Peak
21
Weeks
8
Score
1,123
Chart Year
1998
The music video for "Are You That Somebody?" was directed by Mark Gerard, with choreography by Fatima Robinson.[52] It begins with Timbaland and a crew of men riding motorcycles to a cave where Aaliyah and other women are waiting. As Timbaland and the crew arrive, a hologram of a metal door seals the opening of the cave. The men notice that the seal is a hologram and drive through it. Inside the cave, clips of Dr. Dolittle are projected on several walls in the background. As Aaliyah's first verse starts, she holds a large bird on her arm and everyone begins to perform the choreography. There are scenes with just the women dancing, just the men dancing, both the women and men dancing, and Aaliyah performing alone. The group Playa makes an appearance in the background. The video ends with Aaliyah and the dancers performing a flamenco dance.
The song finds Aaliyah offering a late-night tryst to a guy she's had her eye on for a while. She insists on discretion however, repeatedly asking him, "Are you responsible?" Timbaland wrote this song with Stephen "Static Major" Garrett, who co-wrote most of Aaliyah's other hits along with songs for Ginuwine ("So Anxious," "Pony") and his group Playa ("Cheers 2 U," "Don't Stop The Music"). In the December 2008 issue of Vibe magazine, Garrett mentions that Aaliyah did not initially like this song and another Static wrote for her, "Try Again." She recorded them both, though, and they became big hits for her. Aaliyah didn't write songs, but prided herself on being able to interpret them. Timbaland produced this song, incorporating the clean percussion sound that powered many of his productions. Often working with Missy Elliott and Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, he became one of the hottest producers of this era, and Aaliyah was one of his biggest stars. She had previously worked with R. Kelly and Jermaine Dupri. Aaliyah was 19 when this was released in 1998, but she was already a seasoned pro: her first album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was issued in 1994. A key component to this song is the baby giggling and cooing in the background. This was a unique production element that played to Aaliyah's nickname: "baby girl," which is how Timbaland addresses her in his rap. Many rumors floated around as to the identity of the baby (a popular one was that it came from a home video of Aaliyah when she was little), but the "happy baby" came from a CD from a sound effects library. The same sound was used in Prince's song "Delirious," which in turn was sampled from the 1968 song "Countdown to 6," by Perrey and Kingsley. This was featured in the movie Dr. Dolittle, starring Eddie Murphy. The soundtrack featured several other Timbaland productions, including "Same Ol' G" by Ginuwine and an All Saints cover of "Lady Marmalade." He and Stephen Garrett put the song together on very short notice when they got the call to produce a track for the film. Timbaland remembers the gig paying $400,000. Timbaland did the rap at the end of the song, which has nothing to do with the storyline of the song but serves as effective promotion for him and Aaliyah - by mentioning their names, it ensured that listeners would know the artist and producer when they heard it on the radio. When Timbaland introduces himself as "The man from the big VA," he's referring to his home state of Virginia. This was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal in 1999. The video gets very literal with the "watching you like a hawk" line, showing Aaliyah handling the bird. Other than that, most of the clip (directed by Mark Gerard) is comprised of group dance scenes starring Aaliyah's abs. According to Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, listening to this song convinced him "to pursue a more soulful sound in his music." You can hear the influence on the early Maroon 5 track "Not Coming Home," which borrows many elements from "Are You That Somebody?"
(Uh) Dirty South (uh-huh) Can y'all really feel me? (Feel this) East Coast, feel me (feel this) West Coast, feel me (say what?) Dirty South, uh (here we go) Can y'all really feel me? (Baby girl) East Coast, feel me (uh-huh) West Coast, feel me (can you feel this?) Dirty South (dirty, dirty) Can y'all really feel me? (Feel it) East Coast, feel me (say what?) West Coast, feel me (what?) Dirty South (d-d-dirty, dirty) Can y'all really feel me? (I can make you feel it) East Coast, feel me (uh) West Coast, feel me (woo) Boy, I've been watching you like the hawk in the sky That fly but you were my prey (my prey) Boy, I promise you if we keep bumpin' heads I know that one of these days (days) We gon' hook it up, probably talk on the phone But see, I don't know if that's good I've been holdin' back this secret from you I probably shouldn't tell it, but If I, if I let you know You can't tell nobody I'm talkin' 'bout nobody Are you responsible? Boy, I gotta watch my back 'Cause I'm not just anybody Is it my go? Is it your go? Sometimes I'm goody-goody Right now I'm naughty-naughty Say yes or say no 'Cause I really need somebody Tell me you're that somebody Boy, won't you pick me up at the park right now? Up the block, while everyone's sleep (sleep, sleep) I'll be waiting there with my trench, my locs, my hat Just so I'm lowkey If you tell the world (don't speak, you know that would be weak) Oh boy, see I'm trusting you with my heart, my soul I probably shouldn't let you but If I, if I let this go You can't tell nobody I'm talkin' 'bout nobody I hope you're responsible? Boy, I gotta watch my back 'Cause I'm not just anybody Is it my go? Is it your go? Sometimes I'm goody-goody Right now I'm naughty-naughty Say yes or say no 'Cause I really need somebody (uh) Tell me you're that somebody (uh) Baby girl (uh-huh), I'm the man from the big VA (what?) Won't you come play round my way (uh-huh) And listen to what I gotta say? (Uh-huh) Timbaland (what?), Don't you know I am the man? (Uh-huh) Rock shows here to Japan (what?) Have people shaking-shaking my hand (what?) Baby girl (uh-uh), better known as Aaliyah (Aaliyah) Give me goosebumps and high fevers (high fevers) Make the playa haters believers (believers) Don't you know? Gotta tell somebody, (why?) 'Cause I really need somebody (uh) Tell me you're that somebody (say what?) If I let this go You can't tell nobody I'm talkin' 'bout nobody Are you responsible? Boy, I gotta watch my back 'Cause I'm not just anybody Is it my go? Is it your go? Sometimes I'm goody-goody Right now I'm naughty-naughty Say yes or say no 'Cause I really need somebody Tell me you're that somebody You can't tell nobody I'm talkin' 'bout nobody I hope you're responsible, yeah Boy, I gotta watch my back 'Cause I'm not just anybody Is it my go? Is it your go? Sometimes I'm goody-goody Right now I'm naughty-naughty Say yes or say no 'Cause I really need somebody Tell me you're that somebody Is it my go? Is it your go? Sometimes I'm goody-goody But right now I'm naughty-naughty 'Cause I really need somebody Tell me you're that somebody You can't tell nobody I'm talkin' 'bout nobody Boy, I gotta watch my back 'Cause I'm not just anybody
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 5, 1998 | 21 | 105 |
| 2 | Dec 12, 1998 | 26 | 100 |
| 3 | Dec 19, 1998 | 26 | 100 |
| 4 | Dec 26, 1998 | 29 | 97 |
| 5 | Jan 2, 1999 | 47 | 79 |
| 6 | Jan 9, 1999 | 41 | 85 |
| 7 | Jan 16, 1999 | 33 | 93 |
| 8 | Jan 23, 1999 | 42 | 84 |