The Way You Move

“The Way You Move”
Single by OutKast featuring Sleepy Brown from the album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
A-side	"The Way You Move" "Hey Ya!"
Released	September 9, 2003
Format	DVD single 12" single CD single (AUS only)
Recorded	Stankonia Studios, Atlanta, GA, 2003
Genre	Hip hop, Soul
Length	3:55
Label	LaFace 55883
Writer(s)	Big Boi Carl-Mo Sleepy Brown
Producer	Big Boi, Carl-Mo
Certification	Platinum
OutKast singles chronology
"Land of a Million Drums" (2002) "Hey Ya!"/"The Way You Move" (2003/2004) "Roses" (2004)
Sleepy Brown singles chronology
"Land of a Million Drums" (2002) "The Way You Move" (2003) "I Can't Wait" (2006)

"The Way You Move" is a 2003 number-one single recorded by Big Boi of the hip-hop duo OutKast, released on LaFace Records. The song features OutKast mentor Sleepy Brown on guest vocals. It and "Hey Ya!", recorded by André 3000, the other member of the duo, were released as the first singles from OutKast's double album project Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which includes a solo album from each member. Released from Big Boi's Speakerboxxx half of the double-album, "The Way You Move" peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming OutKast's third number-one single.

[edit] Song history

[edit] Song information

"The Way You Move" is credited to Big Boi, Sleepy Brown, and the song's producer, Carlton "Carl-Mo" Mahone; Big Boi also does some co-production. Combining elements of bass music, Atlanta-style southern hip hop, and 1970s soul music, "The Way You Move" is Big Boi's light-hearted dedication to women. The song's instrumental track is punctuated with the prominent live horn section "Hornz Unlimited" of Atlanta, and the chorus and bridge feature Sleepy Brown singing in style inspired by the work of Motown star Marvin Gaye.

[edit] Music video

The song's music video, directed by Bryan Barber, features Big Boi as the proprietor of a rim shop. The video's performance shots eventually gravitate to other locations during the video's running time, featuring several young women who Big Boi, dressed in a pimp's suit, attempts to pick up.

"The Way You Move" music video was designed to be shown in tandem with the video for André 3000's "Hey Ya!". A long-form "The Way You Move/Hey Ya!" video combines both clips with a bridging sequence.

[edit] Chart performance

"The Way You Move" spent eight weeks at the number two position behind "Hey Ya!" before finally replacing it at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 7, 2004, where it stayed for one week. That was the sixth time a recording act has replaced itself at number one since Elvis Presley first did so in 1956. "The Way You Move" also proved to have more longevity than "Hey Ya!" as it ended up at number five on the 2004 Billboard Year End Chart. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, "The Way You Move" peaked at number two (seven positions higher than "Hey Ya!"), and was a number-one single on the Hot Rap Tracks chart as well.

[edit] Earth, Wind, & Fire/Kenny G cover

In 2004, Saxophonist Kenny G and Funk legends Earth, Wind, & Fire released a cover of the song "The Way You Move" with Philip Bailey and Maurice White on vocals. The song appears on Kenny G's At Last... The Duets Album and Earth, Wind, & Fire's 2005 album Illumination.

[edit] Pop Culture references

• The song was featured and poked fun of in an episode of Chappelle's Show in a skit entitled "Making the Band" in which P. Diddy (played by Chappelle) is joined by his assistant, Fonzworth Bentley (played by Charlie Murphy), who comes flying in using his umbrella as a parachute, just as Farnsworth does in "The Way You Move" music video.
• A heavily edited version of the song is featured in the console versions of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005.
• A "House Mix" is featured on Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2.
• There is a Jewish parody called "Crazy Jey" performed by Eric Schartz.

[edit] Charts

[edit] See also

• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 2004 (USA)

[edit] External links

• Everything You Wanted to Know About Outkast