Happy 25th Anniversary to Ginuwine’s debut album Ginuwine… The Bachelor, originally released October 8, 1996.
Until August 20, 1996, the music world had yet to be introduced to the R&B artist known as Ginuwine. On this day, 550 Music/Epic Records released the single “Pony,” co-written by Ginuwine and Swing Mob members Static Major (R.I.P.) and Timbaland. Many people believe this single was not only the breakthrough record for singer-songwriter Ginuwine, but also for the then up-and-coming producer Timbaland, who ended up producing the entirety of Ginuwine… The Bachelor. According to Timbaland, he was one of—if not the—youngest producer at that time orchestrating complete albums.
Other than the catchy chorus, Timbaland’s creative flare behind the board is what set this record apart from other R&B music at the time, owing to its combination of drum and bass music, coupled with a bassline and melody that he later proclaimed was vocoded vocal samples. “Pony” peaked on the Billboard Hip-Hop and R&B charts at number one for two weeks beginning on November 30, 1996.
The early success that “Pony” garnered subsequently elevated the album’s commercial profile, as it impressively reached number 26 on the Billboard 200 album chart and peaked at number 14 on the R&B/hip-hop album chart—very successful numbers for a debut album. Even more so when you consider the stiff competition across the R&B landscape in 1996, with notable albums like Blackstreet’s Another Level, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, Aaliyah’s One In A Million, and Keith Sweat’s self-titled LP jockeying for attention. In fact, by January of 1997, The Bachelor would already by certified gold, marking 500,000 units sold, with it ultimately achieving double-platinum status by March 1999 for 2 million units sold).
While “Pony” still commands the lion’s share of recognition from this album, there are some very underrated tracks worth celebrating. The album’s second single “Tell Me Do You Wanna” may have yielded minimal chart presence beyond a top 20 showing in the UK, but nevertheless, the song’s instantly memorable chorus (“Tell me do you want to go home with me? Tell me do you want to come creep with me? Tell me do you want to get wild with me? Tell me do you want to go home?”) would help it remain a staple among R&B heads for years to come:
Ginuwine’s unique cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” was the project’s third single, offering one of the most memorable moments from the album by way of the sound effects of actual doves throughout the entire track. Typically, classics are to be left alone, but this reignition of Purple Rain’s lead single worked, peaking at number 16 on the R&B chart. The instrumental alone could likely get airplay, but you add a classic by Prince on top of it? Absolute genius by Timbaland, once again, with similar drum and bass patterns as heard on “Tell Me Do You Wanna.”
The Bachelor’s final single was “Holler,” which was co-written by Lushone "Nikki" Siplin (rapper on the track) and of course Timbaland. “Holler” highlighted the New Jack Swing sound that was brought to the forefront by Ginuwine’s predecessors like Bobby Brown and Teddy Riley, among others.
As a kid hearing this album and not being allowed to listen to hip-hop yet (even though I did), this album was as close as I could get without hearing any grumble from my dad. I can vividly remember hearing the hip-hop heavy “550 What” in the car and jamming, while my dad had that knowing “I’ll allow it” attitude. It was just that good.
Thinking back to the first time I heard some of these songs, I knew this album was next-level and likely ahead of its time. In my opinion, when someone brings up the conversation of the best debut albums of all-time, and The Bachelor isn’t mentioned—just end the conversation. Thanks in no small part to Ginuwine’s dynamic debut, 1996 was a monumental year not only for him, but more broadly, for all of R&B music.
A few years back, Ginuwine spoke with Billboard about the heavy weight of newfound expectations that followed his debut’s breakout success. Reflecting on how he felt after the success of The Bachelor, he confided, “[It was] very scary because you always hear about the sophomore jinx. I was like, ‘Man, how am I going to top this?’” In hindsight, he topped it all right. In 1999, he released his sophomore album 100% Ginuwine, which was also eventually certified double-platinum.
The Bachelor was only the beginning for Ginuwine and little did he or we know that he would end up having two double-platinum albums, one platinum album, and one gold LP to his credit. Indeed, the year 1996 and Ginuwine… The Bachelor ended up representing just the beginning of what has proven to be a triumphant career for the Washington D.C. native.
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