I Wanna Sex You Up

"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song recorded by American group Color Me Badd. The song was released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album C.M.B. (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film New Jack City.

"I Wanna Sex You Up"
Single by Color Me Badd
from the album C.M.B. and New Jack City (soundtrack)
ReleasedMarch 2, 1991
Recorded1990
StudioUnique Recording Studios, New York City[1]
GenreNew jack swing[2]
Length4:06
Label
Songwriter(s)Elliot Straite, Color Me Badd
Producer(s)Dr. Freeze[3]
Color Me Badd singles chronology
"I Wanna Sex You Up"
(1991)		 "I Adore Mi Amor"
(1991)
Music video
"I Wanna Sex You Up" on YouTube

The single achieved commercial success in the United States, spending four weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping both the Billboard Hot R&B Singles and Hot Dance Singles Sales charts. It also enjoyed international success, peaking atop the charts of New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Charts and rankings

The song spent three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached number two for four consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, behind "More Than Words" by Extreme, and "Rush Rush" by Paula Abdul. It was the 10th best-selling single of 1991 in the UK and the Number 2 song of the year in the US, and in 1992 the song won the group a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo and Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year. It was ranked #40 on Blender's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever"[4] and VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s".

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from AllMusic picked the song as one of the "moments" on the C.M.B. album, describing it as a slow jam "which samples rapper Slick Rick in a rather clever fashion".[5] Cashbox described it as "naughty and suggestive yet not particularly explicit R&B/pop".[6] Pop Rescue commented, "This song stood out from the rest of the charts when it was released in the UK, and that along with the boys’ breathy sexy promises and the inclusion of ‘sex’ in the song title made this track a sure-fire hit. Musically it’s quite a simple song, allowing the vocals to really shine here – and to their credit, their vocals worth together really well."[7] James Hamilton from Record Mirror called it a "sweetly cooing young guys crooned gorgeous sineous sexy swayer".[8] In his review of the album, Mark Frith from Smash Hits said that Color Me Badd "sound excellent" when "they do manage to break into a sweat" like on "I Wanna Sex You Up".[9]

Samples

The "to the tick tock ya don't stop" soundbite is sampled from Slick Rick''s "La Di Da Di." The bassline, chord structure and the "I know you not gonna sing that song!" soundbite are sampled from Betty Wright's "Tonight is the Night." The chorus melody is from the Shuggie Otis song "Strawberry Letter 23".

A sample of "I Wanna Sex You Up" has been used in the Kardinal Beats remix of "Tick Tock" by Lemar.[10]

Track listings
7" single
  1. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (master mix) — 4:05
  2. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix) — 3:38
12" maxi
  1. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix) — 3:38
  2. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out - long version) — 5:13
  3. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (instrumental) — 4:04
  4. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (master mix) — 4:05
  5. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (freeze mix) — 4:06
CD maxi
  1. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix) — 3:39
  2. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix - long version) — 5:14
  3. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Instrumental) — 4:04
  4. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (master mix) — 4:05
  5. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (freeze mix) — 4:07
Cassette
  1. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (master mix)
  2. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix)
  3. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (master mix)
  4. "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix)

Official Versions
  • "I Wanna Sex You Up" (album version) — 4:06
  • "I Wanna Sex You Up" (freeze mix) — 4:07
  • "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Instrumental) — 4:04
  • "I Wanna Sex You Up" (master mix) — 4:05
  • "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix) — 3:39
  • "I Wanna Sex You Up" (smoothed out mix - long version) — 5:14

Personnel
  • Co-producer : Howie Tee, Spyderman
  • Engineer : Angela Piva, Warren Woods
  • Mastered by Eddy Schreyer
  • Mixed by Dr. Freeze, Howie Tee
  • Producer : Dr. Freeze

Cover versions
  • Glee Cast (Glee: The Music, Season 1, Volume 1) - Columbia 88697 60687 2 US
  • Bruno Mars has done live covers on several tour dates and on his New Year's Eve performance (2013/2014) at The Chelsea in Las Vegas.
  • Jimmy Fallon and his barbershop quartet, the "Ragtime Gals" covered the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2013.

Charts and certifications

Appearances in other media

Television

The song has been used in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, and a 1991 episode of the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.

The music video played on an episode of Beavis & Butt-Head, in which Beavis calls Color Me Badd a "Super Suck Group", referring to group members Sam Watters, Mark Calderon, and Bryan Abrams as Kenny G, George Michael, and Snow respectively. Butt-Head also commented that if he "sang like a wuss" that he would get chicks.

It was performed by members of the Glee cast in the episode "Acafellas", and subsequently released as a bonus track on Glee: The Music, Volume 1, which was sold at Target.

Jimmy Fallon's The Ragtime Gals did a barbershop quarter rendition of the song for Late Night (NBC).

Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias did the song during an episode of Lip Sync Battle.

Films

The alternate hit version also appeared on the New Jack City soundtrack.

See also

References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/cmb-mw0000264421
  2. Josephs, Brian (July 20, 2012). "The 25 Best New Jack Swing Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  3. C.M.B. (liner notes). Color Me Badd. Giant Records. 1991. Retrieved April 17, 2016.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe! Archived 2010-12-26 at the Wayback Machine from Blender.com
  5. Henderson, Alex. "Color Me Badd – C.M.B.". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  6. "Pop Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. April 27, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  7. "REVIEW: "C. M. B" BY COLOR ME BADD (CD, 1991)". Pop Rescue. March 29, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  8. "DJ Directory: Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Record Mirror. May 4, 1991. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  9. Frith, Mark (August 7, 1991). "Review: LPs". Smash Hits. p. 46. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. RCA. "Lemar – Tick Tock". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
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  15. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1597." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  16. "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 33. August 17, 1991. p. 18. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
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  18. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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