"Super Freak" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Rick James | ||||
from the album Street Songs | ||||
B-side | "Super Freak (instrumental)" | |||
Released | August 1981 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | Gordy | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Rick James | |||
Rick James singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Super Freak" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Super Freak" |
"Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by American singer Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' fifth album, Street Songs (1981) and became one of James' signature songs. "Freak" is a slang term for the sexually adventurous, as described in the song's lyrics, "She's a very kinky girl / The kind you don't take home to mother". Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 477 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, [7] number 481 in 2010, and number 153 in an updated list in 2021. [8] The song was nominated for the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammys. [9] The song has been sampled by MC Hammer in 1990, and by Nicki Minaj in 2022. [10]
"Super Freak" was recorded with other tracks for the Street Songs album during December 1980 – January 1981 at the Record Plant, in Sausalito, California and Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios, Hollywood, California. It features background vocals from James' Motown labelmates the Temptations—whose bass singer, Melvin Franklin, was one of James's idols—and Canadian singer Taborah Johnson. The bass was played by Oscar Olston. The tenor saxophone solo is by Stone City Band member Daniel LeMelle. James' improvised lyrics were later toned down by Los Angeles DJ Alonzo Miller, who received co-writing credit. James apparently was not particularly excited about the song, but reputedly wanted to have something on the album that "white folks could dance to." [11]
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada ( Music Canada) [23] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom ( BPI) [24] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States ( RIAA) [25] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Superfreak" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Beatfreakz | ||||
Released | 2006 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | House | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Beatfreakz | |||
Beatfreakz singles chronology | ||||
|
In 2006, Dutch music group Beatfreakz covered the song as "Superfreak" and released it as a single. This cover reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number six in Finland and Hungary.
Dutch CD single [26]
UK 12-inch single [27]
|
UK CD1 [28]
UK CD2 [29]
|
Credits are lifted from the Dutch and UK CD1 liner notes. [26] [28]
Studios
Personnel
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Netherlands | 2006 | CD | Spinnin' | [26] |
United Kingdom | 9 October 2006 |
|
Data | [50] |
The predominant riff of the song was most popularly sampled in 1990 by MC Hammer in " U Can't Touch This". [51] The song would then be sampled by American musical group Black Eyed Peas in their 2020 single “ Vida Loca", and was later sampled by Nicki Minaj in her 2022 single, " Super Freaky Girl". [10] Minaj previously appeared in the remix of Big Sean's " Dance (A$$)" (2011), which sampled "U Can't Touch This". [52]
The Chorus of the song appears in Transformers 2. The scene in which the protagonist Sam is driving his Camaro [53]
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"Super Freak" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Rick James | ||||
from the album Street Songs | ||||
B-side | "Super Freak (instrumental)" | |||
Released | August 1981 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | Gordy | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Rick James | |||
Rick James singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Super Freak" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Super Freak" |
"Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by American singer Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' fifth album, Street Songs (1981) and became one of James' signature songs. "Freak" is a slang term for the sexually adventurous, as described in the song's lyrics, "She's a very kinky girl / The kind you don't take home to mother". Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 477 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004, [7] number 481 in 2010, and number 153 in an updated list in 2021. [8] The song was nominated for the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammys. [9] The song has been sampled by MC Hammer in 1990, and by Nicki Minaj in 2022. [10]
"Super Freak" was recorded with other tracks for the Street Songs album during December 1980 – January 1981 at the Record Plant, in Sausalito, California and Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios, Hollywood, California. It features background vocals from James' Motown labelmates the Temptations—whose bass singer, Melvin Franklin, was one of James's idols—and Canadian singer Taborah Johnson. The bass was played by Oscar Olston. The tenor saxophone solo is by Stone City Band member Daniel LeMelle. James' improvised lyrics were later toned down by Los Angeles DJ Alonzo Miller, who received co-writing credit. James apparently was not particularly excited about the song, but reputedly wanted to have something on the album that "white folks could dance to." [11]
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada ( Music Canada) [23] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom ( BPI) [24] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States ( RIAA) [25] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Superfreak" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Beatfreakz | ||||
Released | 2006 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | House | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Beatfreakz | |||
Beatfreakz singles chronology | ||||
|
In 2006, Dutch music group Beatfreakz covered the song as "Superfreak" and released it as a single. This cover reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number six in Finland and Hungary.
Dutch CD single [26]
UK 12-inch single [27]
|
UK CD1 [28]
UK CD2 [29]
|
Credits are lifted from the Dutch and UK CD1 liner notes. [26] [28]
Studios
Personnel
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Netherlands | 2006 | CD | Spinnin' | [26] |
United Kingdom | 9 October 2006 |
|
Data | [50] |
The predominant riff of the song was most popularly sampled in 1990 by MC Hammer in " U Can't Touch This". [51] The song would then be sampled by American musical group Black Eyed Peas in their 2020 single “ Vida Loca", and was later sampled by Nicki Minaj in her 2022 single, " Super Freaky Girl". [10] Minaj previously appeared in the remix of Big Sean's " Dance (A$$)" (2011), which sampled "U Can't Touch This". [52]
The Chorus of the song appears in Transformers 2. The scene in which the protagonist Sam is driving his Camaro [53]
{{
cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
{{
cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
{{
cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
{{
cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)