Ms. Jackson

"Ms. Jackson" is a song by American alternative hip hop duo OutKast. It was released on October 17, 2000, as the second single from OutKast’s fourth album, Stankonia. It topped the US chart for 1 week on February 17, 2001, and also reached number one in Germany and number two in the United Kingdom. In October 2015, NME placed it at number 81 on its list of the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years"[1] and in June of the same year Rolling Stone ranked it at number 55 in their "100 Best Songs of the 2000s".[2]

This article is about the song by OutKast. For the song by Panic! at the Disco, see Miss Jackson.

"Ms. Jackson"
Single by OutKast
from the album Stankonia
B-side	"Sole Sunday" "Elevators (Me & You)"
Released	October 17, 2000
Recorded	2000
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	4:30 (album version) 4:03 (radio edit)
Label	Arista RCA
Songwriter(s)	André Benjamin Antwan Patton David Sheats Richard Wagner Stan Watts Shuggie Otis
Producer(s)	Earthtone III
OutKast singles chronology
"B.O.B" (2000) "Ms. Jackson" (2000) "So Fresh, So Clean" (2001)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Ms. Jackson" on YouTube

"Ms. Jackson" won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. The music video, directed by F. Gary Gray, features animals nodding along to the song, won the BET Award for Video of the Year and MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video.

The single helped sell the album following the commercial underperformance of the lead single "B.O.B.", which, despite near universal acclaim from critics, failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 and only reached number 69 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[3]

Background and writing

In Vibe, a few years after the fact, Benjamin recalled creating the song; "'Ms. Jackson' was an acoustic guitar song that I was doing at home. Then I just converted it over into something people could understand a little bit more."[4] The song was inspired, in part, by Benjamin's relationship with Erykah Badu and her mother.[5] In November of 2016, Badu described her initial reaction to the song, stating that "It hit kind of a sore spot. I didn't wanna hear that, especially when I heard Big Boi's verse. When I heard André's verse, I felt very good because his verse was really, really inspiring. He just said how he felt and it was his honest feelings and I always respected that and listened to what he felt and appreciated it." Badu also noted that her mother loved the song, saying "Baby, she bought herself a 'Ms. Jackson' license plate. She had the mug, she had the ink pen, she had the headband, everything."[6]

Content

The song discusses the problems that break-ups, separation, and divorce can have on a couple, and the animosity that a woman's mother can have for her daughter's former boyfriend or husband.

The video works as a possible metaphor for the duo's "stormy" relationships with the mothers of their children and their families (themes expressed by the duo in the song). The storm theme is alluded to in the song, particularly by André 3000: "Me and your daughter got a special thing going on/You say it's puppy love, we say it's full grown/Hope that we feel this, feel this way forever/You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather, Ms. Jackson."

The song samples The Brothers Johnson's version (with pitch shifting and reversing) of "Strawberry Letter 23" by Shuggie Otis and features an altered version of a tune from "Bridal Chorus" from the opera Lohengrin by German composer Richard Wagner (also known as the "wedding march"), played on piano.[2]

Track listing

UK CD1

1. "Ms. Jackson" (UK Radio Edit) – 3:36
2. "Elevators (Me & You)" – 4:56
3. "Ms. Jackson" (Video) – 4:58

UK CD2

1. "Ms. Jackson" (Radio Mix) – 4:03
2. "Ms. Jackson" (Instrumental) – 4:34
3. "Sole Sunday" (Radio Mix) - 4:41
4. "Sole Sunday" (Instrumental) - 4:41

European CD Single

1. "Ms. Jackson" (Radio Mix) – 4:03
2. "Ms. Jackson" (Instrumental) – 4:34

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2000–2001) Peak position scope="row" Australia (ARIA)[7] 2 scope="row" Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 3 scope="row" Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 2 scope="row" Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 5 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[11] 9 scope="row" Denmark (Tracklisten)[12] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 1 scope="row" Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 8 scope="row" France (SNEP)[15] 5 scope="row" Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 1 scope="row" Ireland (IRMA)[17] 5 scope="row" Italy (FIMI)[18] 9 scope="row" Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 1 scope="row" Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 1 scope="row" New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 5 scope="row" Norway (VG-lista)[22] 1 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[23] 6 scope="row" Scotland (Official Charts Company)[24] 4 scope="row" Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 1 scope="row" Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26] 2 scope="row" UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[27] 2 scope="row" UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[28] 3 scope="row" UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[29] 1 scope="row" US Billboard Hot 100[30] 1 scope="row" US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[31] 1 scope="row" US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[32] 13 scope="row" US Rhythmic (Billboard)[33] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Australia (ARIA)[34] 17 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[35] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[36] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[37] 28 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[38] 11 France (SNEP)[39] 45 Germany (Official German Charts)[40] 12 Ireland (IRMA)[41] 52 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[42] 34 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[43] 50 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[23] 79 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[44] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 24 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[46] 43 US Billboard Hot 100[47] 25 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[48] 18

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[49]	Platinum	70,000^^
Belgium (BEA)[50]	Gold	25,000^*
France (SNEP)[51]	Gold	250,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[52]	Gold	250,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53]	Gold	5,000^*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[54]	Platinum
Sweden (GLF)[55]	Platinum	30,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[56]	Gold	20,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57]	Platinum	600,000
United States (RIAA)[58]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". Nme.Com. 2015-11-16. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
2. "OutKast, 'Ms. Jackson'". Rolling Stone. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
3. allmusic ((( Stankonia > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))
4. Vibe Magazine, October 2006, p. 128
5. Johnson, Cherise (November 25, 2016). "Erykah Badu Shares How The Real "Ms. Jackson" Felt About Outkast's Apologetic Hit". Hip Hop DX. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
6. Levine, Nick (November 26, 2016). "Erykah Badu reveals what the real 'Ms. Jackson' thinks of Outkast's iconic rap hit". NME. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
7. "Australian-charts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
8. "Austriancharts.at – Outkast – Ms. Jackson" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
9. "Ultratop.be – Outkast – Ms. Jackson" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
10. "Ultratop.be – Outkast – Ms. Jackson" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
11. "Outkast Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
12. "Danishcharts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Tracklisten. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18 no. 10. March 3, 2001. p. 9. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
14. "Outkast: Ms. Jackson" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
15. "Lescharts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ms Jackson". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
18. "Italiancharts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Top Digital Download. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 2001" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved July 21, 2016.
20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Outkast – Ms. Jackson" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
21. "Charts.nz – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". VG-lista. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
23. "Top of the Year 2001". Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
25. "Swedishcharts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
28. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
29. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
30. "OutKast Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
31. "OutKast Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
32. "OutKast Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
33. "OutKast Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
34. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2001". ARIA. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
35. "Jahreshitparade Singles 2001" (in German). Retrieved December 16, 2018.
36. "Jaaroverzichten 2001" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
37. "Rapports annuels 2001" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
38. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2001" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18 no. 52. December 22, 2001. p. 14. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
39. "Classement Singles – année 2001" (in French). Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
40. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2001" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
41. "Ireland – Top Singles for 2001". Allchart.org. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
42. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2001". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
43. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2001" (in Dutch). Retrieved May 21, 2018.
44. "Årslista Singlar, 2001" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
45. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001" (in German). Retrieved May 21, 2018.
46. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
47. "Top 100 Songs of 2001 - Billboard Year End Charts". Bobborst. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
48. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
49. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
50. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2001". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
51. "French single certifications – Outkast – Ms Jackson" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
52. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Outkast; 'Miss Jackson')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
53. "New Zealand single certifications – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
54. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
55. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
56. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Outkast; 'Ms. Jackson')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
57. "British single certifications – Outkast – Ms Jackson". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 21, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Ms Jackson in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
58. "American single certifications – Outkast – Ms. Jackson". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 21, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics