Mr. Big Stuff Explained

Mr. Big Stuff
Type:	single
Artist:	Jean Knight
Album:	Mr. Big Stuff
B-Side:	Why I Keep Living These Memories
Released:	May 1971
Recorded:	1970
Studio:	Malaco Studio, Jackson, Mississippi
Genre:	Funk^[1] soul^[2] R&B^[3] pop^[4]
Length:	2:27
Label:	STX 1014
Producer:	Wardell Quezergue
Next Title:	You Think You're Hot
Next Year:	1971

"Mr. Big Stuff" is a song by American singer Jean Knight. The song was released in 1971 on the Stax label as a single from Knight's debut album of the same title, and became a big hit in the US, reaching No. 2 on Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified double platinum and was the No. 1 Soul Single of the year.

Background

"Mr. Big Stuff" was recorded in 1970 at Malaco Studio in Jackson, Mississippi, at the same session as "Groove Me" by King Floyd. Knight's single was released by Stax Records because of the persistence of Stax publisher Tim Whitsett; "Groove Me" by King Floyd, which Whitsett strongly urged Malaco to release, also became a hit. Both songs are defined by two bar, off-beat bass lines and tight arrangements by Wardell Quezergue.^[5]

Released on Knight's 1971 debut album of the same title, it became a huge crossover hit. The song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, behind "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by The Bee Gees.^[6] Billboard ranked it as the No. 18 song for 1971. The song went double platinum and was the No. 1 Soul Single of the year.^[7]

Knight performed the song on Soul Train on December 11, 1971, during its first season.^[8] "Mr. Big Stuff" became one of Stax Records' more popular and recognizable hits. It was featured in the 2007 mini-series The Bronx Is Burning. It was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1972 Grammy Awards.

The song is addressed to an egotistical man, nicknamed Mr. Big Stuff, by an indignant female narrator. The man, who has expensive cars and fancy clothes, breaks other girls' hearts. The narrator demands he act more maturely and return her love for him. This song features a backup female chorus intoning "Oh Yeah" once in the song's Intro, twice in the first verse, and twice in the third verse.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1971)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Soul	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[9]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1971)	Rank
Canada^[10]	94
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[11]	17
U.S. Soul Singles (Billboard)
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[12]	42

Personnel

No credits are listed for the Malaco studio musicians on the record. According to Rob Bowman's liner notes from the 1999 box set The Last Soul Company: Malaco, A Thirty Year Retrospective, the musicians for this session included:

• Vernie Robbins – bass
• James Stroud – drums
• Wardell Quezergue – organ
• Jerry Puckett – guitar
• Jimmy Honeycutt – saxophone
• Bob Cheesman – trumpet

During this time at Malaco, horn lines were typically played by saxophonist Hugh Garraway and trumpeter Peary Lomax.

Cover versions

• American all-female heavy metal band Precious Metal released a cover of the song from their self-titled 1990 album. Donald Trump, businessman and future president of the United States, originally made an appearance in the music video for the band's cover. However, Trump wanted a $250,000 payment instead of the agreed-upon $10,000 appearance fee. After the band refused to pay for his appearance, Trump was replaced in the final version of the music video.^{[13] [14]}
• Martha Wash for the soundtrack of the film Disney's .^[15]
• Canadian singer Sheree Jeacocke on her 1995 EP Jeacocke.
• R&B duo Nikki & Rich for the 2011 film Hop.
• Britta Phillips, as the character Billy, in the 1988 movie Satisfaction.
• The 2005 movie Kinky Boots featured a rendition by American soul singer Lyn Collins.^[16]
• On the March 29, 2014 episode, the female cast members of Saturday Night Live performed "Mr. Big Stuff" for a sketch with guest host Louis C.K.^[17]
• John Holt recorded a reggae version in 1971, changing the lyrics to "Sister Big Stuff".^[18] Prince Buster would record his own version the following year.^[19]

Sampling

• In 1987, rapper Heavy D recorded "Mr. Big Stuff", which also became a hit. Though his version was entirely different from the original, Knight's hook line ("Mr. Big Stuff, who do you think you are?") was prominently featured throughout the song.
• In 1994, the song was prominently interpolated into TLC's "Switch" on their CrazySexyCool album.
• A sample of the composition was used for the self-titled song by Queen Latifah, Shades and Free, which was included on the soundtrack of the 1996 movie The Associate.
• "Mr. Big Stuff" was sampled in 2000 by Everclear in the song "AM Radio" from their album .
• Girl Talk sampled a portion on his track, "Let It Out" from the album All Day^[20]
• Beastie Boys sampled the famous "Who do you think you are?" lyric in their song "Johnny Ryall" from Paul's Boutique.
• R&B and soul artist John Legend sampled "Mr. Big Stuff" for the lead single "Who Do We Think We Are" (featuring Rick Ross) from his fourth album Love in the Future (2013).
• Eazy-E sampled this song for the 1987 single "Boyz-n-the-Hood" off the EP and the compilation album N.W.A. and the Posse.

See also

• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States

Notes and References

1. Web site: 100 Greatest Funk Songs . https://web.archive.org/web/20100925122615/https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rb-funk.html . Digital Dream Door . August 7, 2008 . September 25, 2010 . October 7, 2021 . live.
2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: The Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". . February 5, 2019 . Jean Knight’s eternally badass soul strut “Mr. Big Stuff” peaked at #2.... June 16, 2023.
3. Book: Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. Don. Breithaupt. Jeff. Breithaupt. October 15, 1996. I Am Woman: Feminist Pop. 95. St. Martin's Griffin. 031214704X.
4. Book: Smith, Danyel. Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop. Intro. 19 April 2022. Rock Lit 101. 978-0-593-13271-5. x.
5. Web site: Bowman, Rob. 1999. Malaco Records: The Last Soul Company. 2016-10-04. 2016-11-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20161126152522/http://www.peermusic.com/ecard/LastSoulCompanyboxsetBooklet.pdf. dead.
6. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 331.
7. Book: Billboard . 15 . 1971-12-25 . 2016-10-04. Nielsen Business Media . Inc .
8. Web site: TV.com . Soul Train - Season 1, Episode 11: Jean Knight/ The Delfonics/ Maurice Jackson/ Ralphi Pagan . TV.com . December 11, 1971 . July 12, 2015.
9. Web site: Cash Box Top 100 7/31/71. 7 July 2015. 23 May 2020. 29 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190929193655/http://www.cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19710731.html. dead.
10. Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 2016-10-04.
11. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971. Musicoutfitters.com. 2017-03-31.
12. Web site: Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1971. 29 October 2014.
13. News: 'A Trump Kind of Donation': Tycoon Makes, Then Breaks, Heavy-Metal Video. June 24, 2017. Associated Press. February 7, 1991.
14. Turman. Katherine. The Real Story Behind Donald Trump's Aborted 1991 Metal Video Appearance. June 24, 2017. Billboard. March 30, 2016.
15. "D2: The Mighty Ducks - Original Soundtrack"
16. Web site: Various - Hot Funky & Sweaty "The Sound Of Heavy Soul & Funk Today" at Discogs . Discogs.com . July 12, 2015.
17. News: 'SNL' host Louis CK's monologue tackles the big stuff. March 30, 2014. Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2020.
18. Web site: John Holt With Tommy McCook All Stars* / Tommy McCook All Stars* - Sister Big Stuff / Black, River. Discogs.com. 1971 .
19. Web site: Prince Buster - Sister Big Stuff. Discogs.com. 1972 .
20. Web site: Mashup Breakdown - Girl Talk - All Day. https://web.archive.org/web/20101123114420/http://mashupbreakdown.com/. dead. 23 November 2010. 23 November 2010.