Yo (Excuse Me Miss)

Not to be confused with Excuse Me Miss, a song by rapper Jay-Z.

"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" is a song by American singer Chris Brown. It served as the second single from Brown's self-titled debut album (2005) and was released in November 2005 in the US, and February 2006 worldwide. "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)", produced by Dre & Vidal, became Brown's second top ten single in the United States, peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"
Single by Chris Brown
from the album Chris Brown
Released	November 29, 2005
Recorded	2005
Genre	R&B
Length	3:49
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Andre Harris Vidal Davis Johnta Austin
Producer(s)	Dre & Vidal
Chris Brown singles chronology
"Run It!" (2005) "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (2005) "Gimme That" (2006)
Music video
"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" on YouTube

This song has appeared on the videogame Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party.

Composition

"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" is an R&B song, written by Andre Harris, Vidal Davis and Johnta Austin, and produced by Dre & Vidal. Lyrically, the track focuses on teenage love.^[1] The song features background vocals André Meritt in the chorus.^[2]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone listed "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" among the 30 best R&B songs of the 21st Century.^[3] HotNewHipHop stated in 2021 that "the song and accompanying music video have become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon since its release nearly two decades ago. In the visual, Brown memorably pursues a girl while dancing for her and singing the lyrics to her, a true testament and time stamp of the 00s era."^[4]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Erik White and Chris Brown.^[5] It features then-model Erica Mena as a girl Brown sees, catching his attention. He then follows the girl while dancing for her. After arriving at a basketball court, he continues the choreography with two other guys. Brown then gets the girl's car and sings to her. They get close, then she gives him her phone to put his number in. The video's ending transitions to the first verse of "Gimme That", with Brown singing in a different scenario. Lil' JJ, Trey Songz, and DeRay Davis make cameo appearances in the video. The video was inspired by Michael Jackson's 1987 single "The Way You Make Me Feel".^[4]

The music video on YouTube has received over 180 million views as of May 2024.^[6]

Live performance

On April 1, 2006, Chris Brown performed "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" at the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards as part of a musical duel with rapper Bow Wow that was inspired by the 1986 Run-D.M.C. music video "Walk This Way".^[7]

Chart performance

According to Billboard, "Yo" was the song that solidified Brown's presence in the music industry, following the success of his previous single "Run It!".^[8] Yo (Excuse Me Miss) peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 18, 2006. This became Brown's second top-ten song on the chart. The song spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart. On December 12, 2007, the single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.^[9] In other countries, the song reached number thirteen in the United Kingdom and number ten in Australia.

Remixes

1. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [DJ Dime Remix]
2. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [Remix] (featuring Busta Rhymes & Labba)
3. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [Remix] (featuring Red Cafe)
4. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [Mixtape Mix] (featuring Jay-Z & Pharrell)
5. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [South Rakkas Reggaeton Mix]
6. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [Johnny Douglas Remix]
7. Yo (Excuse Me Miss) [ Jacquees remix]

The song has been sampled and reworked in Auburn's "No" and Lil Mosey's "Greet Her".

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2005–06) Peak Position Australia (ARIA)^[10] 10 Australian Urban (ARIA)^[11] 4 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[12] 6 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)^[13] 6 Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)^[14] 18 European Hot 100 Singles^[15] 43 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[16] 14 Germany (Official German Charts)^[17] 56 Ireland (IRMA)^[18] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)^[19] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[20] 67 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[21] 9 Scotland (OCC)^[22] 24 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[23] 34 UK Singles (OCC)^[24] 13 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)^[25] 5 US Billboard Hot 100^[26] 7 US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)^[27] 25 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[28] 2 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[29] 13 US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[30] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2006) Position Australia (ARIA)^[31] 93 UK Singles (OCC)^[32] 162 UK Urban (Music Week)^[33] 3 US Billboard Hot 100^[34] 44 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[35] 9 US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[36] 18

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[37]	Platinum	70,000^‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[38]	Platinum	60,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)^[39]	Gold	400,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[40] (Mastertone)	Platinum	1,000,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[40]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^‡
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "The best R&B albums of the 2000s". 22 October 2023.
2. https://v1019.com/galleries/10-of-chris-browns-best-songs-ranked/
3. "The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century". Rolling Stone. 3 January 2024.
4. "Chris Brown Hits the Nostalgic "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" Choreography & Fans Go Crazy". HNHH. 25 April 2021.
5. "Yo (Excuse Me Miss) – Chris Brown – Music Video". MTV. Viacom. 2005-11-18. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
6. Chris Brown - Yo (Excuse Me Miss) (Official HD Video).YouTube
7. Moss, Corey (April 3, 2006). "Will Smith Issues A Warning, Timberlake Thanks His Butt At Kids' Choice Awards". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
8. "Chris Brown's 20 Biggest Billboard Hits". Billboard.
9. "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
10. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "Issue 874" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
12. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
13. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (in French). Ultratip.
14. "RR Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1655. April 28, 2006. p. 26. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
15. "Billboard Legacy". Billboard.
16. "Chris Brown: Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
17. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
18. ". Irish Singles Chart.
19. "Tipparade-lijst van week 20, 2006". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
20. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
21. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)". Top 40 Singles.
22. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
23. "Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)". Swiss Singles Chart.
24. "Chris Brown: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
25. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
26. "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
27. "Chris Brown Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
28. "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
29. "Chris Brown Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
30. "Chris Brown Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
31. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
32. "2006 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
33. "2006 Urban Top 40" (PDF). Music Week. January 13, 2007. p. 26. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
34. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
35. . Billboard.biz. 2006. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
36. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
37. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
38. "Brazilian single certifications – Chris Brown" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
39. "British single certifications – Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
40. "American single certifications – Chris Brown – Yo (Excuse Me Miss)". Recording Industry Association of America.