TONI BRAXTON - YOU’RE MAKIN’ ME HIGH

Publicació: 13 de maig de 1996

Llistes: Regne Unit: #7 · EUA: #1 (1 setmana)

Publicada el 1996 com a single principal del seu segon àlbum d’estudi “Secrets”, “You’re Makin’ Me High” va ser coescrita i produïda per Babyface i Bryce Wilson. La base musical havia estat creada inicialment per a Brandy, però quan Babyface va intervenir per escriure una nova lletra, es va convertir en un tema fet a mida per a Toni Braxton: un sensual mig temps en què ella somia estar amb el seu amant absent.

Va ser una aposta arriscada per a la cantant, que temia haver anat massa lluny. “Era sexy perquè la Toni necessitava fer alguna cosa una mica més agosarada”, explicaria més tard Babyface. “Ella s’hi resistia una mica. No sabia si havia de dir aquest tipus de coses… però al final va funcionar.” L’aposta va donar fruits: “You’re Makin’ Me High” es va convertir en el primer número u de Braxton al Billboard Hot 100, i també va encapçalar la llista de R&B/Hip-Hop. Publicada com a doble cara A amb “Let It Flow” (de la banda sonora de “Waiting to Exhale”), la cançó va confirmar Braxton com una de les veus definitives del R&B dels anys noranta.

El videoclip, dirigit per Bille Woodruff, accentua l’atractiu provocador del tema. Situat en un entorn elegant i luxós, mostra Braxton al costat d’Erika Alexander, Vivica A. Fox i Tisha Campbell, que puntuen una desfilada d’homes amb cartes gegants com si fos un concurs de bellesa poc convencional. Finalment, Braxton escull Bryce Wilson —la seva parella real en aquell moment— i apareixen junts en una banyera plena de cotó de sucre i a la pista de ball, mentre ella també es mostra amb un impactant cosset blanc.

TONI BRAXTON - YOU’RE MAKIN’ ME HIGH

Released: May 13, 1996

Charts:  UK: #7  US: #1 (1 week)

Released in 1996 as the lead single from her second studio album “Secrets”, “You’re Makin’ Me High” was co-written and produced by Babyface and Bryce Wilson of Groove Theory fame. The beat had originally been crafted for Brandy, but when Babyface stepped in to pen new lyrics, it became tailor-made for Braxton—a sultry mid-tempo number in which she dreams of being with her absent lover.

It was a gamble for the singer, who worried about pushing boundaries too far. “It was sexy because Toni needed to do something a little more daring,” Babyface later explained. “She was fighting it a bit. She didn’t know whether she should say those kinds of things… but it ended up working out.” The risk paid off: “You’re Makin’ Me High” became Braxton’s first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Released as a double A-side with “Let It Flow” from the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack, it confirmed her as one of the defining voices of ‘90s R&B.

The music video, directed by Bille Woodruff, showcases the song’s provocative appeal. Set in a sleek, luxurious environment, it features Braxton alongside Erika Alexander, Vivica A. Fox, and Tisha Campbell, who score a parade of men with oversized playing cards as if at an unconventional beauty contest. Eventually, Braxton selects Bryce Wilson—her real-life partner at the time—and the two appear together in a bathtub filled with cotton candy and on the dance floor, while Braxton also appears in a striking white bodysuit.