`Boy’ of summer: Brandy, Monica heat up charts with atypical hit

By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 10, 1998

What’s wrong with this picture?

The reigning single this summer is “The Boy is Mine,” a sultry duet by teen divas Brandy and Monica fighting over a slick, two-timing beau.

The tune is catchy enough. But its comparatively moody lyrics and subtle delivery are a far cry from the season’s usual sunny songs.

Remember last summer’s No. 1 hit:  “MMMBop”? Or how about 1996’s beach-friendly chart-topper, “Macarena”? Or just about any song by the Beach Boys?

What is it about “The Boy is Mine” that has kept it atop Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 Singles chart for the last 11 weeks?

“Both Brandy and Monica have big followings, and they’ve produced a well-constructed song,” said Geoff Mayfield, Billboard’s director of charts. “But I find `The Boy is Mine’ to be an atypical summer hit single. Summer songs that make it to the top 10 tend to be upbeat – the `I’m cruising with my baby’ song. I associate summer songs with something like Sheryl Crow’s `All I Wanna Do,’ or Squeeze’s `Tempted,’ which are kind of jaunty and boppy.”

Crow’s 1993 single missed the top rung by one spot, while “Tempted” peaked at No. 49 in 1981.

For 19-year-old Brandy, the hit validates her status as a pop star. Debuting four years ago with a self-titled album, the singer segued into an acting career with her TV series “Moesha.”

The best-selling songs this summer are virtually free of giddiness. There’s not one Spice Girls hit to coincide with their summer tour.

In their place are subdued ballads such as country superstar Shania Twain’s crossover hit, “You’re Still the One.”  Ensconced at No. 2 for the second week, the song is Twain’s answer to naysayers who predicted her marriage to producer Mutt Lange wouldn’t last. Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan comes in at No. 4 with her pensive “Adia.”

“There are no set rules that will guarantee a summer hit,” Mayfield said. “When I lived in Columbus, I noticed that the local rock station in town always did better during the fall and winter months, while the pop station did better during spring and summer. I don’t know if that would apply in cities where it’s always warm, but it  doesn’t seem to be an unusual pattern in many markets.”

Brian Paruch, a disc jockey at alternative rocker WKQX-FM (101.1), said his station in general does better in warmer months.

“Summer is our strongest season,” he said.  “It has always been our saving grace.  People want to hear songs that make them feel good when they’re driving around in the sun.”
Q-101 steers away from artists such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Brandy.  But Paruch said one of the station’s most popular songs this summer is Fastball’s catchy “The Way,” which is based on the true story of a couple found dead in their car.

“In the end,” Mayfield said, “If you deliver what people want, regardless of time of year, people will grab onto it.”