How Did You Get Here Nobody's Supposed To Be Here

1998 single by Deborah Cox

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here"

Single by Deborah Cox

from the album One Wish

Released

September 22, 1998

Recorded

1998

Genre

R&B
soul

Length

4:22

Label

Arista

Songwriter(s)

Montell Jordan
Anthony "Shep" Crawford

Producer(s)

Anthony "Shep" Crawford

Deborah Cox singles chronology

"Things Just Ain't the Same"
(1997)

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here"
(1998)

"It's Over Now"
(1999)

Music video

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" on YouTube

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is the lead single released by Canadian recording artist Deborah Cox from her second studio album One Wish (1998). It is Cox's most successful song, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks,^[1] and spending a then-record fourteen weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[2] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song at number five on its "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart.^[3] It is written and produced by Anthony "Shep" Crawford.

Commercial performance [edit]

The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week of 5 December 1998, and remained there for eight consecutive weeks.^[4] It was held from the top spot by R. Kelly and Celine Dion's 'I'm Your Angel' (for six weeks) and Brandy's 'Have You Ever?' (for two weeks), making it one of the longest stays at number two in Billboard history. The song ranked at number nine on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999.

The song reached number one on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the week of 7 November 1998, and remained there for a then-record-breaking fourteen weeks.^[5] This record was tied by Mariah Carey in 2005 with her song "We Belong Together", and then broken by Mary J. Blige in 2006 with "Be Without You", which spent fifteen weeks at number one. During this period, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held four Hot 100 number-one singles out of the top position: "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill (three weeks), "Lately" by Divine (two weeks), the aforementioned "Have You Ever?" (four weeks), and "Angel of Mine" by Monica (one week), as well as the number 7-peaking "Love Like This" by Faith Evans (three weeks). The song ranked at number two on the Billboard Year-End R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of 1999,^[6] and at number five on the Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.^[7]

The song was remixed by dance music producer Hex Hector, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in the week of 24 October 1998.^[8]

As of 1999, the song has sold 1,900,000 copies in the United States^[9] ^[10] and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[11]

Critical reception [edit]

Larry Flick of Billboard wrote, "Cox previews her second album with a stirring old-school soul ballad that's perhaps the best vocal showcase she's ever had. The groove cruises at a languid, finger-poppin' jeep pace, giving her plenty of room to get down and dirty, vamping as if she's lived every syllable of the song's talé of a love fraught with drama. Justice prevailing, pop and R&B radio programmers will find this a refreshing change of pace from the saccharine ballads currently glutting the airwaves. And if they don't, they'll have Hex Hector's wholly accessible uptempo dance reconstruction to embrace. It's easily among the best efforts of the young remixer's career. In all, this is a fine single hinting that Cox is about to pay off on all of the promise and hype generated by her first album two years ago."^[12]

Awards [edit]

1998: Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Single – Female
1999: Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year

Track listing [edit]

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Hex Hector's Club Mix) – 10:07
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Dance Radio Mix) – 4:13
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Hex's Dub) – 6:17
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Original Version) – 4:21
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Original Version Instrumental) – 4:21

Other versions [edit]

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Special Slow-To-Fast Version) – 3:42 (featured on the 2004 compilation album Ultimate Deborah Cox)

In 2015, UK house producer Weiss sampled song for his track "Our Love".

Charts [edit]

Certifications and sales [edit]

Usage in media [edit]

The Hex Hector Dance Mix version of this song was featured on episode 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 3) during the "Lip Sync for Your Legacy" between BeBe Zahara Benet and BenDeLaCreme.

References [edit]

^ "The Hot 100 Chart".
^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart".
^ "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart".
^ "The Hot 100 Chart".
^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart".
^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/hot-r-b-hip-hop-songs
^ Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
^ "Dance Club Songs Chart".
^ "Best-Selling Records of 1998". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 5. BPI Communications Inc. January 30, 1999. p. 75. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
^ "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112 no. 4. BPI Communications Inc. January 22, 2000. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
^ "Gold & Platinum Certifications - Deborah Cox "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here"". Retrieved 2017-03-10 .
^ Flick, Larry (1998-08-22). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 16. Retrieved 2020-12-06 .
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6996." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7002." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 6976." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Deborah Cox – Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Íslenski Listinn (22.1–29.1. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 22, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
^ "Deborah Cox – Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard . Retrieved May 19, 2020.
^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "RPM's Top 50 Dance Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Billboardtop100of.com . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
^ "Billboard Year-End R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of 1998". Billboard . Retrieved March 10, 2017.
^ "RPM 1999 Top 50 Dance Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Billboardtop100of.com . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
^ "Billboard Year-End R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of 1999". Billboard . Retrieved March 10, 2017.
^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard . Retrieved October 15, 2010.
^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard . Retrieved 10 December 2018.
^ "Billboard Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Retrieved March 10, 2017.
^ "Best-Selling Records of 1998". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 5. BPI Communications Inc. January 30, 1999. p. 75. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
^ "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112 no. 4. BPI Communications Inc. January 22, 2000. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
^ "American single certifications – Cox, Deborah – Nobody%27s Supposed to Be Here". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links [edit]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics