Peak
1
Weeks
25
Score
6,530
Chart Year
2001
The music video was directed by Stephen Scott.[citation needed] It begins with RikRok running to Shaggy's mansion to explain to him what has just happened. RikRok tells him that he cheated on his girlfriend and got caught. Shaggy tells him to tell her that "It wasn't me." The video then cuts into a flashback to earlier that day. RikRok has been caught sleeping with another woman, and his girlfriend is outside the apartment in her convertible when two women pull up next to her on their sport bikes. Then, the three women go into the building. He then sneaks out the window, takes the motorcycle of one of his girlfriend's accomplices and leaves. The women come out and the girlfriend and one of her accomplices get in the convertible and the other gets on her motorcycle and they chase after him. From his mansion, Shaggy, using his futuristic technology, tracks down where RikRok is going and prepares an escape for him. RikRok then gets on a bridge over the highway when the accomplice rode on the bridge in front of him. He then hits the brakes to stop while she stops her motorcycle. RikRok then hears a noise behind him and it is the other accomplices and the girlfriend driving the convertible on the other side of the bridge with the highway down below. An eighteen-wheeler drives by, and Shaggy leaves RikRok a text message telling him to look behind and he notices the truck and jumps off the side of overhead and lands on the truck. He is then dropped off at Shaggy's mansion, showing the same scene from the start of the video.
The song is about a guy who gets caught cheating on his girl but denies it even though he is clearly guilty. It was inspired by a comedy routine Eddie Murphy performed in his movie Raw. Murphy said that no matter what your girl accuses you of, never admit to anything, just say, "It wasn't me," and don't offer details. Shaggy became Mr. Boombastic when he learned that in England, "shag" means sex (his real name is Orville Burrell; "Shaggy" comes from the Scooby-Doo character). This persona was comically big-headed and a bit of a male chauvinist, which made for some very entertaining songs, but it wasn't him. None of what happens in the song came from his own experience; they're just a bunch of hypothetical situations he made up. The song features Rikrok, whose real name is Ricardo Ducent, singing most of the lyrics. Shaggy sings the refrain "It Wasn't Me." Shaggy helped out Rikrok by working with him on his first solo album. Playful songs like this one were big in 2001 - up until September 11. That summer, the Missy Elliott reworking of "Lady Marmalade" was a huge hit, as was Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious." "It Wasn't Me" was a spectacular return for Shaggy, who was dropped by his label after disappointing sales of his 1997 album Midnite Lover. In America, it went to #1 for two weeks and propelled his Hot Shot album to sales of over 6 million. In the UK, it was not only a #1 hit but also the best-selling single of 2001. His next single, "Angel," also topped the charts in both territories. Report this ad This wasn't supposed to be a single, but it got some heat in Hawaii when a disc jockey on the Honolulu radio station KIKI downloaded it from the internet and played it on the air. This convinced Shaggy's record company, MCA, to issue it. The first single from the album was "Dance And Shout," which seemed like a solid bet because it was produced by the reliable hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but it flopped hard, reaching just #104 in America in August 2000. The album, and Shaggy's career, seemed left for dead, but "It Wasn't Me" revived him in a big way, hitting #1 in February 2001, six months after "Dance And Shout" bombed. The track is built on a sample of the 1975 song "Smile Happy" from the band War. In the video, Rikrok gets caught cheating and comes running to Shaggy's mansion, where Shaggy schools him on the art of being a true player. To show how he got caught, Rikrok shows Shaggy a video of his misdeeds on his flipphone, which in 2001 could only be done through the magic of editing. Shaggy and Sting did a bit with host James Corden at the Grammy Awards in 2018 where they performed in the New York subway but were met by a hostile audience. "Whose idea was this anyway," Corden asked. Shaggy's response: "It wasn't me." This was used in a 2021 Super Bowl commercial where Mila Kunis gets caught eating her husband, Ashton Kutcher's, Cheetos. When he confronts, Shaggy shows up to advise: "Just tell him it wasn't you." She does that, creating her own version of the song: But I caught you at the counter It wasn't me Saw you snacking on the sofa It wasn't me You even had them in the shower It wasn't me Shaggy then explains that it's his own fault: You the one that granted access to your snacks Don't act surprised that she sneak behind your back You got to keep tabs before she empty that bag Let's review the situation: orange fingers, red flag He councils Austin to keep his own stash, then when Mila tells him one more time, "It wasn't me," and Austin lets it go, Shaggy says, "That's the first time that's ever worked." Two things were learned from the ad: 1) Shaggy doesn't age. 2) Ashton Kutcher is a truly terrible singer. Speaking to People in a 2023 interview, Shaggy said this song has given him a misleading image as a "player." The intention behind the song was quite the opposite. "People didn't listen to the record to the end," Shaggy clarified. He pointed out that there is a crucial part in the song where a conversation takes place between two individuals. In this dialogue, Shaggy's character initially offers misguided advice, urging his friend to deny the cheating allegations by saying, "It wasn't me." But Shaggy stressed that the overlooked second half of the conversation holds the key to understanding the song's true meaning. "At the end, the guy says, 'I'm going to tell her that I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused. I've been listening to your reasoning, it makes no sense at all... You might think that you're a player, but you're completely lost,'" he explained. "Nobody hears that part! That's what the song says."
Yo, man (Yo) Open up, man (Yeah, what do you want, man?) My girl just caught me (You let her catch you?) I don't know how I let this happen (With who?) The girl next door, ya know? Man, I don't know what to do (Say it wasn't you) Alright Honey came in and she caught me red-handed Creepin' with the girl next door Picture this we were both butt naked Bangin' on the bathroom floor How could I forget that I had Given her an extra key All this time she was standin' there She never took her eyes off me How yuh fi give the woman access to your villa? Trespasser and a witness all the hacklin' a yuh pillow You better watch your back before she turn into a killer Let's review the situation that you're caught up inna To be a true player, yuh haffi know how fi play If she say, "A night," convince her say, "A day" Never admit to a word when she say And if she claims ah yuh, tell her, "Baby, no way" But she caught me on the counter (it wasn't me) Saw me bangin' on the sofa (it wasn't me) I even had her in the shower (it wasn't me) She even caught me on camera (it wasn't me) She saw the marks on my shoulder (it wasn't me) Heard the words that I told her (it wasn't me) Heard the screams gettin' louder (it wasn't me) She stayed until it was over Honey came in and she caught me red-handed Creepin' with the girl next door Picture this, we were both butt naked Bangin' on the bathroom floor I had tried to keep her from what She was about to see Why should she believe me When I told her it wasn't me? Make she know say that she really no have right fi vex A never you she see yah make the gigolo flex A smaddy else a favor you inna di complex Seein' is believin', so you better change your specs You know she a go bring a whole heap a things up from the past All the likkle evidence, yuh better know fi mask Quick pon yuh answer, know how fi talk But if she pack a gun, you know you better run fast But she caught me on the counter (it wasn't me) Saw me bangin' on the sofa (it wasn't me) I even had her in the shower (it wasn't me) She even caught me on camera (it wasn't me) She saw the marks on my shoulder (it wasn't me) Heard the words that I told her (it wasn't me) Heard the screams gettin' louder (it wasn't me) She stayed until it was over Honey came in and she caught me red-handed Creepin' with the girl next door Picture this, we were both butt naked Bangin' on the bathroom floor How could I forget that I had given her an extra key All this time she was standin' there She never took her eyes off me Wanna tell her that I'm sorry For the pain that I've caused I've been listenin' to your reasonin' It makes no sense at all Need to tell her that I'm sorry For the pain that I've caused You may think that you're a player But you're completely lost That's why I sing Honey came in and she caught me red-handed Creepin' with the girl next door Picture this, we were both butt naked Bangin' on the bathroom floor How could I forget that I had given her an extra key All this time she was standin' there She never took her eyes off me
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 4, 2000 | 57 | 69 |
| 2 | Nov 11, 2000 | 39 | 87 |
| 3 | Nov 18, 2000 | 30 | 96 |
| 4 | Nov 25, 2000 | 16 | 110 |
| 5 | Dec 2, 2000 | 10 | 116 |
| 6 | Dec 9, 2000 | 7 | 119 |
| 7 | Dec 16, 2000 | 4 | 122 |
| 8 | Dec 23, 2000 | 2 | 124 |
| 9 | Dec 30, 2000 | 3 | 123 |
| 10 | Jan 6, 2001 | 3 | 123 |
| 11 | Jan 13, 2001 | 2 | 124 |
| 12 | Jan 20, 2001 | 2 | 124 |
| 13 | Jan 27, 2001 | 2 | 124 |
| 14 | Feb 3, 2001 | 1 | 125 |
| 15 | Feb 10, 2001 | 1 | 125 |
| 16 | Feb 17, 2001 | 3 | 123 |
| 17 | Feb 24, 2001 | 2 | 124 |
| 18 | Mar 3, 2001 | 2 | 124 |
| 19 | Mar 10, 2001 | 6 | 120 |
| 20 | Mar 17, 2001 | 7 | 119 |