Super Freak

"Super Freak"
Single by Rick James
from the album Street Songs
Released July 10, 1981
Format 7" vinyl
Recorded 1981
Genre Funk[1][2]
Length
  • 3:24 (Album/7" version)
  • 7:05 (12" version)
Label Gordy
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Rick James
Certification Gold (RIAA)[3]
Rick James singles chronology
"Give It to Me Baby"
(1981)
"Super Freak"
(1981)
"Ghetto Life"
(1982)
Music video
"Super Freak" on YouTube
Music sample
"Super Freak"

"Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' album Street Songs and became one of James' signature songs. It features background vocals from Motown labelmates The Temptations—in which the bass singer is James' uncle Melvin Franklin—and Canadian singer Taborah Johnson. "Freak" is a slang term for a very promiscuous girl, as described in the song's lyrics, "...a very kinky girl / The kind you don't take home to mother". Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #477 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[4] Nine years later, MC Hammer's 1990 hit "U Can't Touch This" sampled it.

Chart performance

The song was a big hit for James in 1981, charting on the pop, R&B and dance charts in the US. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song peaked at no. 16 in the fall of 1981 and spent 10 weeks in the top 40. Together with two other singles from Street Songs, "Give It to Me Baby" and "Ghetto Life", it spent three weeks at no. 1 on the American dance charts earlier that year.

Weekly charts

Chart (1981–82) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 26
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 2
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[7] 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 40
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 16
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[12] 1
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[12] 3
US Cash Box[13] 17
US Record World[14] 14

Year-end charts

Chart (1981) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 54
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 26

Beatfreakz version

On 2 October 2006, the Beatfreakz covered the song, as "Superfreak", and gained a no. 7 UK hit with it.

Chart (2006–07) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[18] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Dance Flanders)[18] 8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 6
France (SNEP)[20] 56
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 20
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] 34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] 26
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[24] 66
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25] 7

Other cover versions

  • In 1984, Los Angeles-based novelty band Big Daddy (whose comic conceit was to cover fast songs as ballads and slow songs up-tempo, and all contemporary songs done in 1950s style) recorded the song to a slower beat as if it had been done by the Everly Brothers.
  • In 1989, the song was covered by thrash metal band Mordred on their album Fool's Game.
  • In 2006, a cover by Billy Crawford was included on the soundtrack to the 2006 animated film Asterix and the Vikings.
  • In 2007, the song was covered in bluegrass style by Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby on their eponymous collaborative album.
  • In 2013, Welsh post-hardcore band The Blackout recorded a cover version as a bonus track on their fourth studio album Start the Party.

Live cover performances

Sampling

  • The riff of the song was most popularly sampled in 1990 by MC Hammer in his well known single, "U Can't Touch This". The song was also sampled in Wassuup by Da Muttz in 2001.
  • Hip hop artist GZA/Genius sampled the song on his debut 1991 album Words from the Genius.
  • In 1997, artist Jude's song entitled "Rick James" (no. 28 Billboard Modern Rock Chart) featured the words "Oh, Rick James was the original Super Freak" in its chorus line.
  • The title track of Jay-Z's 2006 comeback album Kingdom Come features a sample from "Super Freak".
  • In the 2007 song "Freaky Gurl" by Gucci Mane, the lines in the chorus pay homage to the original Rick James song.
  • In 2007, French actor/rapper Disiz la Peste released a rap song in French that uses of "Super Freak" as the instrumental backing.
  • In 2013, British singer Lily Allen sampled the song for her single "Hard out Here".

In popular culture

See also

References

  1. "Super Freaky Bluegrass". Billboard 119 (13): 48. March 31, 2007. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. "New Dance Central Songs Hit Tomorrow from Missy Elliott and Rick James". IGN. February 14, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  3. "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – Super Freak". RIAA. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  4. The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (1-500) at the Wayback Machine (archived October 25, 2006). Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  5. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 4". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Rick James – Super Freak" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  7. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 28 november 1981" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0460." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rick James - Super Freak search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rick James – Super Freak" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  11. "Charts.org.nz – Rick James – Super Freak". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 "Street Songs – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  13. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 31, 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived May 11, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  14. RECORD WORLD 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 15, 2004). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  15. "Jaaroverzichten 1981" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  16. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  17. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1981" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Superfreak" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  19. "Beatfreakz: Superfreak" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  20. "Lescharts.com – Beatfreakz – Superfreak" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Superfreak". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  22. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Beatfreakz - Superfreak search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Beatfreakz – Superfreak" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  24. (Romanian) Issue nr: 48/2006 (04 Decembrie - 10 Decembrie 2006) at the Wayback Machine (archived December 6, 2006). See last week peak position. Romanian Top 100. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  25. "Archive Chart: 2006-10-21" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved July 14, 2013.

External links

Preceded by
"Try It Out" / "Hold Tight" by Gino Soccio
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
(with "Give It to Me Baby" and "Ghetto Life")

July 25, 1981 - August 8, 1981 (3 weeks)
Succeeded by
"I'm in Love" by Evelyn "Champagne" King
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