Aaliyah Feat. R.Kelly – Back & Forth

“Back & Forth” is a song written by R. Kelly for American singer Aaliyah’s debut studio album Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number (1994). Its lyrics chronicle a teenage girl’s excitement to celebrate the weekend by going to a party and having fun with her friends. The music video for the song was shot in her hometown of Detroit and features Aaliyah and Kelly performing in a gym with her real-life friends from high school.

The song was released as the album’s lead single in early 1994 (see 1994 in music), and certified gold by the RIAA on June 9, 1994. It spent three weeks at number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, and peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first single to do so. The single was ranked second on the year-end chart of Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. The single was also among the top-ten singles in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and Australia.
The music video for “Back & Forth” was directed by Millicent Shelton. “Back & Forth” was filmed in February 1994 as Aaliyah’s first music video. It opens with a male entering a (school) gym, bouncing a basketball. When the song kicks in, there are cuts of people entering the gym and people playing basketball. Aaliyah enters wearing baggy clothing, a bandana and shades. She sings the song by the gym’s entrance. In other parts of the clip she is seen dancing in the middle of the gymnasium with a crowd moving around her, sitting with R. Kelly in the bleachers and performing on a stage to her fans.
Intro:
Let me see you go back
(Oooh is the L-I-Y-A-H)
Let me see you come forth
(repeat 4X)
Verse 1:
It’s Friday and I’m ready to swing, (hey)
Pick up my girls and hit the party scene
Tonight, oh oh oh it’s alright
So get up and let this funky mellow groove
Get you in the mood
Cause you know it’s alright
Bridge:
So Mr.DJ keep the music groovin (keep on groovin)
Don’t stop movin’ (don’t stop movin)
Let me see you, let me see you go..
Chorus:
Back, back, forth and forth
Back, back, forth and forth
Back, back, forth and forth
Back, back, forth and forth
Now’s the time for you to make your move,
To the dancefloor (Woah)
So throw your hands in the air (Yeah)
And wave ’em round like you just don’t care (Why?)
Ooh it’s the L-I-Y-A-H, rippin’ up the stage
I got jazz personality, jeep mentality, beats for soul train
So Mr.DJ keep the music groovin (keep on groovin)
Don’t stop movin’ (don’t stop movin)
Let me see you, let me see you go.
Chorus:
Back, back, forth and forth
Back, back, forth and forth
Back, back, forth and forth
Back, back, forth and forth
Rap (R. Kelly):
Oh, here’s the formality, get up on the you see,
Show your personality, be who you wanna be,
Tell me…
(Aaliyah)
So can you feel the groove movin’ with Aaliy-oooooooh
Hey, I wanna keep this party goin’ on all night
So Mr.DJ keep the music groovin (keep on groovin)
Don’t stop movin’ (don’t stop movin)
Now let me see you go back and forth, back and forth
(chorus x2)
Oooh it’s the L-I-Y-A-H till fade…