Destiny’s Child: 20 Years of ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’

The summer of 1999. We were on the cusp of Y2K, leaving the last of the 90s R&B golden years behind. Destiny’s Child returned with a vengeance on their second album, The Writing’s on the Wall. The project boldly defied the sophomore jinx and became the group’s biggest selling album to date (over 8,000,000 units in the US alone). What made this album such a big hit? Let’s travel down memory lane to revisit why The Writing’s on the Wall was such an important album.

The Revolving Lineup

The Writing’s on the Wall was not only the last album with all original members but their most controversial. The lineup of Beyonce, Kelly, LeToya, and LaTavia literally switched overnight. Beyonce, Kelly, Michelle and Farrah (for an extremely brief stint) were the new fierce foursome. When the “Say My Name” music video debuted, so did the two new members of the group – without any notice to the fans. However, LeToya and LaTavia revealed creative differences with management (Matthew Knowles) as the reason why they left (or ahem…were kicked out of) the group. Ironically, Kelly and Beyonce fired him as their manager a few years later. The music was good, but the unraveling scandal was better.

The Male Bashing Bandwagon

TLC’s “No Scrubs” was released months before “Bills, Bills, Bills”. The latter was the breakout hit single from The Writing’s on the Wall. The song dug the knife deeper into the “no good man” craze. However, Destiny’s Child took it a step further. The group sang about a particular type of man that was ruining their finances. Ironically, the song was even written and produced by the same team who worked on “No Scrubs” (Kandi Burruss and Kevin “Shek’spere” Briggs). “Bug A Boo” similarly addressed a type of scrub who was too clingy. “Bug A Boo” was one of the defining moments of their career, as it solidified their trademark style of melodic, stutter-step harmonies.

Deep Album Cuts

The success of any album is attributed to the impact of its singles. The Writing’s on the Wall had that in the bag with a string of four hits (“Bills, Bills, Bills”, “Bug A Boo”, “Say My Name”, and “Jumpin’ Jumpin'”). Nonetheless, several of the album’s “filler” tracks were just as strong. The painfully truthful “Confessions” and the sultry low growls of “Temptation” more than held their own. “So Good” was also a memorable kiss-off to haters. The group even worked with some heavy hitter producers this time, including Missy Elliott. Plus, their ode to infidelity (“If You Leave”) with the male R&B group, Next, proved they were transitioning from young ladies to women.

While the closest we may ever get to a full-fledged Destiny’s Child reunion (of any sort) was Beyonce’s Coachella performance, the group made their mark. The group delivered an infectious blend of sass, sexiness and pure talent to become one of the biggest girl group’s music has ever seen. Throw in a few negative headlines, a lead singer that the world adores and some catchy hooks and you have a juggernaut of a sophomore album.