U Can't Touch This

"U Can't Touch This" is a song co-written, produced and performed by MC Hammer from his 1990 album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. It is considered to be his signature song and is his most successful single.

"Hammer Time" and "Can't Touch This" redirect here. For the reality TV show, see Hammertime. For the game show, see Can't Touch This (game show).
"U Can't Touch This"
Single by MC Hammer
from the album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
B-side"Dancin' Machine"
ReleasedJanuary 13, 1990[1]
Recorded1989[1]
Genre
Length4:16
LabelCapitol (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)MC Hammer
MC Hammer singles chronology
"They Put Me in the Mix"
(1989)		 "U Can't Touch This"
(1990)		 "Have You Seen Her"
(1990)
Music video
"U Can't Touch This" on YouTube

Along with Hammer, Rick James shares songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller because the song samples the prominent opening riff of "Super Freak". It has been used or referenced in television shows, films, commercials and other forms of media. It has also received awards and recognitions.

The song is notable as the winner of the Best R&B Song and a Best Rap Solo Performance and the first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1991 as well as the Best Rap Video and Best Dance Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. It peaked at No. 1 in the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and on the charts in several countries.

Production

The song samples the prominent opening riff of the Rick James song "Super Freak", which is repeated throughout the recording. The lyrics describe Hammer as having "toured around the world, from London to the Bay" and as being "magic on the mic", which he says coincides with James' "beat that you can't touch". Additionally, the lyrics "You can't touch this" and "Stop! Hammer time!" became pop culture catchphrases. Hammertime was later used as the title of a reality show starring Hammer on the A&E Network in the summer of 2009.[4]

The sample of "Super Freak" that forms the basis of the song led Rick James and other performers on the original record to file a lawsuit for infringement of copyright. The suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as a songwriter, effectively granting him millions of dollars in royalties.

The song was first performed publicly on a late 1989 episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.[5]

Impact on album sales

Because the song was not initially released as a single, listeners had to purchase the album, which as a result, went on to sell more than 18 million copies,[6] gaining multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, as well as in other countries.

Music video

Directed by Rupert Wainwright, a music video was produced to promote the single, showing Hammer doing some of his signature dances, such as "The Running Man" and the "Hammer Dance".[7] As of January 2021, the video now has over 601 million views on YouTube.

Reception and legacy
See also: MC Hammer discography § Accolades

Bill Coleman from Billboard commented, "A Rick James classic paired with Hammer's distinctive rhyme styling has added up to a deserved smash."[8] Whitney Pastorek from Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The good-natured boast, laid over the hook of Rick James' 'Superfreak', proved irresistible. Hammer's hydraulic dance moves and outlandish fashions — harem pants and gold lamé, together at last! — were cartoonish".[9]

In April 1990 the song hit the Top 40. It also secured a Best R&B Song and a Best Rap Solo Performance in 1991, a new category at the time and the first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year. The single was a major success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] The track also performed successfully in other parts of the world, peaking at no. 1 in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.[11]

In September 1990, the music video for the song won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best Dance Video and was nominated for Best Male Video, Best Editing, and Best Choreography. In 1991, Kids Incorporated covered the song in the season 7 episode "Pipe Dreams".

In 1999, MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made included the song at No. 71. In October 2000, VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs included it at No. 88. In May 2001, VH1's 100 Greatest Videos included it at No. 59.

In August 2005, the song was certified gold. In December 2007, VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s included it at No. 16.[12] During 2008, it ranked as No. 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

In October 2005, Blender ranked the song at number 196 in their list of Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.[13]

Charts and certifications

Parodies

In 1991, a parody entitled "I Can't Watch This" was released by "Weird Al" Yankovic for his album Off the Deep End, with lyrics complaining about bad TV shows overlaid on the song's music track and featuring samples of various commercials during the breakdowns. A groove metal cover of the song was performed by the Austrian NDH band Stahlhammer, infused with death growls and heavy guitar riffs.

Before the 1990 NFL season started, the Miami Dolphins parodied the song as "U Can't Touch Us".[54]

The season 2 episode of Family Guy, "E. Peterbus Unum", featured Peter Griffin rapping a variation of the song entitled "Can't Touch Me" when defending himself performing lawbreaking actions.

Childersburg High School Principal Quentin Lee in Childersburg, Alabama created a parody video to "share some joy" and provide advice to students on handling the COVID-19 pandemic.[55]

See also

References
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  2. Pemberton, Pat (June 14, 2012). "U Can't Touch This". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  3. Magill, Frank N. (1998). Chronology of Twentieth-century History: Arts and Culture. Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 1822. ISBN 978-1-88496-466-4.
  4. "Hammertime – A&E TV". Hammertime. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009.
  5. Rant, Screen (March 4, 2006). "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This(Live @ Arsenio Hall)". Metacafe. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. Huey, Steve. "MC Hammer – Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  7. "MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This". EMI Music. YouTube. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  8. Coleman, Bill (May 5, 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102 no. 18. p. 75. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. Pastorek, Whitney (January 8, 2010). "20 years ago: MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch This'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  10. "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  12. Ali, Rahsheeda. "The 100 Greatest Songs Of the '90s". VH1. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  13. "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 151–200". Blender. October 2005. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. "Australian-charts.com – MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
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  21. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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  29. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  31. "Swisscharts.com – MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
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  49. "Dutch single certifications – M.C. Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 11 April 2019. Enter U Can't Touch This in the "Artiest of titel" box.
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  54. Seifert, Andy; Wolinsky, David (February 5, 2010). ""Let's Ram It!" and 25 years of other immortal NFL songs". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010.
  55. Westhoff, Kiely (August 4, 2020). "An Alabama high school principal turned 'U Can't Touch This' into Covid-19 safety video". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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