tlc’s “no scrubs” is the best ranked song that incorporates a harpsichord
Chart Insight
Leading the charge of other ‘90’s songs at the top of the list, it’s TLC’s “No Scrubs” that people speak of the most which incorporates the sounds of the classical instrument.
BY HARPSICHORD
OCTOBER 12, 2023
Digital illustration of TLC holding their Video of the Year trophy at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.
Describing “The Tao of Rick” for GQ Magazine in 2013, the article’s author, Mike Kessler, mentions how legendary hip hop producer and record executive, Rick Rubin, plays Simon and Garfunkel’s 1968 song, “Scarborough Fair/Canticle.” When Kessler’s ear assigns different instruments he hears coming out the left and right speakers, the harpsichord becomes prevalent. Simon and Garfunkel are noted for being pioneers of contemporary pop music as we know it today— most notably with their The Graduate film signature, “Mrs. Robinson.” While “Mrs. Robinson” showcased brilliant songwriting, it’s “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” that highlights the earnestness of contemporary production that utilizes classic instrumentation.
To put it in layman’s terms the harpsichord has the gothic energy of an organ, while carrying a heavenly brightness and lightness. The morbidity of the former instrument clashes against the whimsical tones of the harpsichord. By definition, the harpsichord is a stringed instrument attached to a keyboard that consists of 60 keys (differing from the 81 of a standardized piano). During the 16th to 18th century of the Renaissance art period, composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederic Handel, were only limited to five octaves, but created transcending masterpieces.
Simply speaking, this publication gets its name after the instrument, because like the harpsichord, it goes on “music tangents” despite its limited capabilities.
During the 1960’s, the harpsichord became essential for invoking the flower child power of that era’s pop and rock music. Notably, Phil Spector brought the lush sound of the classic instrument— contributing to a genre known as baroque pop. In 1964, Spector brought the sound to The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” Other rock acts such as The Mamas & The Papas utilized the harpsichord on their classics like “Monday, Monday.” That leads us to our No. 5 entry from The Beatles, “All You Need Is Love”; and the No. 13 entry from Simon and Garfunkel, a song that brings a twist on a traditional English ballad about a lover from that region in the UK.
Going into the 70’s, the harpsichord enhanced the Philadelphia Soul genre of R&B. Most notably with the production work of Thom Bell. His recent death in December 2022, has brought forth a slew of journalistic obituaries that mention how he incorporated the harpsichord into his brand of soul music. He has the sole production credit on the No. 11 entry, “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” from The Spinners.
Also from the 1970’s is Jackson 5’s in memoriam staple, “I’ll Be There,” which eases the harpsichord throughout Michael’s lead singing. That song lands at No. 6 for its music significance and influence (notably through covers by the likes of Mariah Carey). Ironically, as Michael Jackson grew older in the late ‘70s, disco music became the central genre. And through disco, the harpsichord received a resurgence somewhat— as evident by the No. 10 entry of Donna Summer’s cover of “MacArthur Park.” Social media has taken a liking to disco, as Summer and her classics are often mentioned on social media when discussing the popularity of Black music. Also needed to be added to that list is Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “Fantasy” (No. 7) which has the instrument start out the ditty.
Unfortunately this chart doesn’t have an entry from the 1980’s (maybe the closest example of almost making the cut is our bubbling’ under entry, “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell with background assistance from… you guessed it, Michael Jackson). This fact may be due to how futuristic R&B of the ‘90’s (which became a foundation of today’s Pop&B), dominating this specific chart: Harpsichord’s “Tastemaker’s Top 13 Uses of the Harpsichord Sound.” Out of 13 entries, five of them are from this era of late 90’s R&B. This R&B era of incorporating the harpsichord— or rather the sound (we’ll get to that soon…) has been universally praised throughout media, social media, and in-person exchanges in real life.
The production work of artists such as Timbaland, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and Darkchild, is what fueled a blend of UK genres such as drum and bass, garage, and trip-hop into R&B. This genre fusion could be known as electro-hop&B for its electric usage of synths and 808’s that feel like they are hopping in outer space. The entire top four is occupied by this genre of music, with Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” at No. 4, Monica’s “Angel of Mine” at No. 3, and Destiny Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills” at No. 2. In 2000, audiences were delighted by the No. 8 entry, P!nk’s “There You Go.”
The harpsichord has made a re-emergence in the 2010’s. Swizz Beatz is known to be a producing maestro in hip hop, where he lands the only rap entry on the charts: 2023’s “Take ‘Em Out.” The harpsichord sounds menacing on this track, like heroic stadium music– and each featured artist (Benny The Butcher, Jadakiss, and ScarLip) dismantle the track with fire verses.
At No. 9 is a more controversial choice. Taylor Swift incorporates the harpsichord in her folklore fan favorite “Betty,” but the harpsichord sound is more prominent in “Death By A Thousand Cuts” from 2019’s Lover. The song is produced by Jack Antonoff, who is actually using a synthesizer and keyboards. However the sound he creates is merry like the higher notes of a harpsichord. After all, this is a critic’s chart, so we bent the rules just a little bit. What’s the harm in that?
All of this being said, our No. 1 entry is TLC’s “No Scrubs.” The harpsichord sound is the first “duh duh da dah” we hear as soon as the track goes from 0:00 to 0:01. This song is universally loved for the most part: You can hear it at just about any party, bar, nightclub, Tik Tok video, radio, etc. And with Doechii receiving much success for “What It Is (Block Boy),” which samples “No Scrubs,” the song is relevant today.
