"Contagious" is a song by the Isley Brothers. It was released as a single from their 2001 album Eternal. The song was written and produced by R. Kelly, who was also featured on the song, and also features vocals by R&B singer Chanté Moore.

"Contagious"
Single by The Isley Brothers featuring R. Kelly and Chanté Moore
from the album Eternal
ReleasedJuly 24, 2001
GenreR&B
Length4:52
LabelDreamWorks
Songwriter(s)R. Kelly
Producer(s)R. Kelly
The Isley Brothers singles chronology
"Tears"
(1996)
"Contagious"
(2001)
"Secret Lover"
(2001)
R. Kelly singles chronology
"The Storm Is Over Now"
(2001)
"Contagious"
(2001)
"Fiesta (Remix)"
(2001)
Chanté Moore singles chronology
"Take Care of Me"
(2001)
"Contagious"
(2001)
"One More Time"
(2002)

The video plays as a mini soap opera depicting a man who goes home and finds out his woman has been cheating on him with another man. The song is taken to another level during the breakdown of the song, where the two men, Mr. Biggs and Kelly, meet once again after their previous collaboration on Kelly's 1995 single "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" (although they also collaborated on Kelly Price's 1998 single "Friend of Mine"). In the middle of the second verse, Ron Isley goes down memory lane after saying "The down low happened to me all over again"; additionally, the third verse starts with Mr. Biggs asking R. Kelly "What the hell is going on between the sheets in my own home?", reprising their meeting in the Kelly Price song as well as the title of his own hit "Between the Sheets", and R. Kelly accuses Mr. Biggs (who recalls seeing him before) of mistaken identity.

"Contagious" rose to number 19 on the pop singles chart and number 3 on the R&B singles chart and made the Isleys the first group to score a hit in six consecutive decades on Billboard's Hot 100. The breakthrough helped their 2001 album Eternal go double platinum.

In 2002, the song won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo.

R. Kelly makes a cameo in the 2003 follow-up song "Busted" that is told from the prospective of Mr. Biggs and his current partner. In the video, he is seen returning the woman to Mr. Biggs's home before she is confronted about the affair.

Single track listing

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  1. "Contagious" (Clean Radio Edit) - 4:27
  2. "Contagious" (Radio Edit) - 4:27
  3. "Contagious" (LP Version) - 5:46
  4. "Contagious" (Instrumental) - 5:46
  5. "Contagious" (A Capella) - 5:41

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "The Isley Brothers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "The Isley Brothers Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Isley Brothers Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2001". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  5. ^ "2001 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-44. Retrieved May 17, 2021.