Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
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Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em is the third and most popular album (and second major-label release) by MC Hammer, released between January 1, 1990[1] - February 12, 1990[2] by Capitol Records. It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley.
MC Hammer was good friends with Arsenio Hall and was invited to first perform the hit song "U Can't Touch This", prior to its release, on The Arsenio Hall Show in late 1989.[3] He also performed "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em", a song that didn't make it on this album, but did appear in the same-titled movie.
Album details
The album was a #1 smash hit for 21 weeks, due primarily to the runaway single, "U Can't Touch This". The hit song has been and continues to be used in many movies and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack/compilation albums as well.[1] The album was criticized for its sampling of other artist's songs. [4] The album sampled high-profile artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. "U Can't Touch This" sampled "Super Freak" by Rick James; "Dancin' Machine" sampled the Jackson 5; "Have You Seen Her" is a semi-cover of The Chi-Lites song; "Help the Children" interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"; "Pray" and "She's Soft and Wet" sample the Prince hits "When Doves Cry" and "Soft and Wet" respectively.
These album songs all proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This", "Pray" (most successful), "Have You Seen Her", "Here Comes the Hammer" and "Yo!! Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album raised rap music to a new level of popularity. It was the first hip-hop album certified diamond by the RIAA for sales of over ten million.[5] It remains one of the genre's all-time best-selling albums.[6] To date, the album has sold as many as 18 million units.[7][8][9][10]
According to Guinness World Records of hit singles, the album cost just $10,000 to produce. The video for "Here Comes the Hammer" proved to be the most expensive video on this album, Hammer's second most expensive behind "Too Legit to Quit".[11][12][13][14]
This album was accompanied by a movie called "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie" (1990) which included some of Hammer's videos.[15]
Additionally, the album title was often used as a chant by the crowd during live performances. ("Please, Hammer, don't hurt 'em..."!)
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Here Comes the Hammer" | MC Hammer | 4:32 |
| 2. | "U Can't Touch This" | James, MC Hammer, Miller | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Have You Seen Her" (The Chi-Lites cover) | Acklin, MC Hammer, Record | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Yo!! Sweetness" | MC Hammer | 4:36 |
| 5. | "Help the Children" | Gaye, MC Hammer | 5:17 |
| 6. | "On Your Face" | Bailey, Stepney, White | 4:32 |
| 7. | "Dancin' Machine" (The Jackson 5 cover) | Davis, Fletcher, MC Hammer, Parks | 2:55 |
| 8. | "Pray" | MC Hammer, Prince | 5:13 |
| 9. | "Crime Story" | MC Hammer | 5:09 |
| 10. | "She's Soft and Wet" (Prince cover) | MC Hammer, Moon, Prince | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Black Is Black" | MC Hammer | 4:31 |
| 12. | "Let's Go Deeper" | MC Hammer | 5:16 |
| 13. | "Work This" | MC Hammer | 5:03 |
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Billboard 200 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Billboard Chart | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | R&B/Hip-Hop | Rap | ||
| 1990 | "U Can't Touch This"[16] | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| "Have You Seen Her"[16] | 4 | 4 | 9 | |
| "Pray"[16] | 2 | 4 | 7 | |
| 1991 | "Here Comes The Hammer"[16] | 54 | 15 | 17 |
References
- ^ "article". mtv.com.
- ^ "article". music.msn.com.
- ^ "article". metacafe.com.
- ^ "article". rollingstone.com.
- ^ "article". community.allhiphop.com.
- ^ "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: Overview". allmusic.
- ^ "article". prnewswire.com.
- ^ "article". time.com.
- ^ "article". newyorker.com.
- ^ "article". sing365.com.
- ^ "article". ew.com.
- ^ "article". newsweek.com.
- ^ "article". en.wikipedia.org.
- ^ "article". vh1.com.
- ^ "article". imdb.com.
- ^ a b c d "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - MC Hammer". Retrieved 2009-05-20.