Aaliyah -.Are You That Somebody


Album: Dr. Dolittle-The Album (Atlantic)
Songwriters: Steve Garrett and Tim Mosley
Hit #1: August 1st, 1998 (8 Weeks-Airplay Only)

Hands down one of the best R&B singles of all time, Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody?" stressed that the forward-gazing chemistry she shared with Timbaland on 1996's game-changing One In A Million was in no danger of losing it's potency.

A one-off contribution to the Timbaland-heavy "Dr. Dolittle" soundtrack, on it's surface, "Somebody" was a no-brainer delight exploding with novice appeal. So many of it's elements felt simplistic and playful, like a kiddie band experimenting in hip hop-soul. From Timbaland's amateur rap skills and Aaliyah's dash-dot-dot line ascensions to that signature eleven note waltz and it's boys vs. girls, dance battle-themed music vid, this was music made for pre-schoolers to bounce along to. A closer listen revealed far more worth to the mindlessly fun ditty, though.

A certain guy has caught the attention of Aaliyah after a handful of accidental encounters with eachother and following some impressionable small-talk, she feels that he could be one to keep around. But there's one thing keeping her from really investing in this budding relationship past innocent phone conversations: "I been holding back this secret from you/ I probably shouldn't tell it...".

See, she's this big celebrity and all, and for them, the dating process starts off with a cautionary interrogation. She must be sure that he's trustworthy enough to not sell their most intimate moments to the highest bidder and comfortable in only being together after-hours where the paparazzo are nowhere in sight. The chorus (in which her cool, understated vocals engage in a ping-pong match with illustrious male backing harmonies) nervously slings off standards he must stand by in order to make this thing work ("I hope you're responsible (Boy I gotta watch my back/ Cause I'm not just anybody)").

This paranoia is musically brought to life through Timbaland's cryptic, stop-start pop-funk: the tip-toe march of those aforementioned eleven notes, the mysterious synth-guitar washes that occasionally shroud the track in spooky alien noise, and the cagey syncopation of it's percussion performed via the art of beat-boxing. And just in case the beat wasn't atypical enough, Tim throws in a brief sample of a baby gurgling in the mix just for the fun of it.

A massive radio success, although lack of a commercial release kept it from being an official chart topper, "Are You That Somebody?" triggered a couple noteworthy re-interpretations that became fan favorites in their own right. An unofficial remix featuring the brisk-tongued Virginia rap collective, the Superfriendz, later earned heavy airplay after DJ's began picking up on it; while indie rock trio The Gossip lit up blogs worldwide with a stripped-down cover, frontwoman Beth Ditto's big voice theatrics adding a lustful desperation over a deliciously sleazy bassline groove.

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