Lizzo “About Damn Time” hit #1

About Damn Time Lizzo

Writer(s): Blake Slatkin, Eric Frederic, Larry Price, Malcolm McLaren, Melissa Jefferson, Ronald Larkins, Stephen Hague, Theron Makiel Thomas (see lyrics here) Released: April 14, 2022 First Charted: April 23, 2022 Peak: 12 US, 13 AC, 12 A40, 40 AA, 15 RB, 3 UK, 2 CN, 3 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.6 UK, 3.75 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 196.0 video, 874.82 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: R&B singer, rapper, and flutist Lizzo was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson in Detroit, Michigan, in 1988. In 2019, her two-year-old song “Truth Hurts” became a viral sleeper hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100. Then her song “Good As Hell” from 2016 also became a delayed success, peaking at #3. Both songs were added to deluxe editions of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You. Three years later, her fourth album, Special, was released. The lead single, “About Damn Time,” became Lizzo’s second chart topper. Billboard’s Rania Aniftos praised it for its “feel-good” chorus while Nardine Saad of the Los Angeles Times had an “affirmative, instantly, uplifting disco beat.” WK NME’s Alex Gallagher called it “a funk-tingled, classically Lizzo cut that comes replete with a groove-heavy bassline, an instantly memorable flute melody and lyrical gems.” WK The “funk-inspired disco number” SF was the last song written for the album. WK Lizzo didn’t feel like the album was complete; she wanted another song with the same kind of uplifting emotional impact as “Good As Hell.” WK She wrote it “as music therapy for when she’s down about herself and wants to feel better.” SF It was her “melodic medicine for her blues.” SF As she said, “Life had thrown some major traumas and hard experiences at us, especially globally these last few years. And I wanted to write a song that allowed us to take a moment and celebrate our survival, and celebrate how far we’ve come.” WK She didn’t fully embrace the song and the idea of it being a single until it was completed and she realized “its message was something the world needed to hear.” SF “About Damn Time” won the Grammy for Record of the Year and the People’s Choice Award for Song of the Year. It also received a nomination for the MTV Song of the Year. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lizzo SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/15/2023; last updated 10/14/2024.

Lizzo “Truth Hurts” hit #1

Truth Hurts Lizzo

Writer(s): Melissa Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Jesse Saint John, Steven Cheung, Amina Bogle-Barriteau (see lyrics here) Released: September 19, 2017 First Charted: May 18, 2019 Peak: 17 US, 14 RR, 16 BA, 15 DG, 30 AC, 9 A40, 111 RB, 30 UK, 7 CN, 15 AU, 17 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 7.0 US, 0.6 UK, 8.85 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 306.4 video, 924.39 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rapper, singer, songwriter, and flutist Lizzo was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson in 1988 in Detroit. She released her first album, Lizzobangers, in 2013. Her big break, however, came in 2019 with the release of Cuz I Love You, her third album and major label debut. A re-release of the album included her single “Truth Hurts,” which was originally released in 2017. Eighteen months later it was featured in the Netflix rom-com Someone Great SF and became a viral sleeper hit via TikTok. It was re-released on March 22, 2019, it became a hit, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it spent seven weeks. It became the longest-running #1 for a female rapper. WK It also sold more than seven million copies. Pitchfork’s Ashley Monaé said the song has “sobering moments of truth where Lizzo’s charisma wins us over and sets her apart.” WK Lizzo was inspired to write the song after a voicemail from a guy she was seeing in which he told her not to call anymore because he was reuniting with his ex. SF In the studio, she unloaded to her producer, Ricky Reed, and when she noticed he was taking notes she asked what he was writing. He replied, “I hope you know you just wrote a song.” SF It became “a kiss-off to an ex whom Lizzo dumped as she wasn’t committed enough to their relationship.” SF Rolling Stone called it an “unstoppable breakup anthem.” WK The video emphasized the message by showing Lizzo leaving a man at the altar. The song generated controversy when songwriting brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen insisted that Lizzo took the song’s hook from their song “Healthy,” which they wrote months earlier with Lizzo. However, a federal judge ruled that just because they worked on one song didn’t mean they had claim to another. NYT Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lizzo NYT New York Times (8/17/2020). “Lizzo Notches a Win in ‘Truth Hurts’ Copyright Case” by Ben Sisario SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 6/25/2023.