It Wasn't Me

"It Wasn't Me"
Single by Shaggy featuring Rikrok
from the album Hot Shot
Released	September 11, 2000[1]
Format	CD single, Cassette single, 7" single, 12" single
Recorded	1999
Genre	Reggae fusion,[2] Hip-Hop
Length	3:47
Label	Big Yard/DreamWorks Records
Writer(s)	Shaggy Rikrok Shaun Pizzonia Braun Thompson
Producer(s)	Shaun Pizzonia
Certification	Gold (BPI)
Shaggy singles chronology
"Luv Me, Luv Me" (1998) "It Wasn't Me" (2000) "Angel" (2001)

"It Wasn't Me" is the first single from Jamaican-American reggae artist Shaggy's multi-platinum studio album Hot Shot (2000). The song features vocals from English singer Rikrok.

The lyrics of the song depict one man asking his friend what to do after his girlfriend caught him having sex with another woman. His friend's advice is to deny everything, despite clear evidence to the contrary, with the phrase "It wasn't me."

"It Wasn't Me" has been regarded as Shaggy's breakthrough in the pop market, and is his highest-charting song to date, topping the charts in Australia, Austria, France, Ireland, the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It was the best-selling single of 2001 in the United Kingdom, selling over 1.15 million copies that year^[3] and over 1.37 million as of 2015.

In the U.S., the song was the first #1 single of the 21st century according to Billboard Magazine.

Background

The lyrics of the song depict one man asking his friend what to do after his girlfriend caught him having sex with another woman. His friend's advice is to deny everything, despite clear evidence to the contrary, with the phrase "It wasn't me." Ultimately, the narrator says that the advice "makes no sense at all".

The clean version of the song replaces the lyric "Picture this: we were both butt-naked banging on the bathroom floor" with "Picture this: we were both caught making love on the bathroom floor" and "Saw me banging on the sofa" with "Saw me kissing on the sofa". "It Wasn't Me" was originally never intended to be released as a single.

Before the original version of Hot Shot was released in August 2000, Hawaiian DJ Pablo Sato downloaded the album from "a Napster-like MP3 site he won't name" and discovered that "It Wasn't Me" was "the album's standout cut." He played the song on American radio the next day, and in an interview, claimed, "The phone lines lit up right away. Within a couple of days, it was our number-one requested song."^[4] The song was then released as the album's first single in September 2000, following its radio success. The song is written in the key of C, in the Mixolydian mode.

The song was spoofed by Bob Rivers, as Shaggy One Handed, making a reference to the Scooby-Doo character, Shaggy Rogers. The video focused on him being caught masturbating (about the girl next door) by his mother. The song was also spoofed on Svengoolie. On The Chris Moyles Show, the song was used as a prank call with Shaggy trying to book a taxi, with the final line being "Can you drop me off at The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1?, 97 to 99 FM".^[5]

Chart performance

"It Wasn't Me" was Shaggy's first number-one hit in the United States. The song peaked at number two for two weeks from December 16, 2000^[6] to December 23, 2000.^[7] On December 30, 2000, it was bumped down one position to number three.^[8] It moved back up to the number two spot on January 4, 2001.^[9]

The song also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on March 4, 2001, selling 345,000 copies, making the song a transatlantic chart-topper.^[10] It also reached number one in Australia on April 1, 2001. It is also the 11th biggest selling single of the 21st century in the United Kingdom,^[11] with sales of over 1.37 million as of June 2015.^[11][12]

As of August 2014, it is the 49th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 399,500 units sold.^[13]

Music video

The music video was directed by Stephen Scott.

It starts out with Rikrok running to Shaggy's mansion to explain to him what has just happened. Rikrok tells him that he cheated on his girlfriend and got caught. Shaggy tells him to tell her that "It wasn't me." The video then cuts into a flashback to earlier that day. Rikrok has been caught sleeping with another woman, and his girlfriend is outside the apartment in her convertible when two women pull up next to her on their motorcycles (sport bikes).

Then, the three women go into the building. He then sneaks out the window, takes the motorcycle of one of his girlfriends accomplices and leaves. The women come out and the girlfriend and one of the accomplices get in the convertible and the other gets on her motorcycle and they chase after him. From his mansion, Shaggy, using his futuristic technology, tracks down where Rikrok is going and prepares an escape for him. Rikrok then gets on a bridge over the highway when the accomplice rode on the bridge in front of him.

He then hits the brakes to stop while she stops her motorcycle. Rikrok then hears a noise behind him and it's the other accomplices and the girlfriend driving the convertible on the other side of the bridge with the highway down below. An eighteen-wheeler drives by, and Shaggy leaves Rikrok a text message telling him to look behind and he notices the truck and jumps off the side of overhead and lands on the truck. He is then dropped off at Shaggy's mansion, showing the same scene from the start of the video.

Legacy

The lyrics of "It Wasn't Me" inspired Slate writer Josh Levin to coin the term the "Shaggy defense" to describe R. Kelly's defence at his child pornography trial stemming from the production of a sex tape: "I predict that in the decades to come, law schools will teach this as the 'Shaggy defense'. You allege that I was caught on camera, butt naked, banging on the log cabin floor? It wasn't me."^[14]

Levin repeated the term on NPR.^[15] The term describes a strategy of flatly denying guilt and refusing to engage with the evidence against the defendant, no matter how overwhelming. R. Kelly was ultimately found not guilty on all charges.^[16]

The song is referenced by Trevor Noah on an episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah when he covered the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine, as Pence vehemently kept denying his running mate Donald Trump's claims, despite the fact that the claims have been proved to be said by Trump on camera or through his Twitter account.^[17]

Track listings

• UK

CD Single

1. "It Wasn't Me" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
2. "It Wasn't Me" (Vocal 12" Mix) – 3:49
3. "Dance & Shout" (Pussy 2000 Club Mix Edit) – 8:07
4. "It Wasn't Me" (Enhanced Video) – 3:43

Cassette single

1. "It Wasn't Me" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
2. "It Wasn't Me" (Album Version) – 3:47

• U.S.

1. "It Wasn't Me" (Album Version) – 3:47
2. "It Wasn't Me" (Squeaky Remix) – 4:25
3. "It Wasn't Me" (Instrumental) – 3:47
4. "It Wasn't Me" (Sports Remix) – 3:27

• Australia

1. "It Wasn't Me" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
2. "It Wasn't Me" (Vocal 12" Mix) – 3:49
3. "Dance & Shout" (Pussy 2000 Club Mix Edit) – 8:07
4. "Dance & Shout" (Dancehall Version) – 3:46
5. "It Wasn't Me" (Enhanced Video) – 3:43

Charts and sales

Weekly charts Chart (2000–01) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[18] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] 3 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[21] 2 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) 18 Denmark (Tracklisten)[22] 2 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[23] 1 France (SNEP)[24] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[25] 1 Italy (FIMI)[26] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[29] 2 Poland (Polish Singles Chart)[30] 1 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] 13 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 2 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[34] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[35] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[36] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[37] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Australian Singles Chart[38] 2 Austrian Singles Chart[39] 25 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[40] 6 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[41] 6 Dutch Top 40[42] 7 French Singles Chart[43] 7 Irish Singles Chart[44] 2 Swiss Singles Chart[45] 17 UK Singles Chart[3] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[46] 12 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Australia (ARIA)[47] 3× Platinum 210,000^^ Austria[48] Gold 15,000 France[49] Platinum 500,000 Germany[50] Gold 150,000 Netherlands[51] Platinum 60,000 Norway[52] Platinum 10,000 Switzerland[53] Gold 20,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[54] 2× Platinum 1,320,000[12] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart successions

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2001
• List of best-selling singles and albums of 2001 in Ireland
• List of best-selling singles of the 2000s (decade) in the United Kingdom
• List of best-selling singles of the 2000s (century) in the United Kingdom
• List of 2000s UK Singles Chart number ones

References

1. "VH1 - Top 100 Greatest Songs of 2000's". Retrieved 2014-04-24.
2. "Timelinkz bands". Timelinkz.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
3. "Shaggy's single is UK's best-seller". BBC News. 27 December 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
4. Paiva, Derek (January 18, 2001). "Isle deejay takes credit for Shaggy hit". The Honolulu Advertiser. Gannett Co., Inc. Archived from the original on February 22, 2001. Retrieved February 22, 2001.
5. "Shaggy - Taxi". 2015-04-28.
6. Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
7. Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
8. Paoletta, Michael. 2000: The Year In Music. Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
9. "'Independent' Stays On Top". Retrieved 25 August 2014.
10. "SHAGGY RETURNS IN STYLE". NME. 4 March 2000. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
11. Copsey, Rob (11 June 2015). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles of the Millennium so far revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
12. Lane, Daniel (27 June 2013). "Daft Punk's Get Lucky becomes one of the UK's biggest selling singles of all-time!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
13. "Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, épisode 6 (50-41)". Chartsinfrance. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
14. Josh Levin. May 21, 2008. "Dispatches From the R. Kelly Trial".
15. NPR. May 23, 2008. "Trapped in a Courtroom: The R. Kelly Trial".
16. R. Kelly Found Not Guilty!
17. Trevor Noah, October 4, 2016. Vice Presidential Debate Wrap-Up
18. "Australian-charts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
19. "Austriancharts.at – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
20. "Ultratop.be – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
21. "Ultratop.be – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
22. "Danishcharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
23. "Hits of the World: Eurochart Hot 100 (IFPI/Nielsen Marketing Research) 04/07/01". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 113 (14): 73. April 7, 2001. ISSN 0006-2510.
24. "Lescharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
25. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved July 26, 2008)
26. "Italiancharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
27. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Shaggy feat. Rikrok search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
28. "Charts.org.nz – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
29. "Norwegiancharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". VG-lista. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
30. "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on 2007-10-17.
31. "Spanishcharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
32. "Swedishcharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
33. "Swisscharts.com – Shaggy feat. Rikrok – It Wasn't Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
34. "Archive Chart: 2001-03-10" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
35. "Shaggy – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Shaggy. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
36. "Shaggy – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Shaggy. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
37. "Shaggy – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Shaggy. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
38. 2001 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
39. 2001 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
40. 2001 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
41. 2001 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
42. "Single top 100 over 2001" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
43. 2001 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
44. 2001 Irish Singles Chart Irma.ie (Retrieved December 11, 2008)
45. 2001 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
46. "2001". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
47. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
48. Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
49. French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved August 1, 2008)
50. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('It+Wasn%27t+Me')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
51. Dutch certifications nvpi.nl (Retrieved December 9, 2008)
52. Norwegian certifications Ifpi.no (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
53. Swiss certifications Swisscharts.com (Retrieved August 12, 2008)
54. "British single certifications – Shaggy – It Wasn't Me". British Phonographic Industry. Enter It Wasn't Me in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search

• The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, fifth edition

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics