Chart Rewind: D’Angelo Lifted ‘Untitled’ to Its Hot 100 Peak This Week in 2000

Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.

So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.

In honor of his birthday (February 11), we feel like remembering 2000’s ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)’ – the timeless sensual jam from R&B maverick D’Angelo. Join us inside:

Richmond-born singer-songwriter Michael Archer, better known as D’Angelo, is credited as one of the prized voices to birth and front the Neo-Soul movement of the mid-90s. Bursting on to the scene with 1995’s ‘Brown Sugar,’ the then-21-year-old’s syrupy croon poured over inaugural hits ‘Lady,’ ‘Brown Sugar’ (the song), and more helped take his debut LP right into the Billboard 200’s top 30 (#22 peak). Pressure to see his sophomore effort meet or exceed that of its predecessor led Archer to a self-imposed sabbatical (which he accredited to writer’s block).

That hiatus came to an end at the top of 2000 when the R&B star released ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel).’ Co-written with Raphael Saadiq, the slow-burning bedroom ready jam not only oozed a sensuality missing from most of the day’s chart-toppers (thanks to the domination of Hip Hop and bubblegum Teen Pop) but its vintage styling was a well-received throwback to the early offerings of Prince. As if the song wasn’t enough to sell itself, D’Angelo accompanied it with an eye-popping music video. Proving that “less is (certainly) more,” the visual’s simple black backdrop helped to ensure attention was never taken away from spinning crooner and his chiseled physique. Critical response to the visual helped hoist the tune to a #25 peak on the Hot 100 (where it was found this week in 2000).

Standing as the second highest peak of his career on the tally (a feat that remains as of today), the song’s reception later pushed its parent project, ‘Voodoo,’ to #1 on the Billboard 200.

Look below to see who joined D in the top half of the Hot 100 this week 20 years ago:

Hot 100 This Week in 2000

Hot 100 This Week

Click here to read this week’s full Hot 100 chart check.