RICK JAMES - GIVE IT TO ME BABY / SUPER FREAK

GIVE IT TO ME BABY

Publicació: 20 de febrer de 1981

Llistes: Regne Unit: #47   EUA: #40

"Give It to Me Baby" és una cançó escrita pel cantant nord-americà Rick James. Va ser llançada com el primer single del cinquè àlbum de James, “Street Songs”, per davant de "Super Freak" que semblava que seria l’escollida. Part de les veus de suport van ser cantades pel membre de Temptations Melvin Franklin, que era l'oncle de Rick.

Rick James va tornar a casa embriagat i va demanar una mica d'aquest "funk that sweet that funky Stuff”, es a dir, volia sucar. La resposta de la seva dona va ser: "Què dius?" En James va explicar: "La vaig escriure perquè havia tornat a casa una nit i la meva dona era al llit, jo volia sexe, però estava massa borratxo. Així que em vaig asseure al piano i vaig escriure la cançó".

Igual que "Super Freak", és el so funky el que porta la melodia per damunt del missatge. James va explicar a la revista Musician: "'Give It To Me Baby' va ser una altra cançó ximple. De fet, la majoria de les meves cançons que són èxits són ximples. La major part de les meves coses serioses estan als àlbums".

El vídeo "Give It To Me Baby" és sorprenentment literal, mostrant a James fent el que explica al dormitori. No s'havia de prendre seriosament. El director Saxton va dir a Billboard: "La cançó és una cançó sexy i crec que la vam tractar d'una manera humorística". En el moment en què MTV es va llançar l'1 d'agost de 1981, la cançó ja havia passat cinc setmanes al número 1 de la llista de R&B i recentment havia arribat a la llista de pop, però no hi havia manera que es reproduís a la xarxa, com llavors passava amb la música soul. MTV era un canal de rock i gairebé res d'artistes negres. "Super Freak" tenia més possibilitats però MTV també la va rebutjar.

La cançó va entrar al Billboard Hot 100, passant dues setmanes al número 40 i cinc setmanes al número 1 de la llista R&B. Altres dos temes de "Street Songs", "Super Freak" i "Ghetto Life", van encapçalar les llistes de ball dels EUA durant tres setmanes l'estiu de 1981. La cançó va tenir encara més èxit entre el públic de R&B i als clubs de ball.

SUPER FREAK

Publicació: agost de 1981

Llistes: EUA: #16

"Super Freak" és un single de 1981 produït i interpretat pel cantant nord-americà Rick James. La cançó, coescrita per James i Alonzo Miller, es va publicar per primera vegada en el cinquè àlbum de James, "Street Songs", i es va convertir en una de les seves cançons de referència. "Super Freak" va ser el major èxit pop de Rick James, arribant al número 16 als Estats Units. Va tenir un èxit modest al Hot 100, però va tenir quatre èxits número 1 a les llistes de R&B i es va assegurar ser una llegenda com a productor prolífic i innovador del funk. Aquesta cançó comptava amb veus de suport de The Temptations, cosa que James assenyala a la cançó quan crida: "Temptations sing".

"Super Freak" tracta d'una noia que és molt aventurera sexualment, especialment amb els membres d'una banda. Un "freak" és un argot per a algú disposat a provar diversos fetitxes, per tant, un "Super Freak" provarà gairebé qualsevol cosa. Amb els anys, la paraula "freak" es va fer molt popular a les lletres de hip-hop i R&B. És una paraula versàtil que es pot utilitzar tant com a verb ("Freak Me") i com a substantiu ("The Freaks Come Out At Night"). L'ús de la paraula va assolir el seu màxim a mitjans dels anys 90 amb la frase "Get your freak on” (Agafa el teu monstre). James era famós per la seva inclinació cap al comportament estrany, que en ocasions el va posar en problemes amb la llei, com quan ell i la seva xicota van ser arrestats per segrestar una altra noia per fer sexe.

MC Hammer va samplejar la famosa línia de baix per al seu èxit "U Can't Touch This". James va presentar una demanda contra Hammer, que va acabar amb un acord extrajudicial que li va donar a James un crèdit com a compositor de la cançó. Això va donar lloc a l'únic premi Grammy de James quan "U Can't Touch This" va guanyar el 1991 a la millor cançó de R&B.

GIVE IT TO ME BABY

Released : February 20, 1981

Charted:  UK: #47   US: #40 

"Give It to Me Baby" is a song written by American singer Rick James. This was released as the first single from James' fifth album, Street Songs, beating out "Super Freak" for the honor. Part of the background vocals were sung by Temptations member Melvin Franklin, who was Rick’s uncle.

Rick James comes home intoxicated and plead for some of that "funk that sweet that funky stuff." Her reply: "Say what?!" James explained: "I wrote it because I had come home one night and my old lady was in bed and I wanted to mess around, but I was too drunk. So I sat at the piano and wrote the song." 

Like "Super Freak," it's the funky sound that carries the tune, and certainly not the message. James explained to Musician magazine, "'Give It To Me Baby' was another silly song. Matter of fact, most of my songs that are hit records are silly. Most of my serious stuff is stuck on albums."

The "Give It To Me Baby" video is surprisingly literal, showing James making his play in the bedroom. It was not to be taken seriously. Saxton told Billboard: "The song is a sexy song and I think we treated it in a humorous way." By the time MTV launched on August 1, 1981, the song had already spent five weeks at #1 on the R&B chart and had recently peaked on the Pop chart, but there was no way it was getting airplay on the network, which fancied itself a rock channel and played almost nothing from black artists. "Super Freak" had a better chance of getting some spins, but MTV rejected that one too.

The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at #40 and five weeks at #1 on the R&B chart. Two other “Street Songs” tracks, "Super Freak" and "Ghetto Life", topped the US dance charts for three weeks in the summer of 1981. The song proved even more successful with R&B and dance club audiences. 

SUPER FREAK

Released : August 1981

Charted:  US: #16 

"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” and became one of James' signature songs. "Super Freak" was the biggest pop hit for Rick James, reaching #16 in the US. He had just modest success on the Hot 100 but had four #1 R&B hits and secured a legend as a prolific producer and innovator of funk. This track featured backup vocals by The Temptations, something James points out in the song when he screams: "Temptations sing".

This song is about a girl who is very adventurous sexually, especially with members of a band. A "freak" is slang for someone willing to try various fetishes, thus a "Super Freak" will try just about anything. Over the years, the word "freak" became very popular in hip-hop and R&B lyrics. It's a versatile word that can be used as both a verb ("Freak Me") and a noun ("The Freaks Come Out At Night"). Use of the word peaked in the mid-'90s with the phrase, "Get your freak on." James was famous for his penchant toward "freakish" behavior, which got him in trouble with the law when he and his girlfriend were arrested for kidnapping another girl for sex.

MC Hammer sampled the famous bass line for his biggest hit, "U Can't Touch This." James filed suit against Hammer, which ended in an out-of-court settlement giving James a songwriting credit on the track. This resulted in James' only Grammy Award when "U Can't Touch This" won in 1991 for Best R&B Song.