Song · Biz Markie
“Just A Friend” by Biz Markie
Released 1989
“Just A Friend” by Biz Markie appears on 4 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 2004 and 2026. It was first released in 1989. Its best result is #241 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #389 of the '80s.
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Biz Markie wrote and performed "Just a Friend", and Cold Chillin' put it out in September 1989 as the first single from The Biz Never Sleeps. It's a lovesick shaggy-dog story: Biz keeps chasing a woman who swears the other guy around is only a pal, when he's plainly a lot more than that.
The chorus borrows its chords and melody from "(You) Got What I Need", a 1968 Freddie Scott record. In 1990 it climbed to 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum that April, the biggest hit Biz ever had. He never charted on the Hot 100 again, so VH1 filed him with the one-hit wonders, ranking the song 81st on its 2000 list of the greatest of them and 100th on its 2008 rundown of hip-hop's greatest songs.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 243 | Q101 | Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) | 300 |
| 2021 | 241 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2023 | 827 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2026 | 382 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
Also listed as: Just a Friend.
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