Men in Black: The Album

Summary

Men in Black: The Album is the soundtrack to the film Men in Black. It was released on July 1, 1997, distributed by Columbia Records and featured production from some of music's top producers, such as Poke & Tone, Jermaine Dupri and The Ummah.

Men in Black: The Album
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedJuly 1, 1997
Recorded1996–1997
Genre
Length66:05
Label
Producer
Singles from Men in Black: The Album
  1. "Men in Black"
    Released: June 3, 1997 (US)
  2. "We Just Wanna Party with You"
    Released: September 1, 1997 (UK)
  3. "Just Cruisin'"
    Released: November 25, 1997 (EU)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link

The album was a huge success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as well as peaking at No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The RIAA certified the album 3× Platinum for shipments of over 3,000,000 copies in the United States.

Four singles were released from the album, Will Smith's "Men in Black" and "Just Cruisin'", Nas's "Escobar '97" and Jermaine Dupri and Snoop Dogg's "We Just Wanna Party with You". Except for the title song and the two Danny Elfman cues, none of the tracks on the album are in the film.

This soundtrack also marked the debuts of then-unknowns Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child.

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Men in Black" (Will Smith)Smith, Patrice Rushen, Terry McFadden & Fred WashingtonPoke and Tone3:46
2."We Just Wanna Party with You" (Snoop Doggy Dogg featuring Jermaine Dupri)Jermaine Dupri, Robert Bell, Claydes Smith, Calvin Broadus, James Taylor, George Brown, Ronald Bell, Robert Mickens, Eumir Deodato, Richard Westfield, Otha Nash, Larry Gittens, Dennis ThomasDupri4:32
3."I'm Feeling' You" (Ginuwine)Elgin "Ginuwine" Lumpkin & -Jonathan "Mookie" MorantMookie4:40
4."Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)" (Alicia Keys)Alicia Keys, Taneisha Smith & Reese JohnsonJohnson4:12
5."Just Cruisin'" (Will Smith)Smith, Nasir "Nas" Jones & Kenneth StoverPoke and Tone3:59
6."The 'Notic" (The Roots featuring D'Angelo)Tariq Collins, Amtir "Questlove" Thompson, James Poyser, Larry Dunn, Maurice White & Philip BaileyScott Storch (The Roots), Poyser & Kelo5:20
7."Make You Happy" (Trey Lorenz)Mariah Carey, Lorenz, Cory RooneyCarey & Rooney4:06
8."Escobar '97" (Nas)Jones, Samuel Barnes, Jean-Claude Olivier, Jerry Ragovoy & Aaron SchroederPoke and Tone3:32
9."Erotik City" (Emoja)T. Footman, E. Taylor & T. WimbleyDeconzo Smith & Jerome Malcolm4:34
10."Same Ol' Thing" (A Tribe Called Quest)Kamaal "Q-Tip" Fareed, Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Malik "Phife Dawg" TaylorThe Ummah4:27
11."Killing Time" (Destiny's Child)Dwayne Wiggins & Taura StinsonWiggins5:08
12."Waiting For Love" (3T)John Howcott, Emanuel Officer & Donald ParksCraig Burbidge3:47
13."Chanel No. Fever" (De La Soul)Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Dave" Jolicoeur & Vincent "Maseo" MasonDe La Soul3:24
14."Some Cow Fonque (More Tea, Vicar?)" (Buckshot LeFonque)Branford MarsalisMarsalis5:10
15."M.I.B. Main Theme" (Danny Elfman)Elfman 2:58
16."M.I.B. Closing Theme" (Danny Elfman)Elfman 2:38
Total length:1:06:05

Sample Credits edit

  • "Men in Black" features a sample from "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen written by Patrice Rushen, Terry McFadden and Fred Washington
  • "We Just Wanna Party with You" contains portions of "Get Down On It" by Kool & the Gang written by Robert Bell, James Taylor, George Brown, Ronald Bell, Claydes Smith, Robert Mickens and E. Deodato
  • "Just Cruisin'" contains a sample of "I'm Back For More" by Al Johnson written by Kenneth Stover
  • "The 'Notic" contains replayed elements of "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire written by Larry Dunn, Maurice White and Philip Bailey
  • "Escobar '97" contains a sample of "I'll Move You No Mountain" by The Love Unlimited Orchestra written by Jerry Ragovoy and Aaron Schroeder
  • "Same Ol' Thing" contains a sample of "Miles Beyond" by The Mahavishnu Orchestra written by J. McLaughlin

Men In Black: The Score edit

Columbia Records released a Danny Elfman score album, including the two tracks included on Men In Black: The Album, on December 1, 1997.

  1. M.I.B. Main Theme (2:58)
  2. D's Memories/Chase (3:57)
  3. Edgar's Truck/A New Man (2:58)
  4. Imports/Quiet Moment (2:22)
  5. J Contemplates (1:18)
  6. Headquarters (1:13)
  7. The Suit (1:28)
  8. Morgue Time (:49)
  9. Petit Mort (1:42)
  10. K Reminisces (:48)
  11. Orion's Belt/Cat Stinger (2:18)
  12. Noisy Cricket/Impending Trouble (2:08)
  13. Sexy Morgue Babe/Icon (5:41)
  14. Take Off/Crash (7:20)
  15. Finale (3:02)
  16. M.I.B. Closing Theme (2:36)

Charts edit

Certifications and sales edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[24] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[25] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] 3× Platinum 3,060,000[27]
Summaries
Worldwide 5,000,000[29]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Men In Black" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Men In Black" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Men In Black" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  5. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Men In Black" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "Soundtrack: Men In Black" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soundtrack – Men In Black" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  14. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". ARIA. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  17. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1997". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrecharts". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1997". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  20. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  21. ^ "1997 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-39. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Men In Black - Original Motion picture Soundtrack". Music Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  25. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Men In Black')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  26. ^ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Men In Black - Ost". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  27. ^ Basham, David (7 February 2002). "Got Charts?". Mtv. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Men In Black". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. ^ "Right On Track". Billboard. 28 March 1998. p. 73. Retrieved March 27, 2019.