On & On (Erykah Badu song)

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For a song by Tyla, see On and On (Tyla song).

"On & On"
North American editions cover
Single by Erykah Badu
from the album Baduizm
A-side"Next Lifetime" (Japan only)
B-side"Certainly (Flipped It)"
ReleasedDecember 10, 1996 (1996-12-10)
RecordedJanuary 1996[1]
GenreNeo soul
Length3:45
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Erykah Badu
  • JaBorn Jamal
Producer(s)
  • Madukwu Chinwah
  • Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu singles chronology
"On & On"
(1996) 		"Next Lifetime"
(1997)
Alternative cover
International editions cover[2]
Music video
"On & On" on YouTube

"On & On" is a song by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, released on December 10, 1996, by Kedar Records and Universal Records as the lead single from Badu's debut studio album, Baduizm (1997). It was written by her with JaBorn Jamal. A neo soul song, it features teachings of the Five-Percent Nation in its lyrics.[3] A commercial success, it spent two weeks atop the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, while peaking at number 12 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Critically acclaimed, the song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards (1998). Its accompanying music video was nominated in the categories for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards. Pitchfork included "On & On" in their list of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s" in 2022.

Critical reception[edit]

In an retrospective review, Patrick Corcoran of Albumism said that "with its talk of ciphers and cups of tea", "On & On" cast Badu "as serenely disassociated from the troubles and strife of the world, somehow able to rise above it all."[4] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "While everyone else is trying to mimic Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige, newcomer Badu is going one step further. She is taking the jeep-soul concept and expanding it with her own new ideas. With the aid of producers Bob Power and Jamal Cantero, she infuses elements of African culture with a touch of Middle-Eastern vocal flavor. The result is a refreshing and adventurous single that could easily lure hard-core hip-hop kids—and their parents, too. This bodes extremely well for the creative depth and commercial reach of the forthcoming album Baduizm."[5]

Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update rated the song four out of five, noting that Badu "sounds a touch like a young Ella Fitzgerald on this sparse but effective debut. Booming bass, jazzy keyboards and percussion hold the track together, this not being the most typical of R&B records but a healthy alternative to the hip hop/swing side of soul that D'Angelo and Maxwell have already lapped into."[6] David Fricke from Rolling Stone remarked the singer's "battered but steady-rollin' pride" on the track.[7] Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine viewed it as "mystic", writing, "'On & On' is, in practice, little more than a dinosaur heartbeat synchronized with that low-end-theory bassline, were it not for Badu’s minor-key epigrams drifting like stray gauze throughout."[8]

Music video[edit]

Erykah Badu is depicted as a maid in a black family household in the accompanying music video for the single, showing her doing her chores. Scenes of her chasing a dog that bit the laundry that she put to dry, tying a little girl's hair into a ponytail and falling into mud could be seen throughout the video. The video ends with Badu dressed fully in green with several people in a farm, singing and dancing. The video is loosely based upon the 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple. The video was also nominated at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Female Video and Best R&B Video.

Impact and legacy[edit]

In 2011, Slant Magazine listed the song at number 46 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s", writing, "Boasting the roundest bassline since Digable Planets got cool like dat, "On & On" is Erykah Badu's mission statement from a higher plane. Her money might be gone, she might be all alone, but she's feeling high and mighty, and the siren song pours forth from her honeyed lips like a fount of alien wisdom. Backed by a languorously snapping, swinging backbeat and expansive, half-heard piano chords that repeatedly collapse back on themselves, "On & On" is as sonically introspective as its creator, a woman who can believably claim to have walked the entire cipher of Earth, clear her throat, utter "Goddammit, I'ma sing my song," and still seem like she's hiding more than she's revealing."[9]

In 2022, Pitchfork ranked it at number 56 in their list of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s".[10]

Track listings and formats[edit]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35] Gold 500,000[34]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for "On & On"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States December 10, 1996 Rhythmic contemporary radio
[36]
January 7, 1997
[35][37]
February 25, 1997 Contemporary hit radio [38]
United Kingdom April 7, 1997
[39]
Japan June 21, 1997 Maxi CD[a] MCA
[19]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ In Japan, "On & On" was released as a double A-side single with "Next Lifetime".

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Miles Marshall Lewis: Tags". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (CD single). United Kingdom: Kedar Records, Universal Records. UND 56117.
  3. ^ Vibe. May 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2012 – via Books.google.com.
  4. ^ Corcoran, Patrick (February 8, 2022). "Erykah Badu's Debut Album 'Baduizm' Turns 25 — Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  5. ^ Flick, Larry, ed. (January 11, 1997). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 2. p. 85. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Tee, Ralph (January 25, 1997). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 8. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  7. ^ Fricke, David (December 25, 1997 – January 8, 1998). "The year in recordings". Rolling Stone. Issue 776/777.
  8. ^ Eric, Henderson (February 9, 2022). "The Badu-Print: Erykah Badu's Baduizm at 25". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s". Slant Magazine. January 9, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s". Pitchfork. September 27, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (12-inch single). United States: Kedar Records, Universal Records. U12 56002.
  12. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (cassette single). United States: Kedar Records, Universal Records. UCS 56002.
  13. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (CD single). United States: Kedar Records, Universal Records. UND 56118.
  14. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (CD single). United States: Kedar Records, Universal Records. UDS 56002.
  15. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (Dance Mix) (12-inch single). United States: Kedar Records, Universal Records. U12 56120.
  16. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (12-inch single). United Kingdom: Kedar Records, Universal Records. UNT 56117.
  17. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (cassette single). United Kingdom: Kedar Records, Universal Records. UNC 56117.
  18. ^ Badu, Erykah (1997). On & On (CD single). Netherlands: Universal Music Group. UND 56119.
  19. ^ a b "ネクスト・ライフタイム/オン&オン" [Next Lifetime/On & On] (in Japanese). Japan: Oricon. June 21, 1997. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  20. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 17. April 26, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "Erykah Badu – On & On". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  25. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  26. ^ "Erykah Badu Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  27. ^ "Erykah Badu Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  28. ^ "Erykah Badu Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  29. ^ "Erykah Badu Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  30. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1997". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  31. ^ "The Year in Music 1997: Hot R&B Singles". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-40.
  32. ^ "The Year in Music 1997: Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 52, no. 109. December 27, 1997. p. YE-45.
  33. ^ "British single certifications – Erykah Badu – On & On". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  34. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1997". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 5. January 31, 1998. p. 76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  35. ^ a b "American single certifications – Erykah Badu – On & On". Recording Industry Association of America.
  36. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1175. December 6, 1996. p. 36. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  37. ^ Nelson, Havelock (January 18, 1997). "Profile Builds for Erykah Badu" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 3. p. 20. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  38. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1185. February 21, 1997. p. 35. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  39. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 5, 1997. p. 31. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
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