Technically, this song started the careers of the group Beyoncé was a member of, Destiny’s Child. The group’s first album, which dropped in 1997, wasn’t a hit. Their second album, The Writing’s on the Wall, and the first single from the album, “Bills, Bills, Bills”, were the group’s first successful endeavors.
“Bills” is a sassy song about putting a bum of a man in his place. But, the song is really laying down the blueprint of what Destiny's Child and Beyoncé would sound like for the next 20 years: some bouncy music, a lot of charisma, and a ton of Queen Bey. “Bills” not only became a smash hit, on the week of July 17th, 1999, the song reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
“Bills, Bills, Bills” blew up and kick-started two dynasties, the Destiny’s Child era, and the Beyoncé regime, which really never ended. That’s the power of hit songs…they can change and create cultures.
I give “Bills, Bills, Bills” an A, 25 years later.
