U Can't Touch This
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| "U Can't Touch This" | |||||
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| Single by MC Hammer | |||||
| from the album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em | |||||
| B-side | "Dancin' Machine" | ||||
| Released | June 6, 1990 | ||||
| Format | CD 12" vinyl Cassette |
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| Recorded | 1989-1990 | ||||
| Genre | Pop rap | ||||
| Length | 4:17 | ||||
| Label | Capitol (US) | ||||
| Writer(s) | MC Hammer, Rick James, Alonzo Miller | ||||
| Producer | MC Hammer | ||||
| MC Hammer singles chronology | |||||
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"U Can't Touch This" is MC Hammer's most well-known single, from his 1990 album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The album would sell more than 10 million copies[1], due primarily to this single, and gaining multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, and other Recording Industries. The song samples Rick James's "Super Freak" heavily; James is accordingly credited as a co-author. The "riff" in the background was originally by Rick James. The lyrics were written entirely by Hammer.
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The song received its debut live performance on a late 1989 episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.
The lyrics describe the rapper as having "toured around the world, from London to the Bay" and as being "magic on the mic", which Hammer says combines with Rick James' "beat that you can't touch".[citation needed] It secured the Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song and Best Rap Solo Performance in 1991, a brand new category at the time. The song also did well chartwise: it topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100[2]. Despite intense radio play and a #27 chart debut, U Can't Touch This didn't score more due to the fact that it was released only as a twelve-inch single. The single was also a big success in other parts of the world, peaking at #1 in Australia, the Netherlands and Sweden, and #3 on the UK singles chart[3].
During 2008, it was ranked number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop and number 16 on the same network's list of 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s. Zeke & Luther's Adam Hicks and Daniel Curtis Lee also covered this song on Disney XD.
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play[2] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[2] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[2] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Rap Singles[2] | 2 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[5] | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[6] | 8 |
| Dutch GfK chart[7] | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40[8] | 1 |
| French Singles Chart[9] | 17 |
| Irish Singles Chart[10] | 3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[11] | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[12] | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[13] | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart[3] | 3 |
| Preceded by "Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me)" by Quincy Jones featuring Tevin Campbell |
Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one single June 23, 1990 |
Succeeded by "All I Do Is Think of You" by Troop |
| Preceded by "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette |
Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single July 21, 1990 - August 25, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Epic" by Faith No More |
| Preceded by "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)" by The Adventures of Stevie V |
Dutch Top 40 number-one single August 4, 1990 – September 1, 1990 |
Succeeded by "I've Been Thinking About You" by Londonbeat |
[edit] References
- ^ "allmusic ((( Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em > Review )))". http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gpfwxqy5ldte~T1. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "allmusic ((( MC Hammer > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kifrxq95ld6e~T51. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ a b "Chart Stats - MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=17706. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "australian-charts.com - MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This". http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This - austriancharts.at (German)". http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "RPM Volume 52 No. 9, July 14 1990 - RPM". http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.1272&volume=52&issue=9&issue_dt=July%2014%201990&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mvd3le5ecktjsfm8c2odk6sps0. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl - MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This (Dutch)". http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 - Week 31, 1990 (Dutch)". http://www.top40.nl/index.aspx?week=31&jaar=1990&maand=8. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "lescharts.com - MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This (French)". http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com - MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This". http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This". http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
- ^ "MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This - hitparade.ch (German)". http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=MC+Hammer&titel=U+Can%27t+Touch+This&cat=s. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
[edit] External links
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