Once Upon A Time – Montell Jordan | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: R&B (#35); 2000
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Montell’s home brew musical education came through his mother’s collection of classic Motown singles by artists such as the Four Tops and the temptin’ Temptations.
Later on, he grooved to Curtis Mayfield, and by high school graduation time, Montell knew he wanted to pursue a career in music. Throughout his stint at Pepperdine University and beyond, he sang whenever he could.
In 1994, through the support of Los Angeles deejay, Paul Stewart, Montell met Def Jam owner, Russell Simmons. Despite Montell’s initial discomfort in the studio, his natural talent prevailed and the initial single (This Is How We Do It) spent seven weeks atop both the Pop and R&B charts.
Other hits followed, including Let’s Ride and Get It On…Tonite. Once Upon A Time was penned by Jordan with Anthony Crawford, the same team responsible for Deborah Cox’s massive 1998 hit, Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- “Shep” Crawford
Lyrics Written by:
- Montell Jordan
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).