O.P.P. (song)
"O.P.P." is a song by American hip hop group Naughty by Nature, released in August 1991 by Tommy Boy as the lead single from the group's self-titled second album (1991). It was one of the first rap songs to become a pop hit when it reached No. 6 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart. Rodd Houston and Marcus Raboy directed the music video for the song. Its declaration, "Down wit' O.P.P." was a popular catchphrase in the US in the early 1990s.
The song was a hugely successful single; "Spin" magazine named it one of the greatest singles of the 1990s, offering a brief verdict with the rhetorical question, "Ever wonder where Puffy came from?" It also made some media outlets' lists of one of the best rap songs of all time: including "The Source", VH1 (No. 22), and "Rolling Stone" (No. 80). The song was also ranked No. 20 in VH1's "40 Greatest Hip Hop Songs of the '90s" in 2012 and No. 96 in "Billboard" magazine's "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
Content.
The song samples Melvin Bliss' "Synthetic Substitution" and The Jackson 5's "ABC". Its lyrics concern sexual infidelity, with "O.P.P." standing for "other people's pussy" and "other people's penis". Treach told in an interview with "New York Times", "'O.P.P.' is about crazy messing with other people's girls. Everybody knows about that, girls messing, guys messing, you know the bit. It goes on, so everybody could relate, the fellas and the girls, and it's got a hook for the party and everybody can crazy groove to it."
Critical reception.
Upon the single release, Larry Flick from "Billboard" remarked that here, the act drops samples of the Jackson Five's "ABC" onto "a rousing hip-hop beat-base. Anthemic rhymes are icing on the cake. Have a taste." James Bernard from "Entertainment Weekly" described it as "a sly, body-rocking tune with a melodic pop hook and plenty of cute double entendres". Dennis Hunt from "Los Angeles Times" viewed it as a "lively, lewd hit single", "which is cleverly constructed on the framework of the Jackson 5’s bubble-gum soul classic". David Bennun from "Melody Maker" called it "a genitally-fixated rap on the joys of infidelity". A reviewer from "Music & Media" felt "It's further proof of the new direction in rap heading more towards a normal pop song. The combination of the piano hook and the female backup makes this funky rhyme memorable."
Peter Watrous from "New York Times" wrote, "There are a couple of signs that "O.P.P.", an old-fashioned cheating song by Naughty by Nature [...] is shaping up as one of the summer's hits on local streets. The first indication is the sound of "O.P.P" coming from the back of Jeeps; the second is that bootleg T-shirts advertising the band—Trech (Trech Criss), Vin Rock (Vinnie Brown) and Kay Gee (Keir Gist) -- are being sold all over lower Manhattan." Johnny Lee from "Smash Hits" declared the song as "everso jumpy". Scott Poulson-Bryant from "Spin" said, "I'm definitely down with "O.P.P."—you will be too."
Retrospective response.
German rock and pop culture magazine "Spex" included "O.P.P." in their "The Best Singles of the Century" list in 1999. In a 2021 retrospective review, Jesse Ducker from Albumism said about the song, "It's one of the most light-hearted songs about infidelity this side of Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa", as Treach gleefully lists the virtues of engaging in sexual congress with someone else's girl." Stanton Swihart of AllMusic felt it's "a song that somehow managed the trick of being both audaciously catchy and subversively coy at the same time." He added, "Its irrepressible appeal was so widespread, in fact, that it played just as well to the hardcore heads in the hood as it did to the hip-hop dabblers in the suburbs." Jean Rosenbluth from Los Angeles Times stated, "The fabulously wicked chant "O.P.P." masterfully captured hip-hop's silly side even better than that genre's prime exponent, Digital Underground." In October 2023, "Billboard" magazine ranked it number 96 in their "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time", saying, "Three decades later, all it takes is the opening piano plinks to remind even the most conservative ‘90s kid that deep down, damn skippy, they’re still a card-carrying member." Same year, "Time Out" ranked "O.P.P." number 60 in their "The 100 Best Party Songs Ever Made".
Music video.
A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Rodd Houston and Marcus Raboy. It begins with a man removing his wedding ring and dropping it. The group raps at a club behind a fence and people dance behind them. The video was later made available on Naughty by Nature's official YouTube channel in 2010, and had generated more than 19 million views as of January 2023.
Charts.
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In popular culture.
The song has been used as a soundtrack to various films as well as television series, including the TV sitcoms "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "The Office", and the films "La Haine", "Jarhead", and "Up in the Air". In the film "", the song was parodied as 'Down With G.O.D'. In the video game "Minecraft", the phrase "Down with O.P.P.!" was used as a splash text which appeared on the game's menu screen. The splash was added on February 7, 2010 in Java Edition version Indev 20100207-1 but was later removed in version 1.16 Release Candidate 1 on June 18, 2020. The song was also featured in .
References.
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Naughty by Nature
American hip hop trio
Naughty by Nature is an American hip hop group formed in East Orange, New Jersey in 1986, consisting of Treach (Anthony Criss), Vin Rock (Vincent Brown), and DJ Kay Gee (born Keir Lamont Gist).
History.
1980s.
Treach formed Naughty by Nature with Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee in 1986 as The New Style in East Orange, New Jersey, where they attended the same high school. The group first appeared on the music scene in 1989, releasing an album called "Independent Leaders", and the album generated the minor hit "Scuffin' Those Knees". After the release of their first album, the group was mentored by fellow New Jersey native Queen Latifah, and subsequently changed their name. Queen Latifah introduced them to her label Tommy Boy Records and her management company.
1990s.
Naughty by Nature's first hit was "O.P.P.", which sampled the Jackson 5's hit "ABC" and was released in 1991 on their self-titled album "Naughty by Nature". The track peaked at #6 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and was named one of the top 100 rap singles of all time in 1998 by "The Source" magazine, and being ranked the 20th best single of the 1990s by "Spin" magazine. The album generated another hit with a reworking of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" called "Everything's Gonna Be All Right" (the track was also called "Ghetto Bastard" on some explicit releases). That song detailed the experiences of Treach growing up in poverty, and now rising up to live a better life. Powered by the success of that song and "O.P.P.", their self-titled album went platinum.
Fellow New Jersey native Tony D accused Naughty by Nature of stealing a sample from his album "Music Makes You Move" and using it on "O.P.P." The matter was settled out of court. Naughty by Nature scored a hit with the track "Uptown Anthem" from the soundtrack to the 1992 film "Juice", in which Treach had a cameo appearance. Treach began to pursue an acting career after befriending Tupac Shakur on the set of "Juice", and Naughty by Nature appeared in the 1993 film "The Meteor Man" as a street gang. After Shakur's murder in 1996, Treach recorded a tribute song titled "Mourn You Til I Join You".
Later, the group had multiple hits from its third and fourth albums, called "19 Naughty III" and "Poverty's Paradise" respectively. Both albums reached the #1 spot on the R&B/Hip-Hop Charts. "Hip Hop Hooray" was a success from the album "19 Naughty III". Its video was directed by Spike Lee and featured cameos by Queen Latifah, Eazy-E, Run-D.M.C., and Da Youngstas. "Poverty's Paradise" won the Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Album, becoming the first album to win this award. It also spawned a hit song in "Feel Me Flow" which peaked at No. 17 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.
They produced a remix of the Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson song "Scream" in 1995.
In the mid-1990s, Naughty by Nature started their own music imprint, Illtown Records, and in 1995 released an album from their protégés the Rottin Razkals.
In 1999, the group released its fifth album, titled "". The album was fairly successful, being certified Gold by the RIAA, and spawned the hit "Jamboree" that peaked at #10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.
2000–2012.
After the release of "Nineteen Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury", a dispute regarding finances developed between Kay Gee and Treach. Treach blamed Kay Gee for squandering the group's finances. Due to these disagreements DJ Kay Gee decided to leave Naughty by Nature in late 2000. He started to develop his own record label Divine Mill. In 2001, the group released a song 'Here Comes The Money' that has constantly been used as the entrance theme for Shane McMahon in WWE. The remainder of the group, Treach and Vin Rock, released an album in 2002 called "IIcons". Due to Kay Gee's absence, the group used a variety of different producers including Da Beatminerz. The album, however, received a lukewarm reception from the public. In 2002, the group disbanded.
In May 2006, Kay Gee reunited with Treach and rejoined Naughty by Nature at a concert at B.B. King's nightclub. In April 2010 they released the single "Get to Know Me Better", featuring rapper Pitbull, while the B-side of the single was called "I Gotta Lotta". Later in 2010 they released the group's first mixtape, "". In 2011 the three worked on their long-delayed seventh group album, and it finally saw release. Titled "Anthem Inc.", it came out December 13, 2011. It featured brand new material as well as re-recordings of the group's past hits.
On June 11, 2011, Naughty by Nature became the first hip-hop group to perform at Fenway Park. They performed "Hip Hop Hooray" as part of the mega boyband NKOTBSB's concert.
In March 2012, following the release of a documentary on fellow New Jersey–based hip hop group Sugar Hill Gang, Naughty by Nature performed in Asbury Park, NJ at the Garden State film festival.
2013 - present: breakup and reconciliation.
In May 2013, frontman Treach shocked fans when he revealed that Vin Rock had been "fired" from the group after failing to put in the same amount of energy as himself and DJ Kay Gee. At the time, Treach said he and Vinnie had not been on speaking terms for around two years.
In April 2015, Treach said he and Vinnie had resolved their issues, but now their relationship was strictly "business". "You got teammates, sometimes, that's on the same team, they may not feel each other. At the end of the day, you going out to win. That's what we doing", Treach said. Although the two were cordial, he said another Naughty by Nature album was unlikely.
In January 2016, in celebration of their 25th anniversary, Naughty by Nature posted the video for their song "God Is Us" from "Anthem Inc." to their YouTube channel.
On May 2, 2019, the Mixtape Tour commenced in Cincinnati, Ohio. Performers included Naughty by Nature, Salt-N-Pepa, Debbie Gibson, and Tiffany, with New Kids on the Block being billed as the headline performers.
Awards and nominations.
Grammy Awards
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American Music Awards
References.
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It's On
"It's On" is a song by American hip hop trio Naughty by Nature, released on June 8, 1993 by Tommy Boy as the second single from the trio's third album, "19 Naughty III" (1993). The song was produced and written by the three members of the group, and found decent success on the US "Billboard" charts, making it to number 74 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 48 on the "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It samples jazz artist Donald Byrd's "French Spice", for which he received writing credits. The official remix was produced by the production duo The Beatnuts and featured on the B-side of the single.
Critical reception.
In a retrospective review, Jesse Ducker from Albumism stated that the song "is a musical change of pace, as Treach and Vinnie rhyme over a horn-heavy loop from Donald Byrd's 'French Spice'." Upon the single release, Larry Flick from "Billboard" described it as "another wildly infectious, fist-waving anthem that combines rapid-fire rhymes and live, butt-shaking beats." He added, "Chanted chorus could open deserved doors at top 40 formats, though track is hard enough to keep that all-important street cred in check." Andrew Smith from "Melody Maker" wrote, "Naughty by Nature specialize in cultivating a groove, and there are a few funky ones on show here, though I could do without the gun on the cover." Andy Beevers from "Music Week" felt that "this hard-hitting rap track will appeal to established fans but appears to lack the crossover appeal of 'OPP' or 'Hip Hip Hooray'." Dele Fadele from "NME" opined that it "lacks bite, seeming inconsequential in the face of the floor-filling, arms-waving 'Hip Hop Hooray'." Touré from "Rolling Stone" named it a "strong" single.
References.
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Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Naughty by Nature song)
1991 single by Naughty by Nature
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the second single released in November 1991 from American hip hop group Naughty by Nature's self-titled second album (1991). The song is titled "Ghetto Bastard" on uncensored versions of the eponymous album. While not as successful as their previous single, "O.P.P.", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" managed to make it to 53 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and 9 on the Hot Rap Singles. The song would later appear on both of the group's compilation albums, 1999's "Nature's Finest: Naughty by Nature's Greatest Hits" and 2003's "Greatest Hits: Naughty's Nicest". It was rerecorded for the 2011 release, "Anthem Inc."
The song's chorus is derived from Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry".
Critical reception.
Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote, "Follow-up to platinum single "O.P.P." is not as light and fluffy, though it will establish rap act as lyricists to be reckoned with. Story lines about surviving fatherless homes seem to be all the rage at the moment. Here, topic is handled with an intelligent and optimistic hand." "New Musical Express" said, "Here they hook up to the jamdown sound of Bob Marley and the Wailers' classic of yore and impregnate it with their own special blend of ghetto wisdom. A subtle and welcome switch from the usual Uzi-toting brag that many rappers prefer to spout and a clear indication that rap has still got a lot to say." A reviewer from "Music & Media" noted that here, the "talented rap crew" had replaced the reggae beat of the Marley song with a modern dance groove, complimenting it as "easy programmable."
Retrospective response.
Jesse Ducker from Albumism said in his 2021 retrospective review of the "Naughty by Nature" album, that "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is "the stronger and more incisive recording [than its predecessor]." He described it as "unremittingly bleak", adding, "I can think of few songs that are better at presenting a first-person account of despair and poverty." Jean Rosenbluth from "Los Angeles Times" wrote that in the "bittersweet" song, the group delivered "an astonishingly powerful song (melody and all)" that is second in life-in-the-ghetto resonance only to the Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me".
Music video.
A music video was produced to promote the single, featuring the band rapping as they walk on sidewalks throughout the inner city. While hanging out they chase away a drug dealer and scare him with a machete. The video was later published on Tommy Boy Records' official YouTube channel in June 2018. It has amassed more than 2.8 million views as of October 2021.

Hip Hop Hooray
"Hip Hop Hooray" is a song by American hip hop group, Naughty by Nature, released in December 1992 by Tommy Boy Records as the first single from their third album, "19 Naughty III" (1993). The song spent one week at number one on the US "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and reached number eight on the "Billboard" Hot 100. It contains samples from "Funky President" by James Brown, "Don't Change Your Love" by Five Stairsteps, "Make Me Say it Again, Girl" by Isley Brothers, "You Can't Turn Me Away" by Sylvia Striplin and "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel. Pete Rock made a remix that samples Cannonball Adderley's "74 Miles Away". It was certified Platinum by the RIAA and has sold over 1,100,000 copies in the United States. The music video for "Hip Hop Hooray" was directed by Spike Lee and filmed in Brooklyn, New York City.
The song contains lyrics boasting the group's love of hip hop and their fascination with good-looking women. The Seattle Mariners would play the song after Ken Griffey Jr. was officially announced coming to bat at the Kingdome, especially in 1995, the year of the Mariners' first Major League Baseball playoff appearance. It played at Yankee Stadium after a Yankees player hits a home run from 2017 until the middle of the 2019 season. It was brought back for the 2020 season and used until the 2022 season. In 2024, "Billboard" ranked "Hip Hop Hooray" number three in their "The 100 Greatest Jock Jams of All Time".
Background and composition.
Naughty by Nature member Vin Rock stated: "I knew the 'hey ho' chorus would connect to the East Coast partygoers because it was a popular saying at parties, roller rinks, etc. Once we incorporated it into the beat KayGee provided, I definitely felt confident it would be well received." He also said: "'Hip Hop Hooray' sums up what hip-hop culture is: a celebration of the inner city's ability to endure and create one of the largest music and art cultures in the world. It's the epitome of crowd participation and togetherness. Once people hear it, they immediately throw their hands in the air, wave and sing in unison. It's a song that will live forever."
Naughty by Nature member KayGee stated: "We like to call it our unofficial hip-hop anthem."
Critical reception.
In a 2018 retrospective review, Jesse Ducker from Albumism said the song is "just about as ubiquitous" as "O.P.P.". He added, "Most people remember the "Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho!" hook, but Treach and Vinnie Rock do a solid job trading four bar stanzas through the song's three verses. And Treach using "Tippy-tippy, pause, tippy-tippy pause" to describe him sneaking up on wack emcees is, if nothing else, creative." Upon the single release, Larry Flick from "Billboard" described it as "invigorating", noting that "once again, an anthemic chorus is the anchor for clever rhymes and a contagious melody. Rap purists will dig raw groove/lyrical undercurrent, though glossy production will glide right into the hearts of radio programmers."
Reviewing "19 Naughty III", James Bernard from "Entertainment Weekly" stated, "Yes, there's an "O.P.P." on this one. "Hip Hop Hooray" is as catchy as the charttopper this New Jersey rap trio rode to superstardom, only the new flavor is not quite as frisky." Jean Rosenbluth from "Los Angeles Times" remarked that "the beats are mostly snappy and the rhymes catchy". Pan-European magazine "Music & Media" commented, "One of the golden rules for a hit is a good hook. When these rappers repetitively shout "Hey Hoo", like cheerleaders, everyone will join in automatically. "Hot hit hurray!" if you ask us." James Hamilton from "Music Week"'s "RM" Dance Update described it as a "moderately jaunty rap swayer". Touré from "Rolling Stone" named it a "strong single", and an "anthem". Rupert Howe from "Select" called it "over-catchy". Johnny Lee from "Smash Hits" felt that it "sounds a bit" like Jazzy Jeff's "Summertime", giving it three out of five.
Music video.
The accompanying music video for "Hip Hop Hooray" was directed by American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author Spike Lee, who also appears in it. Queen Latifah, Eazy-E, Monie Love, Da Youngsta's, Kris Kross, Tupac Shakur and Run–D.M.C. also make appearances in the video. A second version of the video was later published on Tommy Boy Records' official YouTube channel on January 6, 2018 that has removed Eazy-E's appearance from the video, replacing it with footage from previous scenes. It is also missing the copyright message that was displayed at the end of the original version. It is unclear when this edited video was produced or what the reason was for Eazy-E's removal. The video had generated more than 33 million views as of January 2023. The original unedited video is available on Naughty by Nature's YouTube channel.
Talking about Eazy-E's cameo in the video, Vin Rock stated: "The cameo appearances were awesome, especially Eazy-E from NWA. He was resetting his career after parting ways with Dr. Dre. So Eazy spent a lot of time on the East Coast as well. KayGee and Treach wrote and produced a few songs for Eazy."
Naughty by Nature member KayGee stated: "Treach's initial idea for the video was to look like Fat Albert in the junkyard."
Vin Rock stated: "Director Spike Lee was super professional, had multiple setups ready for us, and he even pulled KayGee out of bed to get started because he didn't want to be late for his Knicks game!" Vin Rock also commented: "It was great to shoot in Brooklyn. Historically, if you weren't from the five boroughs you weren't respected as rappers, but Brooklyn definitely showed us Jersey boys tons of love."
Media usage.
"Hip Hop Hooray" is featured as a playable track in the video game "Rayman Raving Rabbids". In September 2017, the song was featured as one of the soundtracks of 2K's video game series, "NBA 2K18".
Rita Wilson, actor, singer, and wife of another A-List entertainer, Tom Hanks, while in Australia, recovering from a bout with COVID-19, submitted a social media clip of herself performing the song. She later collaborated with members of Naughty By Nature to produce a remix of the song that posted on Youtube, to support a campaign, "MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund".
The song is played in the "Simpsons" episode "The Burns and The Bees", in which the basketball team's gorilla mascot costume is shot after making a basket.
The song had been used by the New York Yankees when they score a home run in Yankee Stadium. The New Jersey Devils also use the song when they win a home game at the Prudential Center.
Charts.
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19 Naughty III
19 Naughty III is the third album from Naughty by Nature, released on February 23, 1993, through Tommy Boy Records. Recording sessions took place at Unique Recording Studios, Soundtrack Studios and Electric Lady Studios in New York City from February 1992 to January 1993. Three singles were released from the album, the group's second top 10 hit, "Hip Hop Hooray," as well as the minor hits "It's On" and "Written on Ya Kitten." Production was handled entirely by group member Kay Gee himself, with additional production from S.I.D. Reynolds. It includes guest appearances from Heavy D, Queen Latifah, Freddie Foxxx and Rottin Razkals.
Reception.
The album did well commercially and critically, with 4-star ratings from AllMusic and "Rolling Stone" and platinum certification from the RIAA. AllMusic stated in its review that the album ranked "as Naughty by Nature's second straight triumph."
Charts.
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Naughty by Nature (album)
Naughty by Nature is the second album from Naughty by Nature, released on September 3, 1991, by Tommy Boy Records. The album was recorded through November 1990 to August 1991. It was a critical and commercial success, having been certified platinum on February 6, 1992, thanks in large part to the hit single, "O.P.P.," which reached #6 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in 1991.
Additional singles released from the album were "Everything's Gonna Be All Right" and "Uptown Anthem," both of which were minor hits on the "Billboard" charts.
Reception.
Stanton Swihart of AllMusic claims that "O.P.P." was the most "contagious crossover radio smash in the autumn of 1991." In addition, Swihart considers "Naughty by Nature" to be "both a pop and a rap classic," as well as a "must-have album for fans of East Coast rap."
Samples.
"Yoke the Joker"
"Wickedest Man Alive"
"O.P.P."
"Everything's Gonna Be Alright"
"Let the Ho's Go"
"Every Day All Day"
"Guard Your Grill"
"Pin the Tail on the Donkey"
"1, 2, 3"
"Rhyme'll Shine On"
"Thankx for Sleepwalking"
Charts.
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Naughty Girl (Beyoncé song)
2004 single by Beyoncé
"Naughty Girl" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love" (2003). It was written by Beyoncé, Scott Storch, Robert Waller and Angela Beyincé, and produced by Storch and Beyoncé. The song was released by Columbia Records as the fourth and final single from the album on March 14, 2004. Musically, "Naughty Girl" is an R&B song that interpolates from Donna Summer's 1975 song "Love to Love You Baby". Influenced by Arabic music, dancehall, funk and reggae, the song contains lyrics that reference to a celebration of sexual lust and conquest, leading up to a desire for a one-night stand.
"Naughty Girl" received positive feedback by music critics, who praised Beyoncé's assertive vocals and the song's sensual vibe. However, opinions about how convincingly Beyoncé was able to portray a naughty girl were polarized. The song was nominated in the category Best R&B/Soul Single by a Female Artist at the 2005 Soul Train Music Awards. "Naughty Girl" peaked at number three on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, becoming Beyoncé's fourth consecutive release from the album to reach the top-five on that chart. The single reached the top-ten in New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. "Naughty Girl" was certified gold by the American and Australian trade associations of record producers. It was also certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Jake Nava and was inspired by the dancing of Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire in the 1953 musical comedy film "The Band Wagon". In it, Beyoncé flirtatiously and seductively dances with R&B singer Usher to portray a naughty girl. The video received four nominations at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards and eventually won the Best Female Video accolade. The song was included on Beyoncé's set lists on her tours. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized "Naughty Girl" as one of the most performed songs of 2005 at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. "Naughty Girl" has been covered by singer-songwriter Roesy and band Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine.
Background and release.
After the release of her former group Destiny's Child's 2001 album, "Survivor", Beyoncé began a solo career and recorded her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love" (2003). Beyoncé stated that it is more personal than her previous records because she was writing for herself. She contacted Scott Storch, Robert Waller and her cousin and personal assistant Angela Beyincé; together, they composed "Naughty Girl" among many other songs. It was planned to be the lead single from the album, but "Crazy in Love" was eventually chosen. "Naughty Girl" was subsequently released as the fourth and final single by Columbia Records; it was serviced for airplay in the United States on March 14, 2004, under formats that included rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary ones. The single was added to contemporary hit radios playlists on an unknown date.
"Naughty Girl" was first released in the United Kingdom as a maxi single, which contained four tracks as well as a multimedia one, on April 5, 2004, and later as a CD single on May 18, 2004. In the US, it was later released as a 12" single and a CD single on April 20, 2004. A different CD single was released in Australia on April 23, 2004; it included the album version and two remixes of the song (one of them featuring Lil' Kim), and Destiny's Child's song "I Know" from "The Fighting Temptations" soundtrack. "Naughty Girl" was also made available as a digital download in the same country on June 1, 2004. On April 26, 2004, it was released in Germany as a maxi single and different CD singles were additionally made available in its iTunes Store and on Amazon.com. The song was released as a digital EP in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and Sweden in early May 2004. The same EP was also serviced in Canada and was exclusively released as a CD single in Switzerland on May 31, 2004. "Naughty Girl" was released as a download-only single in New Zealand on June 1, 2004.
Music and lyrics.
"Naughty Girl" is an R&B song written in the key of F♯ minor (in the C♯ Phrygian dominant mode). It is written in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute. Beyoncé's vocal range spans around one and a half octaves in the song, from B3 to F5. Storch and Beyoncé interpolated the refrain of the 1975 song "Love to Love You Baby", originally performed by Donna Summer and written by Summer, Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder. Musically, "Naughty Girl" is influenced by Arabic music, resulting to an uptempo and disco-oriented sound. The song also displays dancehall as well as reggae influences, and is built on squiggling synth grooves weave.
According to Spence D. of IGN Music, Beyoncé's vocals on the song are layered, making them sound like "a harem of Beyoncé's warbling for the affections of some sultan of swing." According to James Poletti of Yahoo! Music, the female protagonist in the song sings about her "potential to turn on the filth." Lyrically, the song is a celebration of sexual lust and conquest, culminating in a desire for a one-night stand. This "lustful sexual confidence" is further demonstrated in the lyrics of the first verse: "I'm feeling sexy / Wa[nt to] hear you say my name, boy/ If you can reach me, you can feel my burning flame / Feeling kind of N A S T Y / I might just take you home with me" and the chorus lines: " Tonight I'll be your naughty girl / I'm callin' all my girls / We're gonna turn this party out / I know you want my body." Throughout the song, Beyoncé sings the lines "I'd love to love you, baby" almost whispering.
Critical reception.
"Naughty Girl" was critically lauded for its sensual vibe. Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" wrote that Beyoncé delivers a "convincing impression of Donna Summer". "Los Angeles Times"' Natalie Nichols wrote that "the deliberately Donna Summer-esque 'Naughty Girl' [...] successfully meld [Beyoncé] breathy cooing with hip, interesting production." Lewis Dene of BBC commented that Beyoncé sings "lustfully and sexually confident", and Spence D. of IGN stated that she creates "a brief aura of aural hypnotism", an effect made during the line "I'm feeling sexy". He also added that the song was guaranteed to have even "the most staid of folks slithering across the dance floor." James Poletti of Yahoo! Music wrote that "Naughty Girl" mingles "Holly Valance Moorish


Don't Smile at Me
2017 EP by Billie Eilish
Don't Smile at Me (stylized as dont smile at me) is the debut extended play by American singer Billie Eilish, released on August 11, 2017, via Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wrote all the material on the EP's original release and were solely responsible for its production. It is an electropop and bedroom pop record with elements of R&B and jazz.
Seven singles were released to support "Don't Smile at Me". "Ocean Eyes" and "Idontwannabeyouanymore" were both sleeper hits, charting on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. "Bellyache" reached the top five on the "Billboard" Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart for a milestone of 32 weeks, while "Copycat" peaked at number 12 on the chart. Eilish embarked on the Don't Smile at Me Tour and Where's My Mind Tour in 2017 and 2018, respectively, to further promote the EP.
The EP received generally favorable reviews from music critics, with many praising the music and Eilish's vocals. "Hostage" received a nomination for Best Cinematography at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. "Don't Smile at Me" was commercially successful, reaching number 14 on the US "Billboard" 200 and number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. It entered the top 10 in many other countries, including Lithuania, where it reached number one.
The EP was later reissued on December 22, 2017, to include the single, "&Burn" with Vince Staples. The song was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). An expanded edition of the EP was released on digital platforms and features two more previously released singles, "Lovely" with Khalid and "Bitches Broken Hearts". "Lovely" was commercially successful, peaking at number 64 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 47 on the UK Singles Chart. "Bitches Broken Hearts" was certified platinum in the US and Canada by the RIAA and Music Canada (MC), respectively.
Background.
In July 2017, Eilish told "Billboard" that "each track off "Don't Smile at Me" will follow a distinct plot". She explained, "The only tie-together? I'm pretty sure I don't have any songs that are about how much I love someone. They're all either about like, 'I hate you,' or 'you make me hate me'."'
Eilish spoke about the EP's title: "My EP is called "Don't Smile at Me" for a lot of reasons, but one of them would be when [someone tells you], 'Smile. Why aren't you smiling? It's so much more beautiful when you smile.' Everyone's taught to smile. Girls are like, 'Look happy, look like you're having fun!' I'm not gonna look like anybody except what I am. I want to impress myself." Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wrote most of the material for "Don't Smile at Me". Finneas produced the EP in its entirety. Studio personnel John Greenham and Rob Kinelski handled the mastering and mixing, respectively.
Music and lyrics.
"Don't Smile at Me" is primarily an electropop and bedroom pop record, with R&B and jazz influences. The EP opens with "Copycat", a hip hop-influenced electronica and pop track. It features minimalist production consisting of a bass guitar and piano. The song is Eilish's response to people she felt kept copying everything she was doing. The following track, "Idontwannabeyouanymore", is a pop and R&B song, with a jazz and neo soul-influenced melody. The track features Eilish singing about self-doubt and low self-esteem. According to Baeble Music's Olivia Lewis, "My Boy" begins with a "chiller, jazz-like vibe, and a layer of darkness and mystery". It features hip hop-influenced production, using a hi-hat and keyboard. Musically, the track is a pop song.
With "Watch", described as a pop ballad, Eilish sends a message to her former lover, saying she is leaving their toxic relationship. The track begins with the sound of a match strike that continues throughout the song as its main beat. "Party Favor" is a folk track with Eilish playing the ukulele. The song addresses Eilish's break up with her boyfriend on his birthday with a phone call. "Bellyache" is a mid-tempo electropop and R&B song with influences of hip hop, deep house and Latin macabre in its instrumentation. The song's lyrics were written from the perspective of a psychopath who kills those close to her, including her friends and lover.
"Ocean Eyes" is a dream pop, pop, synth-pop, indie pop and R&B ballad. The song features percussion, bass guitar and a synthesizer. "Ocean Eyes" is a love letter to Eilish's crush with her lover's "ocean" eyes. "Don't Smile at Me" closes with "Hostage", a stripped-down pop track. Lyrically, the track is about an intense love that Eilish feels for someone and an overwhelming desire she has for them. The reissue of the EP contains one additional track; "&Burn" with Vince Staples——a hip hop-influenced pop track. "[B]ooming kick drums" and "velvety keys" support the track. Like "Watch", the song starts with the sound of a match striking and uses it for the main beat. When Eilish and Finneas were recording the song, it was titled "Watch & Burn". The track later became two separate songs—"Watch" and "&Burn".
The expanded edition of "Don't Smile at Me" contains two extra tracks. "Lovely", featuring Khalid, is a chamber pop-based stripped back ballad. The track features minimalist production consisting of a piano, violin strings provided by Madison Leinster, and percussion, as Eilish and Khalid sing about the feeling of being trapped inside of one's own mind. "Bitches Broken Hearts" is an R&B track. Emmit Fenn handled additional production of the track, the first song by Eilish to feature production by someone other than her brother. Lyrically, the song delves into the aftermath of a breakup, with Eilish pretending she no longer needs or cares about her former lover.
Promotion.
Singles and other songs.
"Ocean Eyes" was originally released on November 18, 2015, via SoundCloud and YouTube. On November 18, 2016, it was re-released as the lead single from "Don't Smile at Me". Although the song did not chart initially, it became a sleeper hit in 2019 after Eilish released her debut studio album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?", reaching number 72 on the UK Singles Chart and number 84 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified the song quadruple platinum in Australia. It received triple platinum certifications in the United States, Canada and Denmark from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Music Canada (MC) and IFPI Denmark, respectively. The song spawned two music videos; Megan Thompson directed the first released on March 24, 2016. The second is a dance performance video released on November 22, 2016. A remix EP for the track was released on January 14, 2017. It includes remixes by Astronomyy, Blackbear, Goldhouse, and Cautious Clay.
"Bellyache" was released on February 24, 2017, as the second single from "Don't Smile at Me". The song was also a sleeper hit, reaching number three on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart for a milestone of 32 weeks, and number 79 on the UK Singles Chart. It was certified double platinum in the US, Australia, and in Mexico by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON). Miles and AJ directed an accompanying music video released on March 22, 2017. Marian Hill remixed "Bellyache" and released it on May  5, 2017. "Watch" was released as the third single from "Don't Smile at Me" on June 30, 2017. Megan Park directed the song's music video which was released on September 18, 2017. The track was certified platinum in the US, Canada, and Australia. "Copycat" was released as the EP's fourth single on July 14, 2017. Sofi Tukker remixed it and released it on January 12, 2018. The song peaked at number 12 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart; it ultimately was certified in the US.
"Idontwannabeyouanymore" was released as the fifth single from "Don't Smile at Me" on July 21, 2017. It charted at number 96 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 78 on the UK Singles Chart. The track was certified double platinum in the US. A vertical video for the track was released to Spotify in December 2017. The EP's sixth single, "My Boy", was released on July 28, 2017. The song received a remix by TroyBoi entitled "MyBoi", released on March 9, 2018. "My Boy" was certified platinum in the US. "&Burn", featuring American rapper Vince Staples, was released as a single on December 15, 2017 and later included on the EP's reissue. The song was certified gold in the US. "Party Favor" was released on an exclusive pink 7-inch vinyl as the seventh and final single from "Don't Smile at Me" on April 21, 2018, coinciding with that year's Record Store Day. A cover of "Hotline Bling", originally performed and written by Canadian rapper Drake, was released as the B-side. "Party Favor" was certified gold in the US.
"Lovely", featuring Khalid, was released as the lead single for "13 Reasons Why: Season 2 (Music from the Original TV Series)" on April 19, 2018, and later included on the expanded edition of the EP. Taylor Cohen and Matty Peacock directed its music video. The song reached number 64 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number 47 on the UK Singles Chart. It was certified octuple platinum in Australia and Canada, triple platinum in Mexico and in Poland (certified by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (PSPI)), and double platinum in the US and New Zealand—certified by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). "Bitches Broken Hearts" was originally released as a standalone single on March 30, 2018. It was later included on the expanded edition of "Don't Smile at Me" and the physical deluxe edition of Eilish's debut studio album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?". The song was certified platinum in the US and Canada. Despite not being released as a single, Henry Scholfield produced a music video for "Hostage". It was initially released exclusively via Apple Music on July 11, 2018. The video was later uploaded to Eilish's YouTube channel on October 8, 2018. "Hostage" was ultimately certified platinum in the US and Canada.
Tours.
To promote the EP, Eilish embarked on the Don't Smile at Me Tour and Where's My Mind Tour during 2017 and 2018. In Europe, Eilish would open with "Bellyache". Eilish would then sing "&Burn" without Staples. It would begin with the original arrangement before the beat drops and Eilish would break into dance. Eilish would finish with "Copycat", red lights would flash as she sang it. The staff of "Billboard" magazine praised Eilish's performance at The Bowery Ballroom. Lyndsay Havens described the performance as "explosive" but "at times tender, and entirely exciting". She added the performance was "the type of show where you are acutely aware that the artist you are currently watching will outgrow the venue they are playing almost immediately". The staff of "The Gazette" felt Eilish "wants to bring the audience into her world, creating an experience for them".
Reception.
Critical reception.
"Don't Smile at Me" was met with generally favorable reviews by music critics. Kristin Smith of Plugged In said of the EP, "A fusion of multiple genres, sounds and styles, these nine tracks capture the young singer's undeniably engaging perspective and personality. We hear the honest confessions of a teenager who has known heartbreak, self-loathing and love. "Don't Smile at Me" is dreamy and depressing, enchanting and haunting. And it warrants both praise and caution." Nicole Almeida of "Atwood Magazine" wrote "Don't Smile at Me" was a "powerful declaration", and a "statement coming from the mouth of someone who knows who she is. The title perfectly embodies the strength and ambition of Eilish's debut EP and of Eilish herself as an artist." Robert Christgau, writing for "Vice", commended Eilish's "still-fragile melodies and still-pure voice" on the EP, but considered the songwriting and production to be less accomplished than that of her debut single "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?". Tom Hull mentioned that "Don't Smile at Me"'s singles are "more pop", and more "easily distinguished from the filler". Brenton Blanchet of "Spin" magazine lauded the EP, saying it was the "first sample of what Eilish could create in her bedroom", saying the "airy and atmospheric project showcased pop craft beyond her age".
Commercial performance.
"Don't Smile at Me" became a sleeper hit in the US, debuting at number 185 on the US "Billboard" 200 a month and a half after its release. The EP later broke into the top 100 in the week ending May 31, 2018, its 21st week on the chart, at number 97 with 7,000 album-equivalent units. "Don't Smile at Me" reached the top 40 of the "Billboard" 200 in the week ending July 28 at number 38 with 12,000 units, including 10,000 streaming equivalent album units, before peaking at number 14 in its 56th charting week for the issue dated January 26, 2019. As of April 2019, the EP has sold 947,000 album-equivalent units in the US and has also generated more than 1.2 billion on-demand audio streams for its tracks. "Don't Smile at Me" was more successful outside the United States. The EP peaked at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. In Australia, it peaked at number six on the ARIA Charts. It was most successful in Lithuania, peaking at number one on the chart. In early 2019, Eilish became the youngest artist to hit one billion streams on Spotify with "Don't Smile at Me".
Track listing.
Notes
Personnel.
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Charts.
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References.
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Don't Smile at Me Tour
2017 concert tour by Billie Eilish
The Don't Smile at Me Tour (stylized as dont smile at me tour) was the first headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. It was launched in support of her debut EP "Don't Smile at Me" (2017), and consisted of 17 concerts, 12 in North America and 5 in Europe. The North America dates were announced in July 2017, with more dates being added later. The set list featured all of the songs from "Don't Smile at Me". The tour was positively received by critics.
Synopsis.
Eilish would start the tour with "Copycat" over flickering lights. They would slow the show and play "Idontwannabeyouanymore". "Watch" would then come next. She would then perform "Party Favor" while playing on a ukulele and would later transition into a cover of the Drake song "Hotline Bling". She would later perform an unreleased song called "Listen Before I Go". Eilish ended her regular set with "Ocean Eyes". Eilish would return with a performance of "Bellyache" during the encore.
Set list.
This set list is representative of the show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 20, 2017. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.
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References.
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Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
1975 single by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the English rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 31 January 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album "The Best Years of Our Lives". The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. In February 1975, the song reached number one on the UK chart and received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry in October 2021. It spent nine weeks in the Top 50, and as of 2015, has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. The song is one of the most-played songs in British broadcasting history.
More than 120 cover versions of the song have been recorded by other artists, most notably by Duran Duran and Erasure, although Harley stated his favourite cover version was by the Wedding Present.
Writing and composition.
The song was the first single to be released under the name "Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel", as opposed to simply "Cockney Rebel". In July 1974, the original Cockney Rebel disbanded, and Harley then assembled a new line-up later in the year. "Make Me Smile" described Harley's feelings on the band's split. For many years, it was believed that Harley purposely chose to disband the original line-up and embark on a new career path. Years later, Harley began to reveal the truth behind the band's split.
Between May and July 1974, Cockney Rebel embarked on a major British tour to promote their second studio album "The Psychomodo". As the tour progressed, the band began facing growing tensions, which ultimately led to their split at the end of the tour in late July. On 18 July, the band received a 'Gold Award' for outstanding new act of 1974, and a week later they had split up over their disagreements. Jean-Paul Crocker, Milton Reame-James and Paul Jeffreys had approached Harley, insisting they could also write material for the group. Harley, the band's sole songwriter, felt this was unfair as he had been the one to originally hire the musicians for his group, and explained the deal to them at the time.
After the band split, only the original line-up's drummer, Stuart Elliott, would join the new line-up. In a television interview recorded in 2002, Harley described how the lyrics were vindictively directed at the former band members who, he felt, had abandoned him.
On "The One Show" in October 2010, Harley called the lyric "a finger-pointing piece of vengeful poetry. It's getting off my chest how I felt about the guys splitting up a perfectly workable machine. I wrote it saying 'Look, you'll learn how well we're doing here, we're doing well, why are you doing this?'" He elaborated:
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />Three of them came to me in a little posse with several ultimatums. They wanted to write songs for the third album, and I said 'Well you know I started the band, and I auditioned you, and I told you the deal at the time. We're not moving the goal posts here.' They knew this, and they came to me demanding that they could write songs too, and I just said 'Well go and do it then'.
Harley began writing the song only days after the band's split. The tune was based on an unused Harley-penned track called "Laid in the Shade", which was the first song Harley ever performed when he began playing in London folk clubs on open-mike nights in 1971 and one which he demoed that same year using his classical guitar at Venus Recording Studios in Whitechapel. He later recalled the song was "absolute rubbish" but felt "the tune worked". Returning to this earlier tune, he wrote new lyrics and came up with a slow blues track with a dark mood, a song vastly different from the one that was recorded. In January 2012, he told "Uncut" magazine that the first verse was probably written at four in the morning after a bottle of brandy, feeling sorry for himself. On "The One Show" Harley added, "I was in distress, there's no doubt at all, out of adversity I had to talk about it, I had to write about it. I had to say these things, I had to get it off my chest."
In "One Thousand UK Number One Hits" by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Harley recalled the end of Cockney Rebel version 1:
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />We split up because they wanted to take my leadership away. They wanted to dilute it and "Make Me Smile" is saying 'Come back one day and I'll laugh.' It was arrogant but I knew they were wrong - they didn't understand the group like I did.
Recording.
The new line-up of the band recorded "The Best Years of Our Lives" album in November–December 1974 at Abbey Road Studios in London. On a day in November, Harley arrived at the studio and played the band the original "slow blues" version of the song for them to rehearse. Harley recalled to "Uncut" in 2012 that it was "a little dirgy, slower and a little pedestrian, very on the beat", while guitarist Jim Cregan recounted in 2022 that the original presentation was "a bit ramshackle" and "not an obvious single".
After producer Alan Parsons heard the song, he suggested speeding the song's tempo up, as he felt it would suit the song better. Harley then developed the song further, introducing tacets, dead stops and gaps into it. Harley recalled in 2014: "Alan was great, he didn't try to dissuade me, he just said, 'Do it'." On "The One Show", Harley added: "Suddenly it was swinging, and bopping, and ooh-la-la. We saw a hit record being built here, there was no doubt."
In a 2015 interview for "Songwriting Magazine", Parsons recalled:
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />I think a good producer can transform a song. If you make a small change compositionally that really makes a song gel then you can say production is part of songwriting. For example I remember on Steve Harley's "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" he was phrasing the chorus completely differently and I suggested that he made it more rhythmic and I think that is part of the hook of the whole record, so I take a bit of credit for that – although I didn't get paid for it.
Keyboardist Duncan Mackay came up with the ascending notes used for the song's introduction. A saxophone solo was originally planned for the song's instrumental break. However, after hearing Harley's idea for the solo, Cregan began to play the idea on the guitar. Harley recalled in 2014:
<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />The guitar solo was over a completely new chord sequence. The middle-eight is totally separate from the rest of the song, with no lyrics, so it's an instrumental break that's a little bit left field. We took ages getting the solo right. Some of the guys who play the guitar for me now have a lot of problems with it. It's a tough solo to play properly. It was a composite of three separate takes.
A number of backing singers contributed to the song, including future chart-topper Tina Charles, as well as Yvonne Keeley, Linda Lewis and Liza Strike.
When the song was near completion, Harley played an early mix of the song to Bob Mercer, who was the head of A&R at EMI. Harley remembered: "We were all drinking Martini, it was late at night, and we were completely knackered. Bob came in and was absolutely blown away. I asked him what he thought and he said simply, 'Number one'".
By the time the song was finished, Harley and the band felt confident the song was a hit single. He recalled: "We certainly smelled something cooking that was very special. We had a huge chorus on there. Once they'd [the backing vocalists] had done their bit I came up with The Beatles bit – 'Ooh-la-la-la' – kind of from their "Rubber Soul" period. I made the song really hooky because the lyrics are quite dark and cynical, frankly."
2000 version.
In 1999, Harley re-recorded "Make Me Smile", with backing vocals by the London Community Gospel Choir, for the British film "Best", which was released in 2000. In a 2000 interview with VH-1, Harley said he was approached by the film's producers, "They wanted a different [version]. They knew my voice had changed and I said I wanted to put a gospel choir on it, so we've done a new one." He added to the "Southern Daily Echo": "It's very similar to the original, I'm sad to say. I would have liked very much to have gone for broke and got something new out of it. But they had already filmed the end sequence, which the song ties in with, and they needed something with the same tempo." In 2005, a remix of the 1999 recording, featuring a new lead vocal track, was released as a single to celebrate the song's 30th anniversary. Harley stated, "It's a bit quicker [than the original] and has a real edge to it".
Release.
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" was released in the UK by EMI Records on 31 January 1975. It was also released in various European countries, Australasia, South Africa and Japan, as well as in the US in 1976. The single's B-side was the non-album track "Another Journey", which was written by Harley.
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" became Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel's biggest selling hit and has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide as of 2015. It was also the band's only number-one hit in their home country, topping the UK Singles Chart in February 1975. It reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart the same month. In addition to this, it was the band's only "Billboard" entry in the US, reaching number 96 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart in 1976.
Reissues.
"Make Me Smile" has been reissued a number of times in the UK. Its first was through EMI on 3 October 1980 to promote the compilation album "The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel". On 25 November 1983 and again on 28 October 1991, it was reissued on the Old Gold label, with a picture sleeve included with the 1991 release. All three reissues failed to chart.
On 13 April 1992, EMI reissued the single on 7-inch, cassette and CD formats ahead of their "Make Me Smile – The Best of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel" compilation. It reached number 46 in the UK charts and remained in the top 75 for two weeks. Old Gold reissued the single on CD format on 30 October 1995, and another EMI reissue followed on cassette and CD on 18 December 1995, to coincide with the song's use in a Christmas TV advertisement for Carlsberg. This release reached number 33 in the UK and spent three weeks in the chart.
On 20 June 2005, a "30th Anniversary Re-mix" of the song, based on the 2000 re-recorded version, was released as a single by Gott Discs. It reached number 55 in the UK and spent two weeks in the charts. Following a request on "Top Gear" to download the song, "Make Me Smile" re-entered the UK charts at number 72 in early February 2015.
Use in film and media.
The song has been used in the soundtracks of the films "Rik Mayall Presents Dancing Queen" (1993), "The Full Monty" (1997), "Velvet Goldmine" (1998), "Best – The George Best Story" (2000), "Saving Grace" (2000), and "Blackball" (2003). It was also used in a 2006 Marks & Spencer advertisement and during the opening of episode 3 of "Phoenix Nights" series 1 (2001). The song also featured in adverts for Furniture Village. The song was also featured in an advert for Viagra Connect drug for erectile dysfunction, first broadcast in the UK in May 2018.
The song was later included as a playable song in "Lego Rock Band" (2009) for the seventh generation of games consoles.
"Top Gear".
In late 2014, Harley received a speeding fine of £1,000, and six points on his licence, after being caught by a speed camera doing 70 miles per hour on the M25 in Kent, in an area where the limit had been temporarily reduced to 40 mph. In January 2015, this incident was discussed on the BBC television series "Top Gear". The show's presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May urged viewers to download the song in a bid to help him pay the fine. Clarkson had commented, "He's making a meagre living out of, let's be honest, one hit single. Everybody loves that song – you can't trust someone who doesn't like that song." Hammond added, "Imagine if everybody did it – he would wake up tomorrow and think 'I'm number one, where did that come from?' It would cheer him up."
The campaign, dubbed the "Make Me Smile Foundation" by Clarkson, saw Harley respond with a message via Twitter: "Thanks Jeremy Clarkson for kicking off the Make Me Smile Foundation, more than happy to subsidise the poor sods who drive down Swanley Way!" Additionally, Harley posted a YouTube video where he performed a forty-second version of the song acoustically, with a new set of lyrics relating to the speeding fine.
In late January 2015, the song entered the Top 30 on iTunes, the Top 15 on Amazon.co.uk's Top 100 Bestsellers, and the number one best-seller under the Rock category on the same website. On 27 January, the song entered at number 25 on the official UK mid-week chart, and number 72 on the overall chart for the week.
Promotion.
Upon its original release, the band performed the song on UK music show "Top of the Pops". The performance on the show featured mimed instrumental backing, with Harley performing a live vocal. On the show, Harley was suffering from jet-lag, and subsequently forgot the lyrics to the majority of the second and third verses. According to the EMI producer of the single, Tony Clark, it was Marc Bolan who made the phone call to "Top of the Pops", and had Harley in the BBC studio that same evening of the recording. The band also performed the song on the "Russell Harty Show" while it was at number one.
Critical reception.
The reaction from the UK music press was mixed. In "Melody Maker", Colin Irwin criticised Harley's vocals as "excruciatingly stylised" but called the song a "strongly Dylanish, tuneful thing", and commended Harley for having "concentrated on producing a good song without relying so heavily on his own syle and character to see it through". However, Steve Clarke of "NME" stated that it was "not a good song" and that it "employed those irritating stop-go instrumental/vocal touches". Sue Byrom of "Record & Popswop Mirror" felt the song lacked the "punch" and "innovative flash" of the original Cockney Rebel, but predicted it would be a hit. John Peel, writing for "Sounds", rated it three out of five stars and predicted it would reach the top 10. He considered it to show a "softer Harley" as he "put[s] his stylised voice to work on an attractive pop song" with the "soft accompaniment [of] acoustic guitar, classical guitar and singing ladies". "The Irvine Herald" felt the song "knocks spots off their old material" and added that the guitar solo is "a delight to listen to". Jim Green of "Trouser Press" considered it "simple and somewhat catchy", with Harley's "excessively mannered vocal provid[ing] a nice contrast to the chick singers hooting in the background".
Alan Jones, writing for "Music Week" in 1995, called the song a "classic contrivance" that is "forged mainly from tongue-in-cheek observation of Dylan mannerisms, though it does have a melodic strength and grace all of its own." In a retrospective review of "The Best Years of Our Lives", Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic described it as a "romantic pop tune" that "pairs Harley's clever wordplay with a clever pop tune that boasts an inventive stop-start arrangement and a lovely flamenco-styled acoustic guitar solo".
Track listing.
7-inch single
7-inch single (1980 UK reissue)
7-inch single (1983 and 1991 UK reissue)
7-inch and cassette single (1992 UK reissue)
CD single (1992 UK reissue)
Cassette single (1995 UK reissue)
CD single (1995 UK reissue)
7-inch single (2005 UK 30th Anniversary Re-mix)
CD single (2005 UK 30th Anniversary Re-mix)
Personnel.
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Charts.
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Duran Duran version.
A live cover version of "Make Me Smile" was released as the B-side to Duran Duran's 1984 number one single "The Reflex". On the label and sleeve, the song's original title was reversed and listed as "Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile)". The band frequently covered the song during their early concerts, and this recording was made during a live performance for the BBC College Concert series. The entire concert was released on the live CD/DVD "Live at Hammersmith '82!" in September 2009.
After dropping the song from their set list for over twenty years, the reunited Duran Duran brought the song back as a surprise encore at their 28 May 2005 homecoming gig at the Birmingham Football Ground to an audience of 25,000 fans. Harley was invited to perform with them, but was unable to attend.
The Duran Duran version of the song appeared on the soundtrack to the movie "Threesome" (1994), and as a bonus track on the double


Melissa Rauch
American actress (born 1980)
Melissa Ivy Rauch (; born June 23, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" from 2009 to 2019, for which she was nominated for the Critics Choice Television Award in 2013. From 2004 to 2008, Rauch worked as a regular contributor on the VH1 series "Best Week Ever".
Rauch's other acting credits include playing Tina on the American remake of "Kath & Kim", Summer on the HBO fantasy horror drama "True Blood," and currently plays the lead role on NBC's revival of "Night Court".
Rauch also starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced the 2015 sports comedy-drama film "The Bronze" and provided the voice of DC character Harley Quinn in the 2017 animated film "Batman and Harley Quinn". Rauch also had supporting roles in "I Love You, Man" (2009), "" and "Flock of Dudes" (both 2016), and "Ode to Joy" and "The Laundromat" (both 2019).
Early life.
Rauch was born to David and Susan Rauch in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. She is Jewish. She has a younger brother, Ben. She developed an interest in acting while attending Marlboro High School. Her Bat Mitzvah had a "Melissa’s Comedy Club" theme. Rauch earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City in 2002.
Career.
Some of Rauch's early work was as a regular contributor to VH1's "Best Week Ever" television show.
In 2009, Rauch began playing the recurring role of Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, a co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory who began to date Howard Wolowitz, in the third season of CBS's "The Big Bang Theory". The following season, her character became Howard's fiancée, and Rauch was promoted to a series regular. The characters married in the season five finale. In December 2011, Rauch and fellow cast members of "The Big Bang Theory" received the first of six nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Other acting credits include "True Blood" (in which she had a recurring role in 2010 as Summer, a girl who likes Hoyt), "The Office", the American remake of the Australian TV series "Kath & Kim", "Wright v Wrong", and the film "I Love You, Man".
Rauch is also part of the comedic stage show "The Realest Real Housewives" cast with Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael, Jessica St. Clair and Danielle Schneider. The show began running at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2011.
Rauch co-wrote and co-produced the film "The Bronze", in which she starred as Hope Ann Greggory, a bronze medal-winning gymnast clinging to her glory days of 12 years earlier. It opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. "Variety" said, "Rauch, who co-wrote the screenplay with her husband Winston, has never carried a film before. But she delivers the best breakthrough comedic performance by an actress since Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"." Sony Pictures Classics acquired the film in September 2015.
In 2017, Rauch voiced Harley Quinn in the animated film "Batman and Harley Quinn" and she voiced Light Thief in "Light Riders" from "Blaze and the Monster Machines".
She currently stars in the "Night Court" revival series playing Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of Judge Harold T. Stone and Gina Stone from the original "Night Court" series. Season 1 premiered on NBC on January 17, 2023, and is co-produced by Rauch and her husband Winston Beigel, in association with Warner Bros. Television Studios and Universal Television.
Personal life.
Rauch is married to writer Winston Beigel, who collaborated with her on "The Miss Education of Jenna Bush" and other projects. Rauch announced that she was pregnant on July 11, 2017, and disclosed that she had a miscarriage previously. On December 4, 2017, Rauch announced on Instagram that she had given birth to a baby girl. On May 4, 2020, Rauch announced the birth of her son.
Rauch modeled the voice of Bernadette after her parents: the "sweet, high-pitched purr" is modeled after her mother, while the "eerie, haranguing imitation" of Mrs. Wolowitz is modeled after her father. Both are "very different" from Rauch's real voice.
References.
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The Big Bang Theory season 4
The fourth season of the American television sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" aired on CBS from September 23, 2010 to May 19, 2011. Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik auditioned and were promoted to the main cast during this season as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler respectively.
Johnny Galecki received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards for the episode "The Benefactor Factor". Jim Parsons won the same award for the episode "The Agreement Dissection".
Production.
During the season, Kaley Cuoco's character Penny was absent from episodes 5 and 6 after Kaley fell off a horse and broke her leg. When returning to the series, she was shown working as a bartender instead of waitressing at her usual workplace, The Cheesecake Factory, to hide her injury.
Cast.
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Episodes.
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Reception.
The fourth season received particular praise for character developments. Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx praised the additions of Bernadette and Amy to the cast, writing that "With Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette promoted to semi-permanent status, the show is now able to spend large chunks of each episode focusing only on the women, and in the process has made Penny a much more well-rounded character rather than just a foil for the nerds". Emily VanDerWerff of "The A.V. Club" wrote that "Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco's interplay remains the show's secret weapon", and Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic wrote: "Really though, everything about the main story worked amazing. Mayim fits in perfectly in "The Big Bang Theory" cast and played off of Kaley Cuoco just as well as Emmy Award-winning Parsons".
References.
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The Big Bang Theory season 3
The third season of the American television sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" aired on CBS from September 21, 2009 to May 24, 2010. It received higher ratings than the previous two seasons with over 15 million viewers. The third season saw the first appearances of future main cast members Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik as Bernadette Rostenkowski and Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler respectively.
Christine Baranski was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards for the episode, "The Maternal Congruence". Jim Parsons won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the episode "The Pants Alternative".
Cast.
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Reception.
The third season received critical acclaim. Maureen Ryan of "Chicago Tribune" who wrote that ""Big Bang Theory," which is in its third season, is doing many things very right", Alan Sepinwall of "The Star-Ledger" wrote "the Penny/Sheldon interaction was gold, as always", and Ken Tucker of "Entertainment Weekly", who wrote that "what lifts "The Big Bang Theory" into frequent excellence is its one constant from the start: the brilliantly nuanced performance of Jim Parsons".
The American Film Institute ranked season three one of the ten best television seasons of 2009.
References.
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The Stag Convergence
"The Stag Convergence" is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom "The Big Bang Theory". The episode premiered on April 26, 2012, on CBS. In it, the main characters go to the bachelor party to celebrate Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette's (Melissa Rauch) upcoming marriage. At the party, a drunk Raj (Kunal Nayyar) reveals some information about Howard's past sexual encounters. When Bernadette picks them up from the party, Howard and Rajesh find out that Bernadette learned about Howard's sexual history from a video posted on the internet.
The story and concept of the episode was written by series co-creator Bill Prady, and writers Steve Holland and Eric Kaplan. The teleplay was written by co-creator Chuck Lorre, and writers Steven Molaro and Jim Reynolds. Peter Chakos served as director. Upon airing, "The Stag Convergence" garnered 12.65 million viewers in the United States and 4.1 Nielsen rating in the 18–49 demographic. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics, noting that it was not as heavy on jokes compared to other episodes in the series.
Plot.
Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj discuss Howard's bachelor party, with Howard reaffirming to Raj that strippers are banned from the party. Raj then suggests a wine tasting train trip through Napa Valley but, despite Sheldon's approval, this idea is rejected as well. Meanwhile, Amy is filming Bernadette and Penny making wedding party gifts. She begins to ask a question about consummation but Penny tells her to ask something normal, such as what Bernadette's married name will be.
The bachelor party proves to be a failure, with Sheldon's jokes falling flat and Barry Kripke complaining about the lack of strippers. A drunk Raj then begins his speech by saying that he was lonely when he first moved to America until he met Howard. He then tells embarrassing stories about Howard's sexual history, including how Howard lost his virginity to his second cousin, had a threesome with Raj and a "Sailor Moon" cosplayer at ComicCon and slept with a prostitute.
Later, Bernadette comes to drive Howard and Raj home and reveals that Wil Wheaton (playing himself) put a video of Raj's speech on YouTube. Howard had previously claimed that he told her about every girl he had been with, but had not done so. Back at her apartment, she questions whether she can marry him. She is also upset at Penny, who originally set her up with Howard.
Howard shows up at Bernadette's apartment and asks Penny to give Bernadette his heartfelt and genuine apology, which reduces Penny to tears. Bernadette overhears this and forgives him. Amy is relieved that she is still a maid of honor and the four hug. Leonard later meets Penny in the laundry room and wants to have sex, but Penny declines.
Production.
The story and concept for "The Stag Convergence" were written by series co-creator Bill Prady, and writers Steve Holland and Eric Kaplan. The teleplay for the episode was written by series co-creator Chuck Lorre and writers Steven Molaro and Jim Reynolds. It was directed by Peter Chakos and filmed on March 27, 2012. Guest stars included Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom, John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke, and Wil Wheaton as himself. Ian Scott Rudolph returns as Captain Sweatpants along with actors Jesse Heiman and Zack Sonnenberg at the bachelor party as guests in non-speaking roles.
Reception.
Ratings.
The episode was originally broadcast on April 26, 2012, followed by "Rules of Engagement". Upon airing, "The Stag Convergence" garnered 12.65 million viewers while airing simultaneously with "American Idol" on Fox, "Community" on NBC, "Missing" on ABC and "The Vampire Diaries" on The CW. With the exception of "American Idol", which had 14.87 million viewers, it beat all other programs in its timeslot. Under the Nielsen rating system, the episode received a 4.1 rating and a 13 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.
In Canada, the episode aired on the same date on CTV Total and 3.17 million households watched it; the episode was the most watched TV show that week. In the United Kingdom, it aired on May 24, 2012, and garnered 1.444 million E4 viewers. On E4 +1, the show was watched by 0.403 million viewers, giving the episode a total of 1.847 million viewers on the night of its first broadcast and making it most watched that night on both channels. In Australia, it aired on Nine Network on May 22, 2012, and 1.27 million viewed the show; the episode was ranked second on the network and second overall that night.
Critical reception.
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Oh my god, Howard! That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. And it came out of you.
Penny: her quote was praised by Carla Day of "TV Fanatic"
The episode received mixed critical reception. Oliver Sava of "The A.V. Club" graded it a C, claiming that Amy "gets some of the episode's best lines". Sava noted that it "has a lot of Jew humor, and Mayim Bialik and Simon Helberg are the perfect people to deliver it", although disliked Barry and Wil and said that "their jokes wore thin fairly quickly". R.L. Shaffer of IGN also gave the episode a mixed review, saying that "The Big Bang Theory" has become more "cynical and chauvinistic" towards female characters. Shaffer also noted he was more frustrated about "the revelation that Bernadette wouldn't allow strippers at Wolowitz's bachelor party", as it is never explained why. Shaffer claimed that there were "only a few laughs here and there" and scored the episode 5.5 out of 10, classifying it as "mediocre".
Carla Day of "TV Fanatic" gave a more positive review, rating the episode 4.5 out of 5, and praising Penny's response to Howard's apology and claiming that it "provided a nice chuckle." Jill Mader of "Inside Pulse" also gave the episode a more positive review, praising "that the episode ended with a really sweet moment for Howard as, after all, he is a character who doesn't often get to be sweet" and claimed that it was "definitely about people changing and moving forward, and "The Big Bang Theory" has done a great job of emotionally maturing many of their characters over the past couple seasons". Despite this, she said that "the episode wasn't as funny as [she had] hoped it would be" and "felt like there was more potential in Howard's bachelor party than just revealing some unflattering secrets to Bernadette." Robin Pierson of "The TV Critic" rated the episode as 56 out of 100, describing Howard's "little speech" as "very well written and performed". However, he considered most of the comedy "generic", especially in regards to the jokes about Jewish stereotypes and Penny's dismissal of Leonard. Overall, Pierson said it "wasn't the strongest episode of comedy" and "wasn't a particularly interesting episode until the end".
Notes.
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References.
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List of The Big Bang Theory franchise characters
The American television sitcom franchise "The Big Bang Theory", began with the multi-cam laugh track sitcom of the same name created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, which premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007, and ended on May 16, 2019, followed by the single-camera spin-off prequel television series "Young Sheldon", created and executive produced by Lorre alongside Jim Parsons and Steven Molaro, which premiered on CBS on September 25, 2017, and concluded on May 16, 2024, with the third series in the franchise, a multi-cam spin-off sequel to "Young Sheldon" entitled "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage", premiering on October 17, 2024. A fourth series, a multi-cam spin-off sequel to "The Big Bang Theory", will be entitled "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe". It will feature Stuart Bloom, Denise, and Bert Kibbler, with Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, and Brian Posehn reprising their roles.
"The Big Bang Theory" initially centers on five characters: Sheldon Lee Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, two physicists and roommates; Penny, their neighbor who is a waitress and aspiring actress; Sheldon and Leonard's friends and coworkers aerospace engineer Howard Joel Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali.
Over time, several supporting characters have been introduced and promoted to starring roles, including physicist Leslie Winkle, neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, microbiologist Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, and comic book store proprietor and friend of the other characters Stuart Bloom. The series also features numerous supporting characters, each of whom plays a prominent role in a story arc. Included among them are parents of the main characters, their dates, and their coworkers. Celebrities such as Stephen Hawking appear in cameo roles as themselves.
"Young Sheldon" initially centers on Sheldon Cooper at the age of nine, going to high school and living with his family in the fictional town of Medford, East Texas, Sheldon's mother, Mary; his father and the head football coach at Medford High, George Sr.; his twin sister, Missy; his older brother, George Jr.; and his grandmother, Constance "Connie" Tucker, also known as "Meemaw". The series also features numerous supporting characters, each of whom plays a prominent role in a story arc. Included among them are Sheldon's present and former classmates, their dates and coworkers, and those of his family. Celebrities such as Elon Musk appear in cameo roles as themselves. Jim Parsons, who portrays the adult Sheldon Cooper on "The Big Bang Theory", narrates the series and serves as an executive producer.
Main characters.
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This section includes .* An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the season.*  V indicates a voice-only role.

"The Big Bang Theory" main characters.
Leonard Hofstadter.
Leonard Leakey Hofstadter (portrayed by Johnny Galecki; seasons 1–12) is an experimental physicist with an IQ of 173. Originally from New Jersey, he received his PhD at age 24, spending at least some of his time at Princeton University. He shared an apartment in Pasadena with colleague and friend Dr. Sheldon Cooper for much of the series. Unlike his equally geeky friends, Leonard is interested and adept in building relationships with other people. Compared to his friends, he is relatively successful with women. Leonard comes from an accomplished family. His mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, is a neuroscientist and world-renowned psychiatrist with whom he has a strained relationship. His sister is a medical researcher, his father, Dr. Alfred Hofstadter, is an anthropologist, and his brother Michael is a Harvard law professor. He and Penny date on and off throughout the series, eventually marrying and finding out that Penny is pregnant in the series finale.
Leonard makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of "Young Sheldon"; he was portrayed by Isaac Harger as a child.
Sheldon Cooper.
Sheldon Lee Cooper (portrayed by Jim Parsons; "The Big Bang Theory" seasons 1–12, "Young Sheldon" season 7; voiced by Parsons; narrator: "Young Sheldon"; and by Iain Armitage; guest: "The Big Bang Theory" season 12; main: "Young Sheldon") is a theoretical physicist, possessing a B.S, M.S, M.A, Ph.D, Sc.D, I.Q. of 187, and eidetic memory. Born in East Texas, he was a child prodigy and received his PhD at age 16 from the California Institute of Technology. He is a cold, condescending, self-centered, and immature person but is rarely malicious. He is obsessed with routines and any disruptions distress him enormously. He shows signs of obsessive–compulsive personality disorder, often shown through his compulsive need to knock three times on a door while saying the name of the person behind the door three times too and the superiority complex. Despite his narcissism, selfishness, and lack of social graces, he does care about his friends and family. In seasons 1–9, he shares an apartment in Pasadena with friend and fellow physicist Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. From then after, he moves in with his girlfriend and eventual wife, Amy. It is revealed in "Young Sheldon" that they have kids too.
His interest in science fiction and comic books borders on the extreme. He has a particular affinity for Spock from the "Star Trek" franchise. Although he has the tendency to take things literally, he is fond of occasionally telling a joke or playing a prank, which he typically punctuates with his trademark exclamation, "Bazinga!"
As portrayed in "Young Sheldon", he is a child prodigy who finishes primary school before his twin sister, Missy, and joins the same high-school class as his older brother, Georgie, at the age of nine. He reads widely and possesses an eidetic memory. He prefers to learn topics that interest him on his own—such as Faraday's law of induction and gravitational lensing—than the standard curriculum of grade school. In this series, the origins of his interests in the sciences, engineering, computers, trains, comic books, and science fiction (especially the character Spock from "Star Trek") are revealed. Sheldon moves on to college while Missy remains in middle school. Despite their rivalry, Sheldon and Missy are closer than they first appear.
Iain Armitage, who plays young Sheldon on the spin-off, briefly appears in a video tape during a final season episode of "The Big Bang Theory"; it is the only time Parsons and Armitage have appeared together so far.
Penny.
Kindhearted and outgoing, Penny (portrayed by Kaley Cuoco) is Leonard and Sheldon's neighbor across the hallway from the inception of the series, replacing the apartment's former occupant, Louis/Louise, a "transvestite with a skin condition" according to Sheldon. Originally from a small town outside Omaha, Nebraska, she was a waitress and occasional bartender at the local Cheesecake Factory until season seven, and is an aspiring actress. Sheldon describes her as a "good-natured simpleton" and is critical of her dropping out of community college.
Initially, not much is known about Penny's family, but it is mentioned in the series that her father, Wyatt (portrayed by Keith Carradine,) raised her like a boy, her mother smoked marijuana while she was pregnant with her, her sister shot her husband while they were intoxicated, and her brother is a meth dealer. Her mother, Susan (Katey Sagal), and brother, Randall (Jack McBrayer), are finally seen in the first episode of season ten. Her last name is never revealed during the series. Leonard and Penny date on and off throughout the series which is a big plot point of the show, they eventually marry and find out they're pregnant in the series finale.
Penny makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of "Young Sheldon", she was portrayed by Quinn Aune as a child. Cuoco additionally voices the pool water, part of one of young Sheldon's nightmares, in the spinoff.
Howard Wolowitz.
Howard Joel Wolowitz, M.Eng. (portrayed by Simon Helberg; main: "the Big Bang Theory" seasons 1–12; guest: "Young Sheldon" season 5) is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics who often hangs out at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, and Raj, Howard does not have a doctorate and often gets disparaged as a result, especially by Sheldon. He defends this by pointing out that he has a master's degree in engineering from MIT and that the equipment he designs is launched into space, unlike the theoretical work of his friends. In the fifth-season finale, Howard goes to the International Space Station on Expedition 31.
Howard lives in Altadena with his domineering, belittling, and unseen mother, who treats him like a child. While he sometimes expresses irritation at this treatment, for the most part, he appears to prefer it. Howard and his mother often communicate with each other from different rooms by yelling, a habit which Bernadette also adopts in later episodes. Howard fancies himself a ladies' man and attempts pick-up lines whenever a woman is present, although he drops this habit once he starts going out with Bernadette. He is a non-observant Jew. Over the course of the series, he and Bernadette marry and have two children.
In the pilot episode, he speaks English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, and Persian, along with fictional languages like Klingon and Sindarin. Howard suffers from asthma, transient idiopathic arrhythmia, allergies to peanuts, almonds, and walnuts, and is prone to canker sores and pink eye.
Howard makes a brief non-speaking appearance in the Season 2 finale of "Young Sheldon", in which he was portrayed by Ethan Stern as a child; he returns to reprise himself in a narration with Helberg's voiceover for a Season 5 episode.
Raj Koothrappali.
Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali, PhD (portrayed by Kunal Nayyar) is Howard Wolowitz's best friend. Often called "Raj" by his friends, he is from New Delhi, India, and works in the physics department at Caltech, researching astroparticle physics. Raj comes from a very wealthy family in India, and often communicates with his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Koothrappali, via webcam. He did at least part of his higher education at the University of Cambridge and like most of the scientists bar Howard he also has a PhD. He has a younger sister, Priya. He lives in an apartment in Pasadena. As with his friends, he is mutually involved with and obsessed with science fiction and comic books in general. He is also a fan of Harry Potter and Indian music, but appreciates the Indian lullabies his mother sang and the catchiness of Hindi phrases. Unlike his male friends, Raj has many feminine interests, such as reading "Archie" comics and "Twilight" and watching chick flicks such as "Bridget Jones's Diary". It is speculated that Raj might be gay due to his feminine interests and his close friendship with Howard, with whom he has arguments similar to those of a married couple. However, Raj has always stated that he is straight, but metrosexual. He was infatuated with Penny, and secretly wrote love poems about Bernadette.
Raj is a Hindu and believes in karma (reincarnation), but eats beef. He is very shy around women outside of his family, and during the first six seasons of the show, found himself unable to speak to women while in their presence unless he drank alcoholic beverages, or believed he had done so. He eventually is able to get over this condition and starts to, unsuccessfully and for short periods, date women.
Raj makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of "Young Sheldon", he was portrayed by Rishabh Prabhat as a child.
Leslie Winkle.
Leslie Winkle, PhD (portrayed by Sara Gilbert; main: season 2; recurring: season 1; guest: seasons 3 and 9) is an experimental physicist who shares her lab with Leonard. In appearance, she is essentially Leonard's female counterpart, equipped with black-framed glasses and sweat jackets. She suffers from lazy eye. She is one of Sheldon's archenemies due to their conflicting scientific ideas and takes every opportunity to insult Sheldon for mistreating her.
The character is based on Gilda, a coworker to Leonard and Sheldon envisioned by creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady in the unaired original pilot.
Bernadette Rostenkowski.
Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, PhD (portrayed by Melissa Rauch; main: seasons 4–12; recurring: season 3) is originally a waitress and co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory, using her wages to pay for her graduate studies in microbiology. She is a smart, short-tempered, ruthless, competitive young woman. Despite her short stature and squeaky voice, she is regarded as being intimidating, largely because of her sharp tongue, aggressive demeanor and tendency to be a bully. A recurring joke in the series references Bernadette and her lab team handling dangerous or infectious specimens, leading to accidental byproducts.
While initially not getting along with Howard's mother, she eventually becomes like her, domineering and passive aggressive, even adopting her signature yell.
She and Howard have two children, Halley and Neil Michael (who they call Michael), in seasons 10 and 11 respectively.
Bernadette is of Polish origin and Catholic upbringing, and was originally seen wearing a cross necklace.
Bernadette makes a brief non-speaking cameo as a child in the Season 2 finale of "Young Sheldon", she was portrayed by A. J. Coggeshall as a child.
Amy Fowler.
Amy Farrah Fowler, PhD (portrayed by Mayim Bialik; main "The Big Bang Theory": seasons 4–12; guest: "The Big Bang Theory" season 3, "Young Sheldon" season 4, 7) is a neuroscientist with a research focus on addiction in primates and invertebrates, occasionally mentioning such experiments involving addiction. (Bialik herself has a PhD in neuroscience.) She is Sheldon's love interest in the series, and they marry at the end of season 11. They are revealed to have children in "Young Sheldon".
Early on, Amy is essentially a female counterpart to Sheldon; as the series progresses, she begins a campaign to increase Sheldon's feelings for her by becoming more involved in his interests, including video games and "Star Trek", and treating him as his mother did.
In 2020, a year after "The Big Bang Theory" went off the air, it was revealed that Kate Micucci, who ultimately got the role of Lucy, had auditioned for the role of Amy Farrah Fowler.
Amy makes two appearances in "Young Sheldon". She makes an appearance as a child in the Season 2 finale where she is portrayed in a non-speaking role by Lily Sanfelippo. Bialik returns to play Amy in the narration of the season 4 premiere, and in a physical appearance in the series finale.
Stuart Bloom.
Stuart David Bloom (portrayed by Kevin Sussman; main: seasons 6 and 8–12; recurring: seasons 2–5 and 7) runs the Comic Center in Pasadena, the comic book store that the characters often visit. Stuart is characterized by his low self-esteem and loneliness, which often result in pathetic attempts to engage with women and win favor with the gang. This is despite owning his own business and being a talented portraiture artist who attended the Rhode Island School of Design.
One of the running gags on the show is Stuart's medical situation. It is depicted as disastrous, so much so that he can be seen under various medical treatments. He is said to have depression and possible malnutrition, among other problems.
In the last season, Stuart's life seems to be turning around. His comic store becomes successful and he gets a steady, long-term relationship.
Kevin Sussman was a recurring guest actor from seasons two to five, and was promoted to starring role for the sixth season onwards.
Emily Sweeney.
Emily Sweeney, M.D., (portrayed by Laura Spencer; main: season 9; recurring: seasons 7–8; guest: season 10) is a dermatology resident at Huntington Hospital, whom Raj finds on an online dating site. Raj enlists Amy's help to be his "online wingman" and talk to Emily in his behalf. Amy tells Emily about this and it puts her off. Amy and Emily end up hitting it off, having both gone to Harvard and both being into quilting. While Amy and Emily are at lunch together, Raj crashes the lunch. This drives Emily away from both Raj and Amy this time. Later, Raj and Emily meet again, accidentally and hit it off. They eventually double date with Howard and Bernadette, which horrifies Howard. He and Emily had a horrible date, which ended because Howard had gas station sushi, got food poisoning and clogged and overflowed her toilet. Emily is not afraid to stand up for herself or to others when necessary. She is shown to have a slightly alarming personality trait: she delights in the macabre.
Raj ends up breaking up with her before Valentine's Day so he could be with Claire (Alessandra Olivia Toreson). Unfortunately for Raj, Claire had just gotten back together with her boyfriend. So, he eventually lost them both. Emily attempted to get back into Raj's good graces and did manage to sleep with him one last time, but it didn't last.
Laura Spencer was a recurring guest actress on the series in seasons seven and eight. During production of season 9, she was promoted to a "fractional" starring role; the upgraded status ensured her availability on an as-needed basis, without requiring her in every episode. She returned as a guest in season 10.
"Young Sheldon" main characters.
Mary Cooper.
Mary Cooper ("née" Tucker) (portrayed by Laurie Metcalf in "The Big Bang Theory"; recurring: seasons 7 and 9–12; guest: seasons 1 and 3–5 and by Zoe Perry in "Young Sheldon") is Sheldon's short-tempered, but loving and deeply religious mother from Texas. She is able to control Sheldon, with Leonard once describing her to Penny as "Sheldon's kryptonite". A devout Southern Baptist, she also has two other children — Sheldon's twin sister, Missy, and brother, Georgie, who is five years older than the twins. Her husband, a rambunctious alcoholic, was also named George, but he later died in Sheldon's childhood. To Mary's relief, her other children do not share Sheldon's precociousness, even once commenting to Leonard, "I thank the good Lord my other kids are as dumb as soup". Mary herself is not intellectual but is quite wise, though she is prone to making outdated and insensitive remarks. She is nevertheless kind at heart and is tolerant of other faiths. Leonard wishes his mother were as loving as Sheldon's mother, although Sheldon himself appears at best ambivalent about her parenting. Sheldon mentions that Mary once hit him with a Bible because he refused to eat his Brussels sprouts. She apparently thought something was wrong with her son while he was growing up since Sheldon will often remark after someone calls him crazy, "I'm not crazy; my mother had me tested!" Mary confirms this, though she wishes that she had taken him to Houston for further testing.
A younger version of Mary, played by Zoe Perry, is a main character in the prequel series "Young Sheldon". Perry is Metcalf's real life daughter.
George Cooper Sr..
George Cooper Sr. (portrayed by Lance Barber; main: "Young Sheldon"; guest "The Big Bang Theory" season 11) was the husband of Mary Cooper and father of Georgie, Sheldon, and Missy. He was the high school football coach for Medford High. In "The Big Bang Theory", it is established that he died when Sheldon and Missy were fourteen years old due to an off-screen heart attack.
Barber previously portrayed Jimmy Speckerman in one episode of "The Big Bang Theory" (guest: season 5).
Georgie Cooper.
<templatestyles src="Template:Visible anchor/styles.css" />George Marshall "Georgie" Cooper Jr. (portrayed by Jerry O'Connell as an adult; recurring: "The Big Bang Theory" seasons 11–12 and Montana Jordan as a youth; "Young Sheldon" and "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage") is Sheldon and Missy's older brother who resides in Texas and runs a car tire business. Often at odds while growing up, the Cooper brothers later reconcile their differences