“No Scrubs” is a song recorded by American group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, FanMail, in February 1999, by LaFace Records. The song was written by producer Kevin Briggs, former Xscape members Kandi Burruss and Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, and TLC member Lisa “Lef Eye” Lopes. The song lyrics describe the role of a man in a relationship. Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas sings the lead vocals for the first time on a TLC song. “No Scrubs” became TLC’s third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the US Billboard, where it peaked for four consecutive weeks. The music video was released in 1999, which depicted the three members dancing inside of a space station. “No Scrubs” received divisive attention following its release; several radio stations aired answer songss as a response, while the word “scrub” became prominently used worldwide.
“Glory Box” is a song by English electronic band Portishead, released in January 1995 as the third and final single from their 1994 debut album, Dummy. It samples “Ike’s Rap II” by Isaac Hayes. Music writer James Masterton said in his weekly UK chart commentary that “Glory Box” “is definitely one of the more gloriously slinky indie records released in ages”. The music video for the song was directed by Alexander Hemming and released on November 14. It is set in the 1950s, featuring lead singer Beth Gibbons as a jazz singer at a club while various office workers watch her perform. Sexual tension begins to rise between certain characters, as eventually, all of the workers, as separate couples, attend the club where Beth is performing. Apart from the band members, the entire cast of the video appears in drag. The video for “Glory Box” was later published on Portishead’s official YouTube channel in March 2015.
“I’ve Got a Little Something for You” is a song by British R&B group MN8. It was released in January 1995 as the lead single from their debut album, ToThe Next Level (1995). The song was written by Mark Taylor and Denis Ingoldsby and was produced by Dennis Charles and Ronnie Wilson. It peaked at number two in the UK, reached number three in France and New Zealand, and charted within the top 10 in eight other territories, including Australia, Ireland, and Norway. Music writer James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, “The biggest new hit of the week comes seemingly from nowhere. A clever programme of promotional appearances from the latest batch of young swingbeater gives MN8 the momentum they need to crash straight into the Top 10 with their first ever hit.” He also complimented the “radio-friendly nature” of the track.
“He’s Gonna Step on You Again” (also known as “Step On“) is a song originally performed by John Kongos, co-written by Kongos and Christos Demetriou, and first released in 1971 by Fly Records. English band Happy Mondays covered the song in 1990, retitling it “Step On”, with two different music videos. The Happy Mondays version incorporates a short sample of three guitar notes from the original. “Step On” became Happy Mondays’ biggest-selling single, peaking at No. 5 in the UK and No. 57 on the US Billboard chart. The repeated phrase in the song “you’re twisting my melon, man” was later reused for the title of Shaun Ryder’s autobiography Twisting My Melon.
“This Is How It Feels” is a song by the Inspiral Carpets. Written by Clint Boon, it was their first single to enter the UK Top 40, where it peaked at No. 14. It reached No. 149 on the Australian ARIA singles chart. The second verse of this song was changed for the radio edit. The original lyrics for the first and third line were: “There’s a funeral in the town” and “Seems they found him under a train” respectively. However, in the radio version, they are as follows: “Black car drives through the town” and “Left a note for a local girl.” The edit was most likely made because the original version’s lyrics were in reference to suicide.
