My Humps

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"My Humps"
Single by The Black Eyed Peas
from the album Monkey Business
B-side(s)	So Real
Released	November 14, 2005 (Australia)
Format	Digital download
Genre	Hip hop/Pop
Length	5:27 (Album), 3:54 (Single)
Label	A&M/Interscope
Writer(s)	will.i.am D. Payton
Producer(s)	will.i.am
Chart positions
#1 (Australia, New Zealand) #3 (UK) #3 (USA Hot 100) #2 (Pop 100) #10 (Hot Rap Tracks) #26 (Canada)
The Black Eyed Peas singles chronology
Don't Lie (2005)	My Humps (2005)	Pump It (2006)

"My Humps" is the third single from The Black Eyed Peas' fourth album, Monkey Business. Released in 2005, the single reached a position of #3 in the U.S., becoming the Black Eyed Peas' third Top 10 single on the U.S. mainstream radio charts. The single also reached #3 in the UK Top 40 making it their sixth Top 10 single. The song, which was not initially released as a single ("Don't Lie" was intended to be the lead-off release for the album) is notable as an example of an unsolicited single atypically garnering unusual amounts of airplay and popularity.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Song information 3 Criticism 4 Music video 5 Trivia 5.1 Parodies 6 Charts

[edit] Track listing

1. My Humps (Single Version)
2. My Humps (lil Jon Remix Version)
3. So Real
4. My Humps (video)

[edit] Song information

The song was co-written and produced by will.i.am, and interpolates Sexual Harassment's "I Need a Freak." In this sexual number, a woman (in this case, Fergie) uses her breasts and her buttocks as tools to get men to spend money on her. The song refers to "humps," as in one's buttocks, and "lumps," as in a woman's breasts, at times interchanging the plurals of these objects and thus confusing their meaning.

On the album, there is a bonus track attached to "My Humps" known as "So Real". It features the piano playing with the phrase "so real" spoken repeatedly. It is basically the end of the album version of "My Humps".

There is a remix to the song produced by Lil Jon.

[edit] Criticism

"My Humps" has been the subject of severe criticism by the music press. John Bush, writing for All Music Guide, described it as "one of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium" [1], while Bill Lamb, writing for About.com called it "the musical equivalent of a bad Farrelly Brothers movie".[2] Hua Hsu of Slate goes so far to say, "It's not Awesomely Bad; it's Horrifically Bad. ... There are bad songs that offend our sensibilities but can still be enjoyed, and then there are the songs that are just really bad—transcendentally bad, objectively bad." [3].

Much of the criticism of the song stems from its repetitive lyrics ("My hump" is repeated fifty-five times) and its exploitation of the female body. Additional criticism comes from the different interpretation of some of the lyrics, as well as the song's actual meanings. Some critics have noted that "junk in the trunk" is urban slang for someone who insists on wearing pants or jeans that are far too tight for an excessively large posterior. Others criticize the message of the song as being one that praises the efforts and successes of a "golddigger" in such a way that it encourages women in general to take everything they can from any man who's interested and give absolutely nothing in return. Due to this interpretation, some strip clubs in the US and Canada have banned this song from their entertainers' playlists^{[citation needed]} much in the same way Tina Turner's Private Dancer was banned in the 1980's due to that song's suggestive overtones in favor of prostitution^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Music video

Following the song's popularity, several videos were placed on file-sharing networks claiming to be the video for the song, but these files were actually clips of pornography. The official music video for "My Humps" premiered on TRL and shows Fergie dancing with backup dancers as images of expensive items such as Louis Vuitton purses and jewelry appear on the screen. The other members of the Black Eyed Peas -- Apl.de.ap, Taboo, and will.i.am -- sing about how much they spend on Fergie as she sings about her "humps" and "lovely lady lumps." Of all of the videos released by the band, "My Humps" is the first to showcase Fergie above all other band members.

The video received the award for Best Hip Hop Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards on August 31, 2006.

[edit] Trivia

• In an episode of the American version of the television show The Office, the song can be heard as Michael Scott's ringtone (episode: Branch Closing.

[edit] Parodies

This song has been popularised in Singapore after an edit made by mrbrown on 22nd August 2006 on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's rally speech on 20th August 2006. [4]

A parody of the song was featured on an episode of MADtv. It was retitled "My Slump," referring to George W. Bush's slumping approval rating.

[edit] Charts

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Dance Radio Airplay	17
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	57
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks	10
U.S. Billboard Hot Ringtones	1
World Singles Top 40	2
Austria Singles Top 75	4
Irish Singles Chart	1
Finland Singles Top 20	7
Dutch Top 40	4
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	2
UK Singles Chart	3
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	1 (2)
Sweden Singles Top 60	19
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
Swiss Singles Top 100	3
Belgium Singles Top 50	3
Norway Singles Top 20	4
Lithuania Airplay Chart	1
Germany Singles Top 100	4
Czech IFPI Chart	7
France Singles Top 100	11

• The small note between brackets represents the amount of week the song was at its peak position.

US Singles Chart trajectory
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
Position	85	59	39	25	16	7	4	5	5	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	6	9	11	10	6	11	17	20	25	25	26	23	24	28	25	28	34	37	44

UK Singles Chart trajectory
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Position	3	3	5	6	7	13	7	6	8	12	14	21	25	27	32	43

Australia Singles Chart trajectory
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Position	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	4	6	12	14	20	22	26	45	48

World Singles Chart trajectory
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Position	34	31	32	30	26	21	19	16	15	14	5	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	5	7	8	8	11	13	16	18	22	24	29	32	33	39*

*Was off for 3 weeks before entering the chart again

Preceded by: "Hung Up" by Madonna	ARIA (Australia) number one single November 20, 2005 - November 27, 2005	Succeeded by: "Maybe Tonight" by Kate DeAraugo
Preceded by: "Gold Digger" by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx	RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single 28 November 2005 –	Succeeded by: "Jingle Bells" by Crazy Frog
Preceded by: "Stickwitu" by Pussycat Dolls	RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single 9 January 2006	Succeeded by: "Stickwitu" by Pussycat Dolls

The Black Eyed Peas
Members
will.i.am - apl.de.ap - Taboo - Fergie
Former members: Sierra Swan - Dante Santiago - Kim Hill
Discography
Studio albums: Behind the Front | Bridging the Gap | Elephunk | Monkey_Business_(album)
EPs: Renegotiations: The Remixes
Singles: Fallin' Up | Joints & Jam | Karma | What It Is | ¿Que Dices? | Head Bobs | BEP Empire | Weekends | Request + Line | Where Is the Love? | Shut Up | Hey Mama | Let's Get It Started | The Apl Song | Don't Phunk with My Heart | Don't Lie | My Humps | Pump It
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