Say My Name

Lyrics Meaning of Say My Name by Destinys Child

Destiny’s Child did not like producer’s Rodney Jerkins original track.

“I don’t think he liked it either. There was just too much stuff going on,” Beyoncé said years later, before Jerkins reworked it and “turned it into an amazing, timeless R&B record.”

A larger scandal occured when manager (and Beyoncé’s father) Mathew Knowles replaced LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson with Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams and they sang the former members’ parts in the track’s video.

Say My Name" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, The Writing's on the Wall in 1999.

It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, and Rodney Jerkins, featuring production by the latter.

While the song features the vocals of the group's original line-up consisting of Luckett and Roberson, the music video for the single marked the introduction of the group's second line-up with then-new members Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, whom they were replaced with.

Lyrically, "Say My Name" has a female protagonist telephoning her lover and suspecting him of cheating.

She asks him to "say her name". The young man hesitates, and the narrator believes it is because he does not want the girl he is cheating with to know who she is.

Jerkins supported the song's lyrics with a backing track that shifts back and forth in dynamics, steadily bringing different elements.

Knowles sings lead on the verses and bridge and leads the melody of the chorus with Kelly Rowland adding the second part harmony. LeToya Luckett sings the high harmony on the pre-chorus and second chorus. LaTavia Roberson sings second part harmony with LeToya on the pre-chorus and sings the bottom harmony late in the second chorus.

"Say My Name" was the group's first collaboration with producer-songwriter Rodney Jerkins, who was one out of several people hired to work with Destiny's Child on their second album.

The demo for the track had a different approach and Jerkins said that it was inspired by 2-step garage music he heard while in a club in London.

When they wrote the song, however, the lead singer Beyoncé Knowles was initially displeased with the track they were working on. She commented that there was "too much stuff" on the track and it sounded like a "jungle".

During the photo shoot for the album, Beyoncé's father-manager Mathew Knowles went to the studio informing her that Jerkins reworked on the track she "hated". He told her to "just have to take a listen to it". When the new mix was played to the group, they liked it.

"Say My Name" was the most successful of the four singles from The Writing's on the Wall, becoming Destiny's Child's second number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Critically acclaimed, the song won two Grammy Awards at the 2001 ceremony for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song, while also being nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Say My Name lyrics by Destinys Child

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Why the sudden change?

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Better say my name

Any other day

I would call, you would say

"Baby, how's your day?"

But today, it ain't the same

Every other word is "Uh huh", "Yeah, OK"

Could it be that you are at the crib with another lady?

If you took it there

First of all let me say

I am not the one to sit around and be played

So prove yourself to me

If I'm the girl that you claim

Why don't you say the things

That you said to me yesterday

I know you say that I am assuming things

Something's going down, that's the way it seems

Shouldn't be no reason why you're acting strange

If nobody's holding you back from me

'Cause I know how you usually do

Where you're saying everything to me times two

Why can't you just tell the truth?

If somebody's there, then tell me who

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Why the sudden change?

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Better say my name

What is up with this?

Tell the truth, who you with?

How would you like it if I came over with my clique?

Don't try to change it now

See you gotta bounce

When two seconds ago

Said you just got in the house

It's hard to believe that you are at home by yourself

When I just heard the voice, heard the voice of someone else

Just this question why do you feel you gotta lie?

Getting caught up in your game

When you cannot say my name

I know you say that I am assuming things

Something's going down, that's the way it seems

Shouldn't be no reason why you're acting strange

If nobody's holding you back from me

'Cause I know how you usually do

Where you're saying everything to me times two

Why can't you just tell the truth?

If somebody's there, then tell me who

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Why the sudden change?

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you (If ain't nothing changed, oh)

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game (Baby, say my name)

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Better say my name

Where my ladies at

(Yea yea yea yea yea yea)

Can you say that, come on

(Yea yea yea yea, yea yea yea yea, yea yea yea)

All the girls say

(Yea yea yea yea, yea yea yea yea)

I can't hear you

(Yea yea yea yea)

All my ladies say

(Yea yea yea yea, yea yea yea yea)

All the girls say

(Yea yea yea yea, yea yea yea yea)

Break it down

(Oh woo, oh)

What what what

D.C., take it to the bridge

Come on

I know you say that I am assuming things

Something's going down, that's the way it seems

Shouldn't be no reason why you're acting strange

If nobody's holding you back from me

'Cause I know how you usually do

Where you're saying everything to me times two

Why can't you just tell the truth?

If somebody's there, then tell me who

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

(Call me your boo)

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

(And tell me what you'd like to me, whoa)

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Why the sudden change?

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Better say my name

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Why the sudden change?

Say my name, say my name

When no one is around you

Say baby I love you

If you ain't runnin' game

Say my name, say my name

You actin' kinda shady

Ain't callin' me "baby"

Better say my name

Thou shalt know if she can't love you