Peak
12
Weeks
19
Score
2,316
Chart Year
1997
Scores & Rankings
Chart Performance
Peak Position12
Peak DateFeb 22, 1997
Weeks at Peak1
Weeks Charted19
Weeks in Top 4011
Weeks in Top 100
Weeks at #20
Weeks at #10
Scoring
Summary Calc749
Weekly Calc1,567
Total Score2,316
Rankings
Year Ranking#88
Decade Ranking#909
Billboard Year#79
Top 5000#5,977
Details
Music Video
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.
Notes
"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. In 2022, Pitchfork included "On & On" in their list of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s".
Oh my, my, my, I'm feeling high My money's gone, I'm all alone Too much to see The world keeps turning Oh what a day, what a day, what a day Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned If your knowledge were your wealth, then it would be well-earned If we were made in his image, then call us by our names Most intellects do not believe in God but they fear us just the same Oh, on and on and on and on My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone Oh, on and on and on and on All night 'til the break of dawn I go on and on and on and on My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone Oh on and on and on and on Goddammit, I'ma sing my song I was born under water With three dollars and six dimes Yeah, you might laugh 'Cause you did not do your math Like one, two, three (Damn, y'all feel that? Oh) Like one, two, three The world keeps turning Oh what a day, what a day, what a day The man that knows something knows that he knows nothing at all Does it seem colder in your summertime and hotter in your fall? If we were made in his image, then call us by our names Most intellects do not believe in God but they fear us just the same Oh on and on and on and on My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone On and on and on and on All night till the vultures swarm I go on and on and on and on My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone On and on and on and on Mad props to the God JaBorn I am feeling kinda hungry 'cause my high is coming down Don't feed me yours 'cause your food does not endure I think I need a cup of tea, the world keeps burning Oh what a day, what a day, what a day You rush into destruction 'cause you don't have nothing left The mother ship can't save you so your ass is gon' get left If we were made in his image, then call us by our names Most intellects do not believe in God but they fear us just the same Oh on and on and on and on My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone Oh on and on and on, on, on-on, on, on You can't fuck with me, so just leave it alone Ooh, ooh, wait, on and on and on and on My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone Oh on and on and on and on And on and on
Chart History (19 weeks)
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 25, 1997 | 33 | 93 |
| 2 | Feb 1, 1997 | 27 | 99 |
| 3 | Feb 8, 1997 | 15 | 111 |
| 4 | Feb 15, 1997 | 13 | 113 |
| 5 | Feb 22, 1997 | 12 | 114 |
| 6 | Mar 1, 1997 | 15 | 111 |
| 7 | Mar 8, 1997 | 15 | 111 |
| 8 | Mar 15, 1997 | 24 | 102 |
| 9 | Mar 22, 1997 | 27 | 99 |
| 10 | Mar 29, 1997 | 32 | 94 |
| 11 | Apr 5, 1997 | 39 | 87 |
| 12 | Apr 12, 1997 | 45 | 81 |
| 13 | Apr 19, 1997 | 54 | 72 |
| 14 | Apr 26, 1997 | 63 | 63 |
| 15 | May 3, 1997 | 69 | 57 |
| 16 | May 10, 1997 | 84 | 42 |
| 17 | May 17, 1997 | 80 | 46 |
| 18 | May 24, 1997 | 80 | 46 |
| 19 | May 31, 1997 | 100 | 26 |