E.U., Da Butt | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the fourth edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we highlight “Da Butt” performed by E.U. (Experience Unlimited). 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the fourth edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we dive into “Da Butt”, the one-hit wonder by E.U..

“(Yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) / What you gonna do about it? / (Yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) / Shake it.” E.U. (Experience Unlimited) dropped a song for the ages with “Da Butt”. “Da Butt” is the opener from the School Daze soundtrack, released in 1988. It was the only top 40 single from the go-go/funk collective, making E.U. a one-hit-wonder.  It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was nominated for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal at the 31st Annual GRAMMY Awards (“Love Overboard” by Gladys Knight & The Pips won). Marcus Miller and Mark Stevens composed “Da Butt.” Miller produced it.

The funk is turned up to the nth degree. The percussive groove is infectious, filled with energy.  The biting horn hits amplify the excellence and funkiness. The vocals are also filled with energy, attitude, and personality. One of the cool features of “Da Butt” are the call and response vocals (“Tanya got a big ol’ butt (Oh yeah) / Shirley got a big ol’ butt (Oh yeah)”). The melody is tuneful in all sections, whether it be the verses (“The way she shook her booty sho’ looked good to me”) or the centerpiece, the chorus:

“She was doin’ the butt, hey pretty, pretty

When you get that notion

Put your backfield in motion, hey

Doin’ the butt, hey sexy, sexy

Ain’t nothing wrong

If you wanna do the butt, all night long.”

“Da Butt” may be a one-hit-wonder, but it’s an unforgettable one-hit-wonder.  Notably, Wale samples it in his own ‘butt’ anthem, “Clappers”, memorably rapping, “Shawty got a big ole butt, oh yeah.”  LL Cool J (“Big Ole Butt”), Nas (“Hood2Hood”), and  Rhapsody (“Michelle”) sampled the 80s bootylicious gem. One pop culture moment that stands out regarding “Butt” – Glenn Close dancing to it during the Academy Awards!

E.U. // School Daze (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) // Capitol // 1988

E.U., Da Butt: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 4 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Capitol; Antoni Shkraba, KoolShooters, Pavel Danilyuk, Photo By: Kaboompics.com, RDNE Stock project from Pexels; AcatXIo, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]