I Do (Blaque song)

"I Do" is a song released in 1999 by the American vocal trio, Blaque. It was released as the group's second single in the United States and Japan, and the third single in Europe.^[1][4][5]

"I Do"
Single by Blaque
from the album Blaque
Released	July 28, 1999 (1999-07-28)^[1]
Recorded	1998
Genre	Bubblegum pop^[2] pop^[3] R&B^[4]
Length	3:27
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Natina Reed
Producer(s)	Michael Anthony Elgin Manson (album version) Trackmasters (remix version)
Blaque singles chronology
"808" (1999) "I Do" (1999) "Bring It All to Me" (1999)
Lisa Lopes singles chronology
""U Know What's Up" (with Donell Jones)" (1999) "I Do" (1999) ""Never Be the Same Again" (with Melanie C)" (2000)

Background and composition

Originally, "I Do" was planned to be the second official single for Blaque in the United States since early in their debut album's roll out.^[6][7] However, because of the demand and success on Rhythmic radio that "Bring It All to Me" had in comparison, its promotion was postponed to 2000.^[8]

Musically, it is a mid-tempo pop^[3][6][9] song with a "funked" up-style production similar to the Spice Girls.^[4] It has an "Instant hook, highly accessible melody and youthful vocals".^[4] The songs structure have typical R&B/hip hop based verses, while its chorus has a 1960's styled hook "filled with shoo-bop shoo-bop" ad libs reminiscent of The Supremes.^[4][7][9] The chorus also includes other sounds such as clapping in the background.^[4] In addition the song has a tempo of 128 beats per minutes in the key of C major.^[10]

In early 2000, the song was reworked and remixed by Trackmasters and sent to U.S. urban radio. The song's remix is a street-edged dance track with a funky bassline.^[9] It also features a sample of "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC.^[9] This remix is one of the three remixes the duo produced for the group.^[9]

Music video

The video for "I Do" was directed by Bille Woodruff, who later collaborated with them again on their next single "Bring It All To Me". The video starts with a cartoon portrait of Blaque on a television before switching over to the members singing the verses in a colorful set wearing white outfits with silver accents. The music video uses a lot of ripple and glitch special effects to emulate flipping through channels on a television. During the chorus the ladies are dressed head to toe in hot pink while performing choreography in a futuristic fuchsia set with male background dancers. They switch over to a purple set, where they are dressed in purple velvet and fur pieces in front of large doors with the same cartoon portraits of the group. This setting is where there are shots of the group being watched from a futuristic tablet. During Natina's verse, she is wearing a karate uniform and handling nunchucks while being trained by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes before fighting Lopes during the latter's verse. Towards the end of the video, Blaque make a reference to The Matrix when they jump up in the air utilizing bullet time editing.

The music video made its debut on BET the week ending August 15, 1999, and a week later on The Box.^[11] It was resent to both stations months later on the weeks ending March 5, and March 12, 2000.^[12][13] The video made it its debut on MTV on the week ending April 3, 2000.^[14]

When the late singer Aaliyah hosted TRL in 2000, she mentioned that the video was "adorable" and that she loved the pink outfits they wore.^[15]

Although the song didn't perform as well as the other album's singles, the video for "I Do" gave Blaque their first and only MTV Video Music Awards nomination in 2000 for Best Editing in a Video.^[16][17]

Track listings

Japanese maxi-CD single^[18] "I Do" (Album Version) – 3:28 "I Do" Featuring – Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – 3:50 "I Do (Without Rap) – 3:13 "I Do" (Instrumental) – 3:47 "I Do" (R&B Mix With Rap) – 3:57 US promo maxi-CD single, European promo maxi-CD single^[19]^[20] "I Do" (Track Masters Mix) – 3:49 "I Do" (Track Masters Precisions Mix) – 3:23 "I Do" (R&B Mix With Rap) – 3:57 "I Do" (R&B Mix Without Rap) – 3:56 "I Do" Featuring – Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – 3:49 UK promo 12" vinyl^[21] "I Do" (Track Masters/Precisions Mix) – 3:23 "I Do" (R&B Mix With Rap) – 3:57 "I Do" (Album Version) – 3:25 "I Do" Featuring – Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – 3:49 "I Do" (Track Masters Mix) – 3:49

US promo maxi-CD single^[22] "I Do" (Edit Without Rap) – 3:11 "I Do" (Album Version) – 3:25 "I Do" Featuring – Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – 3:49 European CD single^[23] "I Do" (Album Version) – 3:27 "I Do" (Track Masters Remix - 2000) – 3:28 US promo CD single^[24] "I Do" (Album Version) – 3:25 "I Do" (Track Masters Remix 2000) – 3:29 "I Do" (Track Masters Remix 2000 W/o Rap) – 2:50 Australian enhanced CD single^[25] "I Do" (Album Version) – 3:25 "I Do" (Track Masters Remix 2000 W/o Rap) – 2:50 "I Do" (Track Masters Remix 2000) – 3:29 "I Do" (Track Masters/Precision Mix) – 3:23 "I Do" Featuring Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes – 3:49 "I Do" (R&B Mix With Rap) – 3:58 "808" (music video) "I Do" (music video)

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA Charts)^[26]	94
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)^[27]	16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[28]	99
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[29]	73
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[30]	39
US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[31]	39

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Version	Label(s)	Ref.
Japan	July 28, 1999	Maxi-CD	Original	SME	^[1]
United States	August 9, 1999	Rhythmic contemporary radio		Columbia	^[32]
	August 17, 1999	Urban contemporary radio			^[33]
	September 7, 1999	Contemporary hit radio			^[34]
	March 21, 2000	Urban contemporary radio	Trackmasters Remix		^[35]
France	May 9, 2000	Maxi-CD	Original · Remix		^[36]
Germany					^[37]
United Kingdom	August 29, 2000				^[38]

References

1. [Blaque Ivory]. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on May 23, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
2. "BET Presents: The Encore - Get to Know Shamari DeVoe (2021)". YouTube.
3. Gamboa, Glenn (January 31, 2000). "Pop 'N' Fresh". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022. The Blaque album is filled with pop songs such as I Do...
4. Taylor, Chuck (September 4, 1999). "Reviews & Previews: R&B". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 36. p. 27.
5. "CHR/Format Artists Keep Up Their One-Two Punch". Radio & Records. No. 1311. August 20, 1999. p. 105.
6. Hay, Carla (1999-04-17). R&B: Blaque Wants More Than Just TLC. Billboard. p. 18. The next single will be the mid-tempo track "I Do," which will be released at an undetermined date.
7. Blaque Interview on Box Talk - Shamari Fears-Devoe, Natina Reed, and Brandi Williams., retrieved 2022-06-16, 'I Do' is our second single written by Natina Reed and during the verses it has an R&B, hip hop feel but then when you get to the chorus it totally flips to a "Motown-Supreme" feel.
8. Gamboa, Glenn (January 31, 2000). "Pop 'N' Fresh". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022. Blaque is set to release I Do, a song Reed wrote, as its next single. However, that could change."We just put out the singles the people want," Reed said...
9. Taylor, Chuck (March 18, 2000). "Reviews & Previews: R&B". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 12. p. 26. If you listen to the song "I Do" on Blaque's album (or the first track on the CD promo), you'll hear an obviously pop-targeted song.
10. "Key & BPM for "I Do" by Blaque". Tunebat. June 1, 2022.
11. "Video Monitor". Billboard. August 28, 1999. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
12. "Video Monitor". Billboard. March 18, 2000. p. 81. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
13. "Video Monitor". Billboard. March 25, 2000. p. 79. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
14. "Video Monitor". Billboard. April 15, 2000. p. 101. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
15. Aaliyah talks about Blaque I Do music video on TRL (2000), retrieved 2022-06-02
16. MTV News Staff. "Eminem, *NSync Lead Video Music Awards Nominees". MTV News. Retrieved 2022-06-16. Jay-Z, Blaque, ... and Papa Roach all earned one nomination.
17. Hay, Carla (2000-08-05). Eminem Set To Battle 'N Sync On MTV's 17th Video Awards. Billboard. pp. 8, 102.
18. I Do (Japanese Maxi-CD liner notes). Blaque. SME Records. 1999. SRCS8975 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
19. I Do (US Maxi-CD single liner notes). Blaque. Columbia Records. 1999. CSK42165.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
20. I Do (European Maxi-CD single liner notes). Blaque. Columbia Records. 1999. SAMPCS7539.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
21. I Do (UK promo 12" vinyl liner notes). Blaque Ivory. Columbia Records. 1999. XPR2513.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
22. I Do (US promo maxi-CD single liner notes). Blaque. Columbia Records. 2000. CSK42466.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
23. I Do (European CD single liner notes). Blaque. Columbia Records. 2000. COL6695401.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
24. I Do / Track Masters Remix-2000 (US promo maxi-CD single liner notes). Blaque. Columbia Records. 2000. CSK45775.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
25. I Do (Australian enhanced CD single liner notes). Blaque. Columbia Records. 2000. 669125.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
26. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 23.
27. "week 30 (22 juli 2000)" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
28. "Blaque Ivory – I DO" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
29. "Blaque Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
30. "Blaque Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
31. "Blaque Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
32. "Top40/Rhythm-Crossover: Impact Dates" (PDF). Gavin Report. August 9, 1999. p. 12.
33. "Fall for them hook, line & single/AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1310. August 13, 1999. pp. 65, 68.
34. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1313. September 3, 1999. p. 47.
35. "Going for Adds / AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1342. March 17, 2000. pp. 132, 135.
36. Blaque Ivory, I Do by Blaque Ivory, Sbme Import, retrieved 2022-05-27
37. Blaque Ivory, I Do by Blaque Ivory, Sbme Import, retrieved 2022-05-27
38. Blaque Ivory, I Do, Columbia, retrieved 2022-05-27