Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1999
Caught Out There
Buy Caught Out There now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Caught Out There
| cover = Kelis - Caught Out There.png
| alt =
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Kelis
| album = Kaleidoscope
| B-side = Suspended
| released =
| recorded =
| studio = Master Sound (Virginia Beach)
| genre = R&B
| length =
| label = Virgin
| writer =
| producer = The Neptunes
| prev_title = Got Your Money
| prev_year = 1999
| next_title = Good Stuff
| next_year = 2000
| misc =
}}
"'Caught Out There'" is a song recorded by American singer Kelis for her debut studio album 'Kaleidoscope' (1999). Written and produced by The Neptunes, the song was released as the album's lead single in the United States on October 5, 1999. It peaked at number 54 on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 but fared better outside the United States, reaching the top ten in Canada, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes said in an interview that the instrumental track was originally meant for rapper Busta Rhymes, who rejected it.
Critical reception
Quentin Harrison from Albumism stated that Kelis is "burning with righteous anger" on the song, noting that she is "all heart with a hint of hedonism". He added that "Caught Out There" was "[the] only one song [that] could announce Kelis with a bang", when her debut album was launched. AllMusic editor Jaime Sunao Ikeda picked it as a "standout" track of the 'Kaleidoscope' album. Daryl Easlea for the BBC said in his 2012 review that "it still steals the show today, and was one of those songs that was heard everywhere at the time." Swedish newspaper 'Expressen' stated that "over a crunchy beat, she makes up with a lying boyfriend".'Expressen'. January 30, 2000. Brian Rusnica from 'The Heights' described it as a "five minute explosion of emotion and female rage featuring the raw chorus, "I hate you so much right now!"". Ireland's 'Evening Herald' stated that the song "established her as a leading light on the music scene","Q". 'Evening Herald'. July 4, 2003. page 89. Retrieved March 26, 2020. while the 'Irish Independent' called it "shouty"."Kelis". 'Irish Independent'. June 11, 2007. page 8. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
Jim Wirth from 'NME' commented, "Men, men, men; we're untrustworthy, lying scoundrels at heart, and as this Harlem-based hip-hop soulster rightly points out, we're always at our worst shortly after we've gone through the old 'I love you' routine. Kelis knows the score, though, because on Valentine's Day last year, some no-good, scum-sucking wretch did the dirty on her. Still, he did her a favour in the end, because 'Caught Out There', with its unforgettable primal-scream refrain, looks set to be massive very soon. Stretched out over a spartan backbeat, it would be a cynical swine who would dismiss this titanic slab of breakbeat pop as Jimmy Nail's 'Ain't No Doubt' but, y'know, for girls." Another editor stated that Kelis's "honeyed vocal, which broke into unfiltered madness, was the thing that took this track over the top." Sal Cinquemani from 'Slant' wrote that it "proves why Kelis's legacy should extend beyond simply bringing the boys to the yard. No, she wasn't "the first girl to scream on a track", as she claims on 2006's "Bossy", but her debut single, released when she was a 19-year-old with pink eyebrows, not only became a girl-power anthem thanks to its livid hook and indignant lyrics, but helped announced the Neptunes as one of the premier superstar production teams of 21st-century pop music." A reviewer from 'Sunday Life' deemed it as "attentiongrabbing"."KELIS Wanderland". 'Sunday Life'. December 2, 2001. page 33. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
Music video
The music video for "Caught Out There" was directed by Hype Williams. In the video, Kelis, in her technicolor spiral afro, blond, gold, orange, red, and fuchsia hair, starts in a confessional style, before opening to the chorus where she rips up the living room. Afterwards, Kelis and a group of fed-up women boycott and picket men. Finally, as she sings, "Got something for y'all", a gun cock is heard and the video finishes by alluding to her exacting revenge for her former lover's infidelity.
Impact and legacy
The song was used on MuchMusic's 'Shortest Weddings' special. The signature yell "I hate you so much right now!" was used in the 'Daria' episode "Partner's Complaint", first aired on February 25, 2000, and later in 2009 in British children's television sitcom 'Hotel Trubble'. It was also used in BBC3's 'Most Annoying People 2007', under Tony Blair (8 on the list), and in 2011 in a Calvin Klein ad for CK One. In 2010, the line "look, I found her red coat" was sampled extensively in the James Blake song "CMYK".
In 2003, 'Q' magazine ranked "Caught Out There" at number 649 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".
In 2010, 'Pitchfork' named it the 161st-best track of the 1990s. They wrote, "Soundtracking this post-breakup mania is a top-rate, ahead-of-its-time Neptunes production, with snapping keyboards accompanied by high-pitched tones that sound like dynamite exploding in space. In a word: Damn."
In 2012, 'NME' placed the song at number 24 on its list of the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s".
In 2012, 'Porcys' listed the song at number 24 in their ranking of "100 Singles 1990-1999", adding, "Here's the classic Kelis at its best. A perfect, uncommon bit of Neptunes in the foreground is the perfection of this protest- or rather statement-song."
In 2021, American rapper Ashnikko sampled the song on her single "Deal With It", which also features Kelis as a guest artist.
Track listings
*'UK CD single'
#"Caught Out There" (UK Radio Edit) 3:36
#"Caught Out There" (The Neptunes Extended Mix) 6:23
#"Suspended" 4:53
#"Caught Out There" (video)
*'US CD single'
#"Caught Out There" (Single Radio Edit) 4:09
#"Caught Out There" (The Neptunes Extended Mix) 6:22
#"Caught Out There" (LP Version) 4:51
#"Caught Out There" (The Neptunes Extended Instrumental Mix) 6:22
*'US cassette single'
:A1. "Caught Out There" (LP Version) 4:51
:A2. "Caught Out There" (Single Radio Edit) 4:09
:B. "Caught Out There" (The Neptunes Extended Mix) 6:22
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"|+ Weekly chart performance for "Caught Out There"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1999–2000)
! scope="col"| Peak
position
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Canada (Canadian Singles Chart)
| 10
|-
! scope="row"|Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)
| 9
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Iceland (slenski Listinn Topp 20)
| 5
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release dates and formats for "Caught Out There"
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Format(s)
! scope="col"| Label(s)
! scope="col"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| United States
| October 5, 1999
| Rhythmic contemporary radio
| rowspan="2"| Virgin
|
|-
| November 16, 1999
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| France
| December 13, 1999
| 12-inch vinyl
| EMI
|
|-
! scope="row"| United Kingdom
| February 21, 2000
|
| Virgin
|
|-
! scope="row"| France
| May 16, 2000
| CD
| EMI
|
|}
References
Category:1999 debut singles
Category:1999 songs
Category:Kelis songs
Category:Music videos directed by Hype Williams
Category:Song recordings produced by the Neptunes
Category:Songs about infidelity
Category:Songs written by Chad Hugo
Category:Songs written by Pharrell Williams
Category:Virgin Records singles
Buy Caught Out There now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1999