"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" is a song by American singer Chris Brown. It was written by Johntá Austin along with Andre Harris and Vidal Davis from production duo Dre & Vidal for Brown's self-titled debut album (2005), while production was helmed by Harris and Davis. Lyrically, the R&B track focuses on teenage love.[1] "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" features background vocals from singer André Meritt in the chorus.[2]
The song was released by Jive Records as the album's second single in November 2005 in the United States, and February 2006 worldwide. It became Brown's second top ten single in the United States, peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. Causing the song to appear on the 2006 compilation album Now That’s What I Call Music! 22. "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" also became a top ten hit in Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. At the 2006 BET Awards, the song won in the Viewer's Choice category, while its music video, directed by Erik White and Brown, received Best R&B Video nominations at both the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and the MTV Australia Awards.
Critical reception
In her review of parent album Chris Brown, Kelefa Sanneh from The New York Times wrote: "[Brown] sounds enthusiastic but polite, more the solicitous friend than the lecherous stranger [...] The beat, by Andre Harris and Vidal Davis, evokes the plush minimalism of an expensive sofa, and once again Mr. Brown makes an ostentatiously well-mannered plea."[3]Rolling Stone listed "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" among the 30 best R&B songs of the 21st century.[4]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."[5]
Chart performance
According to Billboard, "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" was the song that solidified Brown's presence in the music industry, following the success of his previous single "Run It!".[6] The song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 18, 2006, becoming Brown's second top-ten song on the chart. It spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart. On December 12, 2007, "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[7] Elsewhere, the song became a top ten hit in Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand and reached number thirteen on the UK Singles Chart.[8]
Music video
Erica Mena co-starred as Brown's love interest in the video for "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)."
The song's music video was directed by Erik White and Chris Brown.[9] Filmed in various locations throughout Los Angeles, including a basketball court in Pecan Park, 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.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
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