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Just a Friend
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Just a Friend
| cover = Just a Friend single.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Biz Markie
| album = The Biz Never Sleeps
| released =
| recorded = 1989
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop rap
| length = 4:06
| label = Cold Chillin'
| writer = Marcel Hall
| producer = Marcel Hall
| prev_title = Free Your Mind
| prev_year = 1988
| next_title = Intro
| next_year = 1990
| misc =
}}
"'Just a Friend'" is a song written, produced and performed by American hip hop artist Biz Markie. It was released in September 1989 as the lead single from his album, 'The Biz Never Sleeps'. It is Markie's most successful single, reaching number 9 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 in 1990.
Background
The song interpolates the 1968 song "(You) Got What I Need" recorded by Freddie Scott, whose basic chord and melody provided the base for the song's chorus. Markie's lyrics describe romantic frustration after pursuing a woman who is actually romantically involved with another man who she falsely claims is "just a friend." Due to the widespread popularity of the song along with its acclaim and its influence on pop culture (and Markie's failure to have another charting Hot 100 song), Biz was classified by VH1 as a one-hit wonder, and "Just a Friend" was ranked 81st on 'VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders' in 2000, and later as number 100 on 'VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop' in 2008. Karma, a staff record producer for Cold Chillin' Records, told 'Vibe' magazine in 2005 that he produced the single, but never received credit.Kondo, Toshitaka (May 2005). "Karma". 'Vibe'. p. 56. The single was certified platinum on April 12, 1990. In 2021, it was ranked at No. 480 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time".
Music video
The music video, directed by Lionel C. Martin, chronicles the rapper/singer's woman problems. At the climax of the video, Biz Markie's character stumbles upon a girl he was trying to date not his girlfriend kissing another man she had previously referred to as "just a friend". It also includes a scene of Biz Markie singing the chorus dressed as Mozart in 18th-century clothing with a powdered wig in a candlelit room while playing the piano.
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable"!align="left"|Charts (198990)
!align="center"|Peak
position
|-
|Canada Top Singles (RPM)
|align="center"|66
|-
|U.S. 'Billboard' Hot 100
|align="center"|9
|-
|U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks ('Billboard')
|align="center"|37
|-
|U.S. Hot Rap Singles ('Billboard')
|align="center"|5
|-
|}
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
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