You Got It (The Right Stuff)

"You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is a 1988 single from New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg. The second single from the group's second album Hangin' Tough, it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in early 1989, while topping the UK charts in November 1989.^[2] On the album, it was simply listed as "The Right Stuff"; the change to the single was probably to avoid confusion with Vanessa Williams' debut hit "The Right Stuff", which charted earlier that year. A Spanish version of the song was made ("Autentica") and peaked at number 11 in Spain.^[3]

"You Got It (The Right Stuff)"
Single by New Kids on the Block
from the album Hangin' Tough
Released	November 7, 1988
Genre	R&B^[1] synth-pop dance-pop
Length	4:12
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Maurice Starr
Producer(s)	Maurice Starr
New Kids on the Block singles chronology
"Please Don't Go Girl" (1988) "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" (1988) "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" (1989)

Chart performance

"You Got It" reached the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the week of January 14, 1989. It reached its peak of number 3 the week of March 11, 1989. Altogether, "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" spent 5 weeks in the top 10, 8 weeks in the top 20, and 13 weeks in the top 40. The song was number one in Australia in August 1989, and in the UK (on its second release) in November 1989. On March 29, 1989, the single was certified Gold.^[4] "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is commonly regarded as one of the band's signature songs. In the music video, Jordan Knight is seen wearing a Bauhaus T-shirt. The song ranked as number 92 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.

In popular culture

The song can be heard in the 1989 film The Wizard. In 1992, "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song on his Off the Deep End album as "The White Stuff", a loving ode to the cream filling in Oreo cookies. It was also joked about in the episode "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" on Family Guy. In a King of the Hill episode, Boomhauer says about a boy band called 4Skore, "You talkin' 'bout that dang ol' boy band, man. Talkin' 'bout prancin' around, ol' 'Oh, oh, oh, oh...'". Kid Rock, on his album The Polyfuze Method, sampled the song on his "Killin' Brain Cells". This song is featured on the game Dance Dance Revolution X2. In the season 8 episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia "Charlie's Mom Has Cancer", Dr. Jinx (Sean Combs) plays the song on his electric bass to help Dennis have feelings again. In an after-credits clip of a season 6 episode of Psych that Joey McIntyre co-starred in, Joey, James Roday and Dulé Hill dance to the song.

In the 2012 Adam Sandler comedy film That's My Boy, the character Todd Peterson (Andy Samberg) receives a tattoo of New Kids on the Block on his back as a child, which later becomes warped as he grows up. Upon discovery of this, his father Donny Berger (Adam Sandler) responds by singing the chorus of "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" with the lyrics changed so that he sings: "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, you got a bad tattoo. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, their heads are fucking warped."

The song is used by David Wright of the New York Mets as his walk-up song.

In the first episode of Fuller House, DJ, Stephenie, Kimmy, and the rest of the cast dance to a 30-second clip of the song.

The song is featured twice in the 2017 big-screen version of It, based on the Stephen King novel. The song was danced to by Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko on "'80s Night" on Dancing With the Stars.

The song is the main theme of "The Right Stuff" segment on ABC's Good Morning America.

Track listings

CD single CBS, cassette single, vinyl single

1. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" – 4:09
2. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [remix] – 3:32

12-inch maxi – US

1. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [12" version] – 5:18
2. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [7" version] – 3:32
3. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [instrumental] – 5:15

7-inch single – Europe

1. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" – 4:09
2. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [remix] – 3:32

12-inch maxi – Australia

1. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [12" version] – 5:18
2. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [7" version] – 3:32
3. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [instrumental] – 5:15

7-inch single – Australia

1. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" – 4:09
2. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" [instrumental] – 5:15

Personnel

• Danny Wood - backing vocals
• Donnie Wahlberg - co-lead and backing vocals
• Joey McIntyre - backing vocals
• Jonathan Knight - backing vocals
• Jordan Knight - co-lead and backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1988–1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[5] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[6] 12 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[7] 36 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[8] 9 France (SNEP)^[9] 17 Ireland (IRMA)^[10] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[11] 28 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[12] 32 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[13] 2 Spain (AFYVE)^[3] 11 Spain Top 40 Radio^[3] 1 UK Singles (OCC)^[14] 1 US Billboard Hot 100^[15] 3 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[16] 20 US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)^[17] 16 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[18] 28 West Germany (Official German Charts)^[19] 12

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Australia (ARIA)^[20] 8 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[21] 39 UK Singles (OCC)^[22]^[23] 17 US Billboard Hot 100^[24]^[25] 52 Chart (1990) Position Germany (Official German Charts)^[26] 84

Certifications

Certifications for "You Got It (The Right Stuff)"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[27]	Platinum	70,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)^[28]	Gold	400,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[29]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

On the fourth series of The X Factor Australia, contestants the Collective performed this song. The all-female singing group Fifth Harmony performed this song on the October 28, 2014, episode of the MTV series Faking It.^[30]

References

1. "Music genre". Honda Center. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
2. EveryHit.com
3. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
4. . RIAA. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
5. "New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
6. "New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
7. "RPM 100 Singles" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 22. April 1, 1989. p. 6. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
8. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 49. December 9, 1989. p. IV. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
9. "New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Right Stuff". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 30, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
12. "New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
13. "New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
15. "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
16. "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
17. "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
18. "New Kids on the Block Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
20. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1989". ARIA. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
21. "End of Year Charts 1989". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
22. "Year End Singles". Record Mirror. January 27, 1990. p. 44.
23. Copsey, Rob (May 7, 2021). "Official Top 40 best-selling songs of 1989". Official Charts. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
24. "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. Y-22.
25. "Billboard Top 100 – 1989".
26. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1990" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
27. "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1989". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
28. "British single certifications – New Kids On The Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
29. "American single certifications – New Kids On The Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
30. "Watch Fifth Harmony Totally Nail New Kids on the Block's 'You Got It (The Right Stuff)'". MTV.

External links

• Official video