Girl You Know It's True (song)

"Girl You Know It's True"
Single by Milli Vanilli
from the album Girl You Know It's True
B-side "Magic Touch"
Released 25 June 1988
Format
Recorded 1988
Genre
Length 3:58
Label Arista
Songwriter(s)
  • Bill Pettaway, Jr.
  • Sean Spencer
  • Kevin Lyles
  • Rodney Holloman
  • Ky Adeyemo
Producer(s) Frank Farian
Milli Vanilli singles chronology
"Girl You Know It's True"
(1988)		 "Baby Don't Forget My Number"
(1988)

"Girl You Know It's True"
(1988)		 "Baby Don't Forget My Number"
(1988)

"Girl You Know It's True" is a song by Milli Vanilli. Released as the lead single from Milli Vanilli's European debut album, All or Nothing, and the duo's American debut album, Girl You Know It's True, the song peaked at number one on the German Singles Chart, number two in the United States and number three in the United Kingdom, becoming one of Milli Vanilli's most successful singles.

Background

The song was written by Bill Pettaway Jr., Sean "DJ Spen" Spencer, Kevin Lyles, Rodney "Kool Rod" Holloman (often misspelled "Hollaman" on single/album credits),[1][2][3][4] and Ky Adeyemo,[5] most of whom were members of the Baltimore, Maryland-based group Numarx, who first recorded the song.

Started by DJ Spen and featuring Kool Rod as MC,[1] Numarx was a collective of local DJs who formed a "crew" in the early 1980s, originally consisting of four members. With the addition of Lyles in the mid-1980s, the group expanded to five. In 1987, with several singles under their belt, Numarx released the single "Rhymes So Def", which received national airplay at the time.[1] The follow-up single to this minor hit was "Girl You Know It's True".

The idea for the song began when local musician/songwriter and one-time Starpoint associate (and future MARZ band member) Marvin Ennis suggested that the group (Numarx) rap about something romantic in Bill Pettaway's basement in Annapolis, Maryland. Bill Pettaway, an Annapolis resident working as a gas station attendant at the time[5][6] also wrote songs and played guitar on the side.[7] Pettaway, along with Numarx members Spencer, Lyles, and Holloman continued to craft the tune. In addition, then-current Starpoint member Kayode "Ky" Adeyemo joined in, co-writing and co-producing the song with Pettaway.[3] However, the vocalist most prominent on this song is Charles "Ooh Oh Ooh" Christopher. Charles was friends with Pettaway, Adeyemo, Ennis, and Starpoint keyboardist George Phillips and became the voice that everyone was singing along with. Although the song did not match the success of "Rhymes So Def" in America, "Girl You Know It's True" did connect with audiences on the other side of the Atlantic, becoming a popular hit in the German clubs.[8] It was here that Milli Vanilli producer Frank Farian likely first heard the tune.

Meanwhile, Numarx would later include their version of "Girl You Know It's True" on their lone album, Our Time Has Come, released in 1988[9] and featuring a title track penned by Ennis, before fading from public view. An unsung hero for the entire project, Marvin Ennis was also solely responsible for changing a bad contract which was in the form of a "work for hire," between Bill Pettaway and Steve Franco, into a contract where Bill Pettaway could earn royalties from his efforts related to the song. Ennis went on to collaborate with seminal go-go band EU (co-writing and producing their #2 R&R/#4 Billboard hit "Taste of Your Love" and later touring with the group) and later discovered R&B crooner Kenny Lattimore, when he auditioned for the Epic Records group Mainquin at Omega Studios in Rockville, Maryland. DJ Spen and Lyles have gone on to become world-renowned DJs and record executives, respectively, while Pettaway, by way of Ennis and fellow MARZ member Keith Rowel, was later credited with discovering multi-platinum-selling singer Toni Braxton and has gone on to prominence as a session guitarist for Timbaland[10] and other artists.

Milli Vanilli made a cameo appearance performing the song in an episode of NBC's Saturday-morning cartoon The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, based on the video game. The episode, entitled "Kootie Pie Rocks", aired on 27 October 1990. After the lip-syncing scandal broke out, the episode was edited to replace the Milli Vanilli songs featured in the episode ("Girl You Know It's True" and "Blame It On The Rain") with a generic pop instrumental, and specific references and jabs at these songs were removed. However, the group themselves are still mentioned by name.

In 2018, the song was featured in an advert for Fridge Raiders.[11]

Other cover versions

  • The song was covered by Centory featuring Trey D. in 1996 and reached No. 50 on the German singles chart.[12]
  • A version was recorded by Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch (of Boyzone) as Keith 'N' Shane in 2000, with the rapped verses taking verbal shots at rival boybands Westlife and 5ive. The choice of song to cover may have been a veiled reference to the suspicions of some that these two members of Boyzone did not perform extensively on the group's records.
  • In 2007, a rap cover version was made by the German R&B duo Lemon Ice made up of Gunther Göbbel (Geeno) and Jay Low. It reached No. 26 on the German singles chart.
  • Danish artist Burhan G had a hit with a Danish language hit single "Jeg vil ha' dig for mig selv" that largely samples on the original song. Taken from his self-titled album Burhan G, "Jeg vil ha' dig for mig selv" (translated as "I want you for myself") reached No. 8 in Tracklisten,[13] the Danish official Top 40 singles chart.
  • Club remixes to the single "Sentimientos" by Ivy Queen sample this song.

Track listings

12" maxi - Australia, New Zealand, UK
  1. "Girl You Know It's True" (NY subway mix)
  2. "Girl You Know It's True" (balearic mix)
  3. "Magic Touch"
12" maxi - Canada, U.S.
  1. "Girl You Know It's True" (super club mix) — 8:33
  2. "Girl You Know It's True" (G spot remix beats) — 6:22
  3. "Girl You Know It's True" (single version) — 3:48
  4. "Girl You Know It's True" (NYC subway mix) — 8:07
  5. "Magic Touch" — 3:47
12" maxi - Germany, UK
  1. "Girl You Know It's True" (super club mix) — 7:35
  2. "Girl You Know It's True" (radio mix) — 3:58
  3. "Magic Touch" — 3:22
7" single
  1. "Girl You Know It's True" — 3:58
  2. "Magic Touch" — 3:22

Charts and sales

"Girl You Know It's True" was a massive success in the United States, and peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending April 1, 1989, kept from the top spot by The Bangles' "Eternal Flame".[14] It became the first of five Top 5 singles for Milli Vanilli and spent a total of 26 weeks on the chart.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Numarx biography @Fifthelementonine.com Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  2. ↑ Rod Holloman@Twitter (spelled "Holloman" here) Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  3. 1 2 Numarx- "Girl You Know It's True" (1987) single credits. Accessed 8-16-2015.
  4. ↑ Rodney Hollaman (sic) @Discogs.com Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  5. 1 2 Milli Vanilli: Baby Don't Forget My Number
  6. ↑ Corey, Mary (1990). "Bill Pettaway: A gas station attendant hanging out with..." The Baltimore Sun December 16, 1990. Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  7. ↑ Bill Pettaway @yourockguitar.com Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  8. ↑ "Girl You Know It's True" by Milli Vanilli @Songfacts.com Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  9. ↑ Numarx - Our Time Has Come @Discogs.com Retrieved 8-16-2015.
  10. ↑ "Timbalands (sic) Secret Weapon: Bill Pettaway" Retrieved 8-16-2015
  11. ↑ https://lbbonline.com/news/protein-snacking-woman-gets-a-taste-for-power-in-bold-fridge-raiders-ad/
  12. ↑ German Charts - Centory
  13. ↑ DanishCharts: "Jeg Vil Ha' Dig For Mig Selv" Page
  14. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Archives". billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  15. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  18. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True" (in French). Les classement single.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  20. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 10 (25. nóvember 1988)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  21. ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 2009-06-03 at WebCite (Retrieved February 26, 2008)
  22. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Milli Vanilli" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True". VG-lista.
  24. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  25. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True". Singles Top 100.
  26. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True". Swiss Singles Chart.
  27. ↑ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved February 26, 2008)
  29. ↑ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17". Imgur. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  30. ↑ "Charts.nz – Milli Vanilli – Girl You Know It's True". Top 40 Singles.
  31. ↑ 1988 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  32. ↑ "1988 Belgian Flanders Singles Chart" (in Dutch). ultratop.be. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  33. ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  34. ↑ 1988 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived August 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  35. ↑ Canada certifications cria.ca Archived April 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  36. ↑ Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 145 ( ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  37. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Girl+You+Know+It%27s+True')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
  38. ↑ Swedish certifications Ifpi.se Archived 2012-05-21 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved September 11, 2008)
  39. ↑ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
  40. ↑ U.S. certifications riaa.com Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
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