Doo Wop (That Thing)

"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as the lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. 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's "Lost in Your Eyes" (1989). It debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first hip hop 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 woman 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 nearly a quarter of century afterwards. The song reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay 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. It went on to win Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards (1999). According to Apple Music, it is one of the most streamed songs of the 1990s. The song was included in the list of "Songs of the Century", by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts; and was named one of the 300 most important songs of the 20th century by NPR. In 2021, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" ranked number 49 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The accompanying music video for "Doo Wop (That Thing)" won Hill four awards at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, including the top prize Video of the Year (a first for a hip hop artist or black soloist). VH1 and 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 Lauryn Hill to African-American men and women caught in "the struggle". Both the women who "[try to] be a hard rock when they really are a gem", and the men who are "more concerned with his rims, and his Timbs, than women", are admonished by Hill, who warns them not to allow "that thing" to ruin their lives.