"I Missed the Bus" is a song by American hip-hop duo

Kris Kross Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discover ...

. It was released in September 1992 as the third single from their debut album, ''

Totally Krossed Out ''Totally Krossed Out'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was produced and largely written by Jermaine Dupri and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo and released on March 31, 1992, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. ...

'' (1992).

Release

"I Missed the Bus" was the third single from ''

'', following "

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump St ...

" and "

Warm It Up "Warm It Up" is the second single released from Kris Kross' debut album, ''Totally Krossed Out''. Produced and written by Jermaine Dupri, "Warm It Up" was released as the follow-up to the duo's multi-platinum chart topping hit, "Jump" on June 4, ...

", both of which made it to #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rap Singles chart. Though the single was not as successful as the group's previous two, "I Missed the Bus" managed to make it to #14 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and #63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was written and produced by Jermaine Dupri. It contains samples from the song "

Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow", also known as "Baretta's Theme", is a song written by Morgan Ames and Dave Grusin, recorded by multiple artists during the summer of 1975. Merry Clayton's version was the first to chart, reaching #45 on the U.S. ...

" which was performed by

Sammy Davis, Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

Critical reception

In his review of the album, Steve Huey from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

viewed the song as "self-explanatory".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' commented, "Currently in the midst of its first U.S. concert tour, kid duo digs into its triple-platinum debut, "''

''", and pulls out a contagious anthem that is (gratefully) not as derivative of "

" as the previous "

". Pro-education message is well-timed with back-to-school season and should click with teen audiences."

Music video

The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, which received heavy play on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

, employs satirical horror movie imagery to illustrate the anxiety of missing the bus and being late for school. The bus driver is depicted as a dancing

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

with rotting, mottled flesh. A female school teacher appears as a bizarre creature with compound eyes, reminiscent of the protagonist of '' The Fly'' films, while her students are catatonic, nodding drones, covered in cobwebs and hypnotized by her powers. Dupri appears as a magistrate in a judicial wig, convicting the tardy duo in a kangaroo court, pounding a gavel and occasionally scratching turntables.

Track listing

#"I Missed the Bus" (Backwards To School Radio Version)- 3:00 #"I Missed the Bus" (School Crossing Mix)- 2:56

Charts

References

External links

* {{authority control 1992 singles Kris Kross songs Songs written by Jermaine Dupri Song recordings produced by Jermaine Dupri 1992 songs Ruffhouse Records singles