The Boss (Diana Ross song)

Weekly charts

The Braxtons version

"The Boss"
Single by The Braxtons
from the album So Many Ways
Released	March 17, 1997
Recorded	1996
Length	9:41 (album version) 4:27 (video version) 4:13 (radio edit)
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Ashford & Simpson
Producer(s)	Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez "Little" Louie Vega
The Braxtons singles chronology
"Only Love" (1997) "The Boss" (1997) "Slow Flow" (1997)

American R&B group the Braxtons released a cover of "The Boss" in 1997. The song was written by Ashford & Simpson and produced by Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, "Little" Louie Vega. It was released on March 17, 1997 as the third single from their first studio album, So Many Ways (1996).

Critical reception

In his review of the So Many Ways album, Peter Miro from Cash Box wrote, "Can't say "The Boss" by Diana Ross belongs on the collection, unless it's there to appeal to a techno-oriented dance crowd. Its straight-up hip-hop intro would have made a nice tune if it was fleshed out, but the rest of it sounds incongruous on this otherwise tranquil, luxuriant disc." Jeremy Newall from Music Week's RM Dance Update praised the track, rating it five out of five. He added, "Live bass, real strings and disco drums capture the lush feeling of the original in breathtaking style."

Commercial performance

On February 1, 1997 the Masters At Work version topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week a #1 in the United States. The song stayed in the chart for 14 weeks.

On March 29, 1997, the song debuted at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. The song spent a total of three weeks on the chart at numbers 50 and 69 respectively before leaving the Top 75 on April 12, 1997, becoming their second top 40 in the UK.

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, featuring The Braxtons Trina, Towanda and Tamar with a length of the video at 4 minutes and 27 seconds. The video starts with Towanda kissing goodbye her lover as he rushes off to work. Then the video brings you to a living room where Towanda, Trina, and Tamar are singing and dancing.

The video also shows them talking on the phone to each other and also singing by a tree. The plot of the video revolves around Towanda acquiring photos of her husband with another woman, and after he leaves for work, the sisters have a garage sale clearing out the entire house. The video ends with Towanda's husband coming home to an empty house with the pictures left in an envelope on the floor.

Credits

• Producer, Mixed by – Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, "Little" Louie Vega*
• Executive producer – Bryant Reid

Track listings and formats

Charts

Release history

Other cover versions

On February 12, 2008, American dance-pop singer Kristine W released a cover of this song as the first single off her album The Power of Music. Kristine's version also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in March 2008, becoming her eleventh US dance chart-topper and the third version of the song to top this survey.

The song was covered by Ashford and Simpson during a televised live concert special in 1982, and by Whitney Houston during her live shows in 1997/98.

Korean pop singer J covered the song on her 2001 special English album Chocolate.

Louise performed the song on her Heavy Love Tour.

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1979 (U.S.)