"Passin' Me By" is a song by American hip-hop group The Pharcyde, released in March 1993 through Delicious Vinyl Records. The song was the second single released from the group's 1992 debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. The song, produced by J-Swift, samples "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones, "125th Street Congress" by Weather Report, and "Are You Experienced?" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
| "Passin' Me By" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Pharcyde | ||||
| from the album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde and Amongst Friends: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
| B-side | "Pork" | |||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 at Hollywood :v Sounds, California | |||
| Genre | Progressive rap, jazz rap | |||
| Length | 5:03 | |||
| Label | Delicious Vinyl | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Romye Robinson, Trevant Hardson, Emandu Wilcox, Derrick Stewart, Juan Martinez-Luis | |||
| Producer(s) | J-Swift, Additional Production and Remix: L.A. Jay | |||
| The Pharcyde singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Passin' Me By" on YouTube | ||||
"Passin' Me By" was later sampled by Joe for his number one single "Stutter". A popular line from the song, "My dear my dear my dear you do not know me but I know you very well now let me tell you," was repeated in the same manner in "Stutter" (the remix featuring Mystikal) with the only difference between the lines being that the words "about the feelings I have for you" were changed to "that I caught you" in "Stutter."
The group's four emcees, Bootie Brown, Slimkid3, Imani, and Fatlip recount schoolboy crushes which all eventually led to heartbreak, with the chorus featuring Fatlip [1] singing, "She keeps on passin' me by" against a soprano saxophone riff. The song peaked atop the Hot Rap Singles, number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 28 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks charts.[2]
Pitchfork included the song at number 41 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[3]
Music video
editThe music video (directed by Sanji) is shot in black and white. The rappers are seen riding in the back seat of a car or rapping behind a fence. Throughout the video, the group is seen upside-down in comparison to the rest of the world.
Track listing
editA-Side
edit- "Passin' Me By" (Video Remix)
- "Passin' Me By" (Video instrumental)
- "Passin' Me By" (A capella)
B-Side
edit- "Pork" (Original version)
- "Pork" (Cosby edit)
- "Pork" (Instrumental)
Other media
editThe song was featured in the soundtrack for the video game NBA 2K9 as well as in the game Aggressive Inline. An instrumental clip of the song was used in the opening of the 1999 film Big Daddy. The song was remixed and called "Rinsing Quince" by Aphrodite in 2003.
In the single "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke (featuring Pharrell and T.I.), T.I. raps, "In a hundred years, not dare would I / Pull a Pharcyde, let you pass me by."
In 2017, the song was featured in the Netflix Original TV series Atypical in the season one, episode two, titled "A Human Female".[4]
The song appeared in the FX series Atlanta in the episode FUBU (season two, episode ten).[5]
In January 2019, "Passin' Me By" was featured in the Netflix Original comedy series Friends from College in the episode "Storage Unit" (season two, episode two).[6]
In October 2018, the song was featured in the film mid90s.[7]
In March 2021, the song was featured in Last Chance U: Basketball, in the first season second episode "Hooper".
in 2022, the song was featured in Kenan, in the second season episode "Moving Violations"[8]
In 2023, the song appeared in the film Fast X, in a scene with Jakob and Little Brian.
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 55 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 52 |
| US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[11] | 6 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 28 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[13] | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ https://www.spin.com/2012/06/pharcyde-look-back-20-years-passin-me/ [bare URL]
- ^ Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde Review by John Bush at AllMusic
- ^ "Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2012-08-11. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
- ^ "Music from Atypical S1E02". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Music from Atlanta S2E10". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Music from Friends from College S2E02". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Music from Mid90s". Tunefind. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "S02e08 - Moving Violation - Kenan Transcripts - TVT".
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "The Pharcyde Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "The Pharcyde Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "The Pharcyde Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "The Pharcyde Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "British single certifications – Pharcyde – Passin' Me By". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 October 2023.