"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a song by Canadian recording artist

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

, released as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from her second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, '' One Wish'' (1998). Written by Montell Jordan and its producer, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, the song was released on the same day as the album, on September 15, 1998, by

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

. It is Cox's most successful song, peaking at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for eight weeks and spending a then-record 14 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart. In 2017, ''Billboard'' ranked the song at number five on its "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart.

Critical reception

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 musi ...

of ''

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 advertis ...

'' wrote, "Cox previews her second

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

with a stirring old-school

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

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 tale 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 Hex Hector (born Héctor Ortiz) is an American music producer and remixer. Early life Hector was born Héctor Ortiz in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. Career Hex Hector's interest in music began at an early ...

'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."

Commercial performance

"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the week of December 5, 1998, and remained there for eight consecutive 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 chart for 1999. The song reached number one on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart on the week of November 7, 1998, and remained there for 14 weeks. At the end of 1999, "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" ranked at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks year-end chart. The song was remixed by

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

producer

, and peaked at number one on the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart in the week of October 24, 1998. As of 1999, the song has sold 1,900,000 copies in the United States and has been certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Awards

* 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 listings

US CD and cassette single, European CD single # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" – 4:10 # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (dance mix) – 4:13 US maxi-CD single # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (

'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 US 12-inch single :A1. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Hex Hector's club mix) – 10:07 :A2. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (original version) – 4:21 :B1. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Hex's dub) – 6:17 :B2. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Hex's beats) – 4:02 :B3. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (dance radio mix) – 4:13 UK CD1 # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" ( Club 69 radio mix) – 3:49 # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (album version) – 4:21 # " Sentimental" (album version) – 4:26 UK CD2 # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Club 69 radio mix) – 3:49 # " It's Over Now" (Hex Retro-Future club mix) – 7:27 # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (Hex Hector dance radio mix) – 4:13 Australian CD single # "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (original version) – 4:21 # "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 instrumental) – 4:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobody's Supposed To Be Here 1990s ballads 1998 singles 1998 songs Arista Records singles Bertelsmann Music Group singles Contemporary R&B ballads Deborah Cox songs Music videos directed by Darren Grant Songs written by Montell Jordan Songs written by Shep Crawford Soul ballads