from her second album, '' Electric Youth'' (1989). It was first released to radio on January 3, 1989, before being officially released on Ja ...

" (1989). It debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the first

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

song by a soloist to debut at number one, and the first debut single to premiere atop the chart. It also marked the first song by a female rapper to peak at number one on the Hot 100, and remained the only solo song by a female rapper to debut at number one for more two decades, until "

Super Freaky Girl "Super Freaky Girl" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj from her fifth studio album, ''Pink Friday 2'' (2023). It was released on August 12, 2022, through Republic Records as the lead single from the album. It is an upbeat, raunchy song that sample ...

" by

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

debuted atop of the chart in 2022, breaking Hill's record. The song reached number one on the

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

chart, and surpassed 50 million audience listeners on radio, which was a record at the time for a hip hop song. Critically acclaimed, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was named the best single of the year by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''. It went on to win

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

and

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Ba ...

at the

41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...

(1999). According to

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

, it is one of the most streamed songs of the 1990s. The song was included in the list of "

Songs of the Century The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America's musical an ...

", by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

; and was named one of the 300 most important songs of the 20th century by ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

''. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was ranked number 49 on ''Rolling Stone'''s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021). In 2023, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' named it one of the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". The accompanying

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 "Doo Wop (That Thing)" won Hill four awards at the

1999 MTV Video Music Awards The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, which took place on September 9, 1999 (informally known as the 9/9/99 MTV Video Music Awards), honored the best music videos released between June 13, 1998, and June 11, 1999. The ceremony was hosted by Chris Roc ...

, including the top prize Video of the Year (a first for a rapper).

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

and ''

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 ...

'' have both ranked it as one of the 100 greatest music videos.

Background

The hip hop and R&B song is a warning from

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

men and women caught in "the struggle". Both the women who " ry tobe a hard rock when they really are a gem", and the men who are "more concerned with his rims, and his Timbs, than his women", are admonished by Hill, who warns them not to allow "that thing" to ruin their lives. The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

seems to promote egalitarianism between the sexes, but the overall message of the lyrics has been described as conservative. In terms of production value, Hill borrows heavily from elements of

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

, lending credence to the song's title. In its official album and single release, several of the song's lyrics are censored, though the original words can be found in the liners. The only noted semi-official release of the uncensored version is in a 12-inch promo labelled as "(Album Version)" (different from the 5:21 version) at 4 minutes in length.

Commercial performance

In the United States, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the tenth song in the chart's history to debut atop the chart. The track became the first single since

's 1989 single "

" to reach number one in the US, that was written, produced and recorded by one sole woman. Hill joined

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

, Linda Goldstein, and

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

as the only women at the time to solely produce a number one single, and joined the latter three women along with

Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production and recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carol ...

and

Ellie Greenwich Eleanor Louise Greenwich (October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009) was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", " Be My Baby", " Maybe I Know", " Then He Kissed Me", " Do Wah Diddy Did ...

as the sixth woman overall to produce a number one single. It marked the first number one single by a female rapper, as well as the first rap single by a woman to debut at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart; Additionally, it was the first and only solo hip hop song to debut at number one, until "

Not Afraid "Not Afraid" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album ''Recovery (Eminem album), Recovery'' (2010). It was released as the album's lead single on April 27, 2010, by Interscope Records. "Not Afraid" was first r ...

" by

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

debuted atop the chart in 2010. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" also became the first debut single to enter atop the Hot 100 chart. Furthermore, it became the third rap single by a solo woman to reach the top 10 and was the first solo single by a woman rapper to debut within the top 40. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" also peaked atop ''Billboard''s

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart, making her the first unaccompanied woman artist to top both charts simultaneously, and remained the sole single by an unaccompanied female artist to do so, until it was matched by

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

's " Up" in 2021. The song reached number one on the

chart, and became the third rap song to cross 40 million listeners on radio; while it also broke the record for the most listeners on radio for a rap song, when it surpassed 46 million listeners on radio. On the R&B Singles chart, it peaked at number two for three weeks in November 1998. Despite reaching 50 million audience impressions on radio, it was held out of the top spot by "

Nobody's Supposed to Be Here "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a song by Canadian recording artist Deborah Cox, released as the lead single from her second studio album, '' One Wish'' (1998). Written by Montell Jordan and its producer, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, the song wa ...

" by

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" remained the only single by a female rapper to debut atop the chart until

's " Trollz" with

6ix9ine Daniel Hernandez (born May 8, 1996), known professionally as 6ix9ine (stylized in all caps and pronounced "six nine") and also as Tekashi 6ix9ine or Tekashi69, is an American rapper. His music has been marked by an aggressive style of rapping ...

began at number one in 2020. While the song remained the only solo release by a woman rapper to debut at number one, until Minaj's "

" debuted atop the Hot 100, matching the feat 24 years later. It stayed at number one for two weeks in November 1998, making Hill the third woman unaccompanied by another artist to do so with a song that debuted at number one, following

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

and

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

. The song set the record for the longest-running number one by an unaccompanied woman rapper, holding that record for almost 19 years, until it was surpassed by

's single " Bodak Yellow", which stayed atop the Hot 100 chart for three weeks. The song experienced similar success abroad, reaching number one in Iceland, and peaking within the top 10 in various other countries worldwide. In the United Kingdom the song peaked at number three, debuted at number one on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Chart, and has been certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...

by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

. According to

, it is one of the most streamed songs of the 1990s.

Accolades

At the

, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" won two awards:

and

.Grammy Award Winners
grammy.com. Retrieved April 24, 2010. The success of "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' established Hill as a success outside of her group,

The Fugees ''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 ...

. In 1999, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was ranked at number two on ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

''s

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

annual critics' poll, after

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician and DJ who helped popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. His music makes extensive use of Sampling (music), samples from eclectic ...

s "

The Rockafeller Skank "The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician and DJ Fatboy Slim. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, '' You've Come a Long Way, Baby'' (1998), on 8 June 1998. The single peaked at number six on the ...

Recognition

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" was included at number 359 on the

list by the

and the

. ''

'' listed it as one of the 300 most important songs of the 20th century. The song was named as the 21st greatest hip hop song of all time by ''

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 ...

'', being one of the two only songs by a woman to make the list. In 2018, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" came in at number 13 on the "New American Songbook" list by ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

''. In 2021, the song was ranked number 49 on ''Rolling Stone'''s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was placed as the top song on the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

's "The 90s: Women Who Rock"

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

playlist. Former

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

included the song on her "Day of the Girl" Spotify playlist, in honor of International Day of the Girl. ''XXL'' placed it among the 60 essential songs from women in hip hop. In August 2023, the song was ranked as the third greatest hip hop song of all time by ''Consequence''. In October 2023, ''

'' staff named "Doo Wop (That Thing)" one of the 500 Best Pop Songs of All Time. In 2001, the song's accompanying music video was placed at number 71 on the

list of the '100 Greatest Videos'. ''

PopSugar PopSugar Inc. is an American media and technology company that is the parent to the media property PopSugar (stylized POPSUGAR) and a monthly subscription business PopSugar Must Have. The company was founded in 2006 by married couple Brian and Lis ...

'' named it the 15th most iconic music video of the 90s, while

UDiscover Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, ...

listed it as one of the music videos that defined the 90s. In 2021,

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

ranked "Doo Wop (That Thing)" at number 20 on their list of the '100 Greatest Videos'. In 2023, ''

'' placed it on their list of the "150 Greatest Hip Hop Music Videos of All Time".

Music video

The song's music video was Directed by Monty Whitebloom & Andy Delaney, Bigtv, and filmed in Manhattan's Washington Heights in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, with the video showing two Hills singing side by side at a block party. On the left side of the split screen, the 1967 Hill dressed in full retro-styled attire, complete with a

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...

and a zebra-printed dress, she pays homage to classic R&B and doo wop, and on the right side of the screen, the 1998 Hill is shown in a homage to hip hop culture.

's Paul Schrodt praised the "Doo Wop (That Thing)" music video, stating "The resulting split-screen music video is the most flabbergasting testament to what the

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

movement is all about."Schrodt, Paul
Review: ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill''
.

. Retrieved on December 5, 2009. The song's

won four 1999

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

for: Best Female Video, Best R&B Video, Best Art Direction, and Video of the Year; with her win for Video of the Year, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" became the first hip hop video to win the award, and made Hill the first solo black artist to win, and second overall following

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

(1995). At the

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

, the video was awarded the Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video.

Other versions

Sampling and freestyles

In 2014, musician

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

sampled the song on his single " Draft Day", the song was later included on his 2019 compilation album ''Care Package''. In 2021, Kanye West also sampled it for his single " Believe What I Say", from his tenth studio album ''

Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on August 29, 2021. The album features a broad range of guest performances from artists, including The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Maril ...

.'' It has also been interpolated by the recording artist

Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo (), is an American singer and rapper. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family at the age of ten. After college, she moved to Minn ...

, on the song " Break Up Twice" from her fourth studio album ''

Special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces ...

''. The song's instrumental has also been used in freestyles by rappers

DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he signed with Interscope Records in January 2019 in a joint ...

, and Jamaican musician

Shenseea Chinsea Linda Lee (born 1 October 1996), known professionally as Shenseea (), is a Jamaican dancehall singer-songwriter and dancer. She is best known for her guest appearance alongside Roddy Ricch on Kanye West's 2021 song " Pure Souls," whic ...

Cover versions

Singer

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

covered "Doo Wop (That Thing)" as part of a

mashup Mashup may refer to: * Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture * Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting * Mashup (mus ...

with her song, " He Can Only Hold Her", during live concerts from 2006 to 2008; her performance of the mashup in May 2007 at

Shepherd's Bush Empire Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was original ...

, was later included on her live album '' I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London''.

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

also covered the song while touring on

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Glow in the Dark Tour The Glow in the Dark Tour was the third concert tour by American rapper Kanye West, in support of his third studio album, ''Graduation (album), Graduation'' (2007). West shared the first tour dates across the United Kingdom in September 2007, wh ...

, in 2008. In 2012, R&B singer

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Taylor (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. After choreographing the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single " Ring the Alarm," she signed ...

released her ''

'' inspired mixtape, '' The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor''; the track "Lauryn's Interlude" from her mixtape features Taylor performing a shortened,

a capella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

version of the song. English girl group

Little Mix Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the eighth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor.'' They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup consisted of Leigh-Anne Pin ...

also performed an a cappella take of "Doo Wop (ThatThing)", that same year. In 2013,

Will Holland William Holland (born 18 April 1980) is an English musician, DJ, and record producer. Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Limp Twins, Flowering Inferno, and Ondatrópica. His music feat ...

(billed as Quantic) released a latin version of the song alongside

Ana Tijoux Anamaría Tijoux Merino (, ; born 12 June 1977), commonly known by her stage name Ana Tijoux or Anita Tijoux (), is a French-born Chilean musician. Her music contains political and popular themes. She became famous in Latin America as the master ...

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

performed a rendition of the track during a medley with other popular songs at the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

. Folk singer

Devendra Banhart Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Texas and raised in Venezuela and California. In 2000, he dropped out of the San Francisco Art Institute to pursue a musical career. ...

has also covered the song during multiple live performances, including at the music festivals,

Bonnaroo Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) far ...

and

Pitchfork Music Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

sung "Doo Wop (That Thing)" during his

24K Magic World Tour The 24K Magic World Tour was the fourth concert tour of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars that was performed in support of his third studio album '' 24K Magic'' (2016) from March 2017 to December 2018. Anderson .Paak was the opening act fo ...

. The ''Glee'' episode "

The Back-up Plan ''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Anthony Anderson and Linda Lavin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael ...

", included a cover version of the song performed by Mercedes Jones (

Amber Riley Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986) sometimes known mononymously as Riley (stylized in all caps), is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009 ...

) and

Santana Lopez Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee (TV series), Glee''. The character was portrayed by Naya Rivera, and appeared in ''Glee'' from its Pilot (Glee), pilot episode, first ...

(

Naya Rivera Naya Marie Rivera ( ; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. She began her career as a child actress and model, first appearing in ...

). The 2015 film ''

Pitch Perfect 2 ''Pitch Perfect 2'' is a 2015 American musical comedy film directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks (in her feature directorial debut) and written by Kay Cannon. It is a sequel to the 2012 film '' Pitch Perfect''. The film centers on the fictio ...

'' included a cover of the song by singer

Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...

, who performed the hook of the song in the 'Riff Off'. Singer

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

performed a rendition of the song on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

network show ''Greatest Hits''. In 2023, rapper/singer

Tobe Nwigwe Tobechukwu Dubem "Tobe" Nwigwe (pronounced "''toh-beh-CHOO-kwoo'' ''doo-BEM TOH-beh nuh-WEE-gweh"''; born March 8th, 1987), is an American rapper, singer and actor. Music career Beginning in August 2016, Nwigwe began posting an original song ...

released a cover version of the song for

Spotify Singles Spotify (; ) is a Swedish audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services, with over 678 million monthly active users com ...

In other media

In 2021, author

Minda Harts Minda Harts is an American author, public speaker, and workplace consultant. She is recognized for her work addressing inequity and lack of inclusion in the workplace, particularly focusing on the experiences of women of color. Harts has been de ...

published her second book, ''Right Within: How We Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace'', inspired by a verse in the song. ''TIME'' magazine named it one of the "8 New Books You Should Read" in October 2021.

Track listings

US CD and cassette single # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" # "Lost Ones" (remix) US maxi-CD single # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (radio edit) # "Lost Ones" (album version) # "Lost Ones" (remix) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (instrumental) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (a cappella) UK CD1 # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (radio edit) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (Gordon's dub) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (instrumental) UK CD2 # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (album version) # "Lost Ones" # "Forgive Them Father" UK cassette single and European CD single # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (radio edit) # "Lost Ones" Australian CD single # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (radio edit) – 4:00 # "Lost Ones" – 5:33 # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (Gordon's dub) – 4:00 # "Tell Him" (live) – 4:40 # "

Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, and first recorded and released as a single by Gaudio's Four Seasons bandmate Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and rea ...

" – 4:03 Japanese CD single # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (album version) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (radio edit) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (Gordon's dub) # "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (a cappella)

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded at Marley Music, Inc. (

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

) and

Chung King Studios Chung King Studios was a recording studio that operated in New York City under that name from 1986 to 2015. It was founded by producer John King and engineer Steve Ett with financial backing from the Etches brothers, occupying three different loca ...

(New York City) * Mixed at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

(New York City) * Mastered at Powers House of Sound (New York City) Personnel * Lauryn Hill – writing, lead vocals, production, arrangement * Lenesha Randolph – background vocals * Jeni Fujita – background vocals * Rasheem "Kilo" Pugh – background vocals * Fundisha Johnson – background vocals * James Poyser – background vocals, piano,

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

, electric piano * Ché Guevara – drum programming * Vada Nobles – additional drum programming * DJ Supreme – DJ elements * Everol Wray – trumpet * Nambo Robinson – trombone *

Dean Fraser Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer; born 4 August 1957) Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Mus ...

– saxophone * Indigo Quartet – strings * Commissioner Gordon – recording, mixing, mix engineering * Warren Riker – recording *

Errol Brown Errol Ainsworth Glenstor Brown MBE (born Lester Errol Brown; 12 November 1943 – 6 May 2015) was a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor N ...

– recording assistant * Storm Jefferson – recording assistant * Herb Powers, Jr. – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1998 songs 1998 debut singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Doo-wop songs Lauryn Hill songs MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video MTV Video of the Year Award Music videos directed by Big T.V. Number-one singles in Iceland Song recordings produced by Lauryn Hill Songs written by Lauryn Hill Ruffhouse Records singles Columbia Records singles