"
Me Myself and I" is a single by
De La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, released in 1989.
It established the group's characteristic style of combining
hip hopHip hop as a cultural movement "manifest in B-boying , graffiti writing, DJing and eMCeeing/rapping – is an artistic commitment to seize freedom from oppressive social conditions...
with humor and social commentary. The group's frustration concerning their forced-upon
hippieThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district...
label is addressed in the typically dry humor which became the De La Soul trademark. It was the group's only number one on the
U.S. R&BR&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...
chart. The song also topped the
U.S. Club PlayBillboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart.
"
Me Myself and I" is a single by
De La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, released in 1989.
It established the group's characteristic style of combining
hip hopHip hop as a cultural movement "manifest in B-boying , graffiti writing, DJing and eMCeeing/rapping – is an artistic commitment to seize freedom from oppressive social conditions...
with humor and social commentary. The group's frustration concerning their forced-upon
hippieThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district...
label is addressed in the typically dry humor which became the De La Soul trademark. It was the group's only number one on the
U.S. R&BR&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...
chart. The song also topped the
U.S. Club PlayBillboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart.
The song's number 1 position in The Netherlands was spurred by the
VPROThe VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant "pillar", it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
television station, who made a documentary about De La Soul after meeting them when they were still unknown. The record label Indisc acquired the local rights from
Tommy Boy RecordsTommy Boy Entertainment is an independent record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is widely recognized for significant contribution to the development of hip hop music, dance music, and electronica....
, and immediately seized the opportunity to release the song as a single. It became the group's only number 1 single on the
U.S. R&BR&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...
chart, and also topped the dance chart.
This song is included in
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and RollThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll is an unordered list of 500 songs, created by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that they believe have been most influential in shaping the course of rock and roll, though some of them belong to different styles even after the...
.
It is also used in the video games
NBA Street V3NBA Street V3 is the third game in the NBA Street series. It is the sequel of NBA Street Vol. 2. It was released for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox, along with a PlayStation Portable port of V3 called NBA Street Showdown....
and
NCAA Football 06NCAA Football '06, known colloquially as College Football 2006 is a collegiate American football video game which was released on July 11, 2005. The product features former Michigan Wolverines standout and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard on the cover...
.
It ranked number 46 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
The song was used in the opening scene for the season 5 finale of the HBO original series
EntourageEntourage is an American comedy-drama that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004. The series was created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood,...
.
Music video
A music video was filmed for the song beginning with De La Soul in a guidance counselor's office, lamenting that they have to take a class taught by Professor Defbeat, followed by a short message by Prince Paul, who states, "if you take three glasses of water and put food coloring in them, you have many different colors, but it's still the same old water." The video then presents Trugoy, Posdnuos and Maseo entering a high school class taught by Professor Defbeat, who teaches his students the image-driven, mainstream style of hip-hop. Throughout the video, Posdnous, Maceo, and Trugoy are teased by their fellow students and punished by Professor Defbeat for sporting a unique style instead of conforming to the more popular hip hop image. These students are dressed in the stereotypical rap gear: gold medallions, sunglasses, leather jackets, expensive sneakers, jogging suits, baseball caps worn backwards, etc.
At the end of the video, mirror images of the three De La Soul members appear from the back of the class, each sporting a T-shirt that reads "Mirror Mirror". Each "Mirror Mirror" image gives their respective counterpart a school pass allowing them to get out of Professor Defbeat's class. Together, the trio leave their desks, throw their slips in Professor Defbeat's face, and leave the classroom.
The video also contains brief cameos from
A Tribe Called QuestA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985. The group is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but appears to have rejoined the group since 2006...
's
Q-TipKamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from Queens, New York City, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest.-Personal life:...
and
Ali Shaheed MuhammadAli Shaheed Muhammad is an American hip hop DJ who enjoyed moderate fame as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, the group released five albums from 1990 to 1998....
, along with a brief cameo from Randee of the Redwoods, a comedic
hippieThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district...
character made famous in promotional spots created by
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
in the late 1980s. He is seen during the part of the video where Posdnous says "You say Plug One and Two are hippies/No we're not, that's pure Plug bull". Randee is portrayed by actor/comedian
Jim TurnerJim Turner is an American actor and comedian, born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His father, George Turner, was in the Air Force and moved his family around often during Jim's youth to places including Quebec, Arizona, and Iowa. Turner married Lynn Freer in 1992 and they have a son, Otto...
.
3-sided 12" single
The U.S. 12" single of "Me Myself and I" was released as a "3-sided single". Side 1 of the record plays like a normal record. Side 2 was mastered with "parallel grooves". Instead of one continuous groove, there are actually two different grooves on the record. Each time the listener plays the record, it may play something different than before. One groove would play two mixes of "Me Myself and I", while the other groove would play "Brain Washed Follower".
| # |
Title |
Length |
| United States 12" single |
| A1. |
"Me Myself and I (Radio version)" |
3:45 |
| A2. |
"Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie" |
1:54 |
| A3. |
"Me Myself and I (Instrumental)" |
3:35 |
| A4. |
"What's More" from the soundtrack Hell on 1st Avenue |
2:10 |
| B1. |
"Me Myself and I (Oblapos Mode)" |
3:38 |
| B2. |
"Me Myself and I (Oblapos Instrumental)" |
3:24 |
| C1. |
"Brain Washed Follower" |
3:01 |
| European CD single |
| 1. |
"Me Myself and I (Radio version)" |
3:25 |
| 2. |
"Me Myself and I (Richie Rich Remix)" |
7:25 |
| 3. |
"Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie" |
1:54 |
| 4. |
"What's More" from the soundtrack Hell on 1st Avenue |
2:10 |
| 5. |
"Brain Washed Follower" |
3:01 |
List of samples
"
Me Myself and I"
- "(Not Just) Knee Deep
" Knee Deep" is a funk song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.-Album information:...
" by FunkadelicFunkadelic was an African American music band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
(1979)
- "Rapper Dapper Snapper" by Edwin Birdsong
Edwin Birdsong is a keyboard/organ player who was known in the 70's and 80's for his experimental funk/disco music. He never achieved chart success, but developed a strong fan base, and has also been sampled by other artists many times, including Daft Punk who sampled "Cola Bottle Baby" in...
(1980)
- "Funky Worm" by the Ohio Players
The Ohio Players are a funk and R&B band. They are best known for their hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".-Biography:The band formed in Dayton, Ohio in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables, and initially included members Robert Ward , Marshall "Rock" Jones , Clarence "Satch" Satchell , Cornelius...
(1973)
- "The Show" by Doug E. Fresh
Douglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
(1985)
- "Gonna Make You Mine" by Loose Ends
Loose Ends was a successful English R&B band that had several urban contemporary hits. The trio was formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol...
(1986)
"
Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie"
- "Hard Times" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band- and swing-influenced disco band, formed in the Bronx, New York. They are best known for their #1 US dance hit, "Cherchez La Femme"/Se Si Bon]], from their self-titled debut album....
(1976)
"
What's More"
- "You Baby" by The Turtles
The Turtles are an American pop and folk rock band led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, who became notable for numerous Top 40 hits beginning with their cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
(1966)
"
Brain-Washed Follower"
- "Funky President
"Funky President " is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1974, it charted #4 R&B. It also appeared on the album Reality. According to Brown the "funky president" of the song's title was meant to refer to U.S...
" by James BrownJames Joseph Brown , originally James Joseph Brown, Jr., also known as "The Godfather of Soul", was an American entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing...
(1974)
- "You Made A Believer (Out of Me)" by Ruby Andrews
Ruby Andrews is Chicago -based American soul singer.Her best known songs include "Casonova " , "You Made A Believer " , and "Everybody Saw You" .-Biography:...
(1971)
- "Booty Butt" by Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
(1971)
- "So This Is Our Goodbye" by The Moments
The Moments may refer to:*The Moments, an American R&B vocal group later known as Ray, Goodman & Brown*The Moments , an English group of the early 1960s who featured Steve Marriott...
(1972)
Charts
| Chart (1989) |
Peak
Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
34 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, formerly the Black Singles Chart, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues...
|
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
|
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales |
1 |
| Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the pirate radio channel Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the pirate radio channel was forced to stop. Joost den Draaijer was the initiator of...
|
1 |
| German Singles Chart |
16 |
| Austrian Singles Chart |
21 |
| UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
22 |
| Swiss Singles Chart |
22 |