It Wasn’t Me, the chart-topping global hit by international recording artiste Shaggy (number 273), Get Busy by Sean Paul (number 341) and Dawn Penn’s cover of You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) — number 454, are the only songs by Jamaicans that are ranked among Billboard magazine’s 500 Best Pop Songs.
The list was revealed on the music and trade publication’s website throughout this week. It was compiled to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which was first published in 1958.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Shaggy said he knew that It Wasn’t Me would have been a hit from the song was being recorded.
“I knew it was a hit from inception. There was something special about the song. The thing about it is the subject matter; it’s relatable to so many people regardless of their religion, race, color or sexual preference,” Shaggy shared.
It Wasn’t Me was recorded in New York at Shaggy’s home studio.
“The song was recorded at my house in Valley Stream, Long Island where I had a small basement studio called Ranch Studios. The recording was done pretty inexpensively, and it was produced by Sting International. We’ve had a string of hits together including Oh Carolina, Angel, Mr. Boombastic and of course, It Wasn’t Me,” said Shaggy.
It Wasn’t Me is featured on Shaggy’s Hot Shot album for MCA Records. The song was never originally intended to be released as a single, but after it was discovered by DJ Pablo in Hawaii, it began to generate airplay on American radio.
The song shot to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2000 and is ranked as Shaggy’s highest charting single to date, spending two non-consecutive weeks on top. It also topped charts in 10 other countries including the United Kingdom (it was the biggest selling single of 2001).
It Wasn’t Me, which features singer Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent, has been certified gold in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and Austria. It racked up a 4x platinum certification in the United Kingdom, 3x platinum in Australia and platinum in Belgium, France, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.
“It Wasn’t Me is the gift that keeps on giving! It’s a great accomplishment, especially in the genre of dancehall whereas there has not been much success — of this magnitude — in that genre,” Shaggy reasoned.
Get Busy, which rode producer Steven “Lenky” Marsden’s hand-clapping Diwali rhythm, spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 2003.
“I feel awesome to know that so many years ago I did this song, and its still being hailed as a big one. Great look and I’m proud of the works and everybody involved,” Sean Paul told the Observer.
The video for Get Busy, which was shot on location in Ontario, Canada and directed by Little X, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards in the categories Best Dance Video and Best New Artiste.
Get Busy was also a commercial success globally, topping charts in more than 10 countries. Among them are the Netherlands, Hungary and Italy.
Gold certifications were issued for the song having sold well in Austria, Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Norway, Get Busy has been certified platinum.
In 1967, Penn had recorded a version of Willie Cobbs’ 1960 song You Don’t Love Me, which was based on Bo Diddley’s 1955 song, She’s Fine, She’s Mine. However, in 1993, Penn re-recorded the song for Steely and Clevie’s Play Studio One Vintage compilation.
The new version of You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) became a hit stateside and was snapped up by Atlantic Records subsidiary Big Beat Records. The song raced to number three on the UK Singles chart, number 74 in Australia, number 13 in Austria, number eight in Belgium, number 41 in France, 38 in the Netherlands, 25 in New Zealand, and number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was featured on Penn’s major label debut album No, No, No and it has been certified gold in the United Kingdom.
Penn performed the song at the BET Awards in 2014.
Other songs making the Billboard 500 Best Pop Songs List include Work by Rihanna featuring Drake (#368), Funky Town by Lipps Inc (#297), Someone Like You by Adele (#295), Best I Ever Had by Drake (#292), Every breath You Take by The Police (#287), This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan (#286), Levitating by Dua Lipa (#261), Beat it by Michael Jackson (#209), We Found Love by Calvin Harris and Rihanna (#107), and Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O’Connor (#87).
Among those making the top 10 are Billie Jean by Michael Jackson (#7), Like a Prayer by Madonna (#6), I Want it That Way by The Backstreet Boys (#4) and Dancing Queen by ABBA (number 2).
Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) is number one on the list.
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