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Where My Girls At?

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"Where My Girls At?" is a song by American R&B/pop group 702, released by Motown as the first single from their self-titled second album, 702, on April 5, 1999 in the United States,[1][2] followed by a United Kingdom release on July 26, 1999.[3]

"Where My Girls At?"
Single by 702
from the album 702
B-side
  • "Make Time"
  • "Tell Your Girl"
  • "Gotta Leave"
  • "You'll Just Never Know"
ReleasedApril 5, 1999 (1999-04-05)
Recorded1998
GenreR&B, dance
Length
  • 2:47
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
702 singles chronology
"Beep Me 911"
(1998) 		"Where My Girls At?"
(1999) 		"You Don't Know"
(1999)

Often considered the group's signature song, "Where My Girls At?" was an international hit, peaking within the top 30 on the charts in many countries. The song spent thirty weeks in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the group their second top 10 US song; it was the No. 11 song of the year on the Billboard 1999 year-end chart. "Where My Girls At?" earned a Lady of Soul Award nomination for "Best R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo" in 1999.

The song was written as a female anthem. Elliott, who co-wrote the song, noted that "Where My Girls At?" was a song that she wanted female listeners to hear and relate too.[4]

Background

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"Where My Girls At?" is a R&B and dance song,[5] written by Missy Elliott, Eric Seats, and Rapture Stewart.[6] Elliott initially offered the song to R&B group TLC during the recording of their third studio album, FanMail (1999). While Lisa Lopes of TLC voted to record the song, her groupmates rejected the song. In a Billboard interview, Elliott recalled "Lisa (“Left Eye” Lopes) really wanted it, she really wanted that record, but I guess, if it’s two against one (what can you do?)".[4] Lopes then tried to secure the song for Blaque,[7] a female group signed to Lopes' Left Eye Productions. The song was eventually recorded by 702 with Meelah Williams performing the lead vocals.

The song became a female anthem due to its lyrics and celebration of women.[4] Elliott recounted "It’s almost like church — when you go to church, pastor is saying something (and you’re) like, ‘I swear up and down that message is for me.’ I wanted to create something women could feel like, ‘I could relate to this record.’"[4] Group member Meelah Williams addressed critics that questioned if the song was really a female anthem or not. Williams stated, "You really have to listen. What it is, we're asking, 'Where are my true girlfriends that wouldn't do that to me, that would have my back and wouldn't stab me in the back?' So that's basically the purpose of the song, to let girls know that we're down for each other and we're all one."[8]

Music video

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The music video for "Where My Girls At?" was directed by Bille Woodruff.[9][10] The video starts outside an apartment complex, zooming in to a window where the members of 702 are walking down a brutalist-styled corridor wearing all-black leather attire. Behind them is a group of men wearing the same color, later standing against the wall while the ladies walk past them during the chorus. After the first chorus, the group members are all in different Y2K styled settings. Kameelah is seen in a chrome, light blue room wearing a dark grey blazer with digital signs reading the song’s title behind her. LeMisha is seen wearing all black and donning a white tiger-printed cowboy hat in a red and orange colored room with a pyrotechnic behind her. Irish is in a blue cafe area decorated with futuristic furniture and textures wearing an all silver gown with fur accents. Following the bridge, the ladies are now in a big brutalist-styled room, each standing on top of platforms. They are all wearing black and silver polka-dotted outfits as background dancers surround them donning red from head to toe.

The video first premiered on BET on the week ending March 21, 1999.[11] It later began airing on The Box and MTV on the weeks ending March 28, 1999, and April 18, 1999 respectively.[12][13]

Live performances

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The song was performed during several televised shows including Showtime at the Apollo and Soul Train. In June 1999, 702 performed the song on the British TV chart show Top of the Pops, which aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom.

In May 2023, 702 performed "Where My Girls At?" in tribute to Missy Elliott at the Black Music Honors.[14] The performance was their first televised performance as duo, without member Irish Grinstead who was on medical leave.

Legacy

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"Where My Girls At?" (1999) was ranked number 46 on Billboard's list of "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time",[15] ranked number 72 on their "The 99 Greatest Songs of 1999" list,[16] and was also included on their "Greatest of All Time Top Songs of the 90s" list at number 70.[17]

Accolades

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Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
2017 Billboard United States "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time"[15] 46
2019 Billboard United States "Billboard's Greatest of All Time Top Songs of the 90s"[17] 70
2020 Billboard United States "The 99 Greatest Songs of 1999"[16] 72
2021 BuzzFeed United States "The 50 Best '90s Songs of Summer"[18] 37

Track listings

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Chart performance

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"Where My Girls At?" peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 19, 1999.[19] It peaked at No. 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts and at No. 1 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.[20][21] The single remained in the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for more than 30 weeks.

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[49] Gold 600,000[48]

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States April 5, 1999
Motown [1][3]
April 27, 1999
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [50][51]
Canada May 18, 1999 CD [52]
United Kingdom July 26, 1999
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1293. April 2, 1999. p. 58.
  2. ^ "Crossover Nation: New Releases - Going For Adds 4/5" (PDF). Hits. April 2, 1999. p. 64. Retrieved September 20, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ a b c "New Releases – For Week Starting 26 July, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. July 24, 1999. p. 23. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Missy Elliott on Writing For Aaliyah, Beyonce and Herself. Billboard. Retrieved on April 9, 2024
  5. ^ Where My Girls At? - 702 | Album | AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 9, 2024
  6. ^ "702 Gets More Feedback From Missy Elliott". MTV. August 3, 1999. Archived from the original on August 17, 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
  7. ^ Missy Elliott on X. Twitter X. Retrieved on April 18, 2024
  8. ^ 702 Celebrates Sophomore Album, Explains Ladies' Anthem[dead link‍]. MTV. Retrieved on April 10, 2024
  9. ^ 702: Where My Girls At? (Music Video 1999), IMDb, retrieved September 9, 2023
  10. ^ Bille Woodruff [@billewoodruff] (April 28, 2021). "I remember directing this video like it was yesterday!" – via Instagram.
  11. ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard. April 3, 1999. p. 85. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard. April 10, 1999. p. 73. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard. May 1, 1999. p. 68. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Black Music Honors Paid Tribute to the Past and Present. BET. Retrieved on April 6, 2024
  15. ^ a b 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics’ Picks. Billboard. Retrieved on April 9, 2024
  16. ^ a b The 99 Greatest Songs of 1999: Critics’ Picks. Billboard. Retrieved on April 9, 2024
  17. ^ a b "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (June 29, 2021). "The 50 Best '90s Songs Of Summer". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "702 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "702 Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "702 Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  22. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 248.
  23. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  24. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8378." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  25. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 23. June 5, 1999. p. 94. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  26. ^ "Canadian Top 20 in 1999" (PDF). Cross Canada Countdown. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2005. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  27. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 36. September 4, 1999. p. 9. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  28. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  29. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  30. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 40, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  31. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  32. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  34. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  35. ^ "702 – Where My Girls At?". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  36. ^ "702: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  37. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  38. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  39. ^ "702 Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  40. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  41. ^ "Urban Top 20 Tracks of 1999" (PDF). Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 32. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  42. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Longboredsurfer.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  43. ^ "1999 The Year in Music: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-57.
  44. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 54. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  45. ^ "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1999" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 53. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  46. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2000". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 54.
  47. ^ "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 2000". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 56.
  48. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 4. BPI Communications Inc. January 22, 2000. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  49. ^ "American single certifications – 702 – Where My Girls At". Recording Industry Association of America.
  50. ^ "Where My Girls At? [Vinyl]". Amazon. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  51. ^ "Where My Girls At". Amazon. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  52. ^ "Album Releases: May 1999". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
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