Jump to content

U Can't Touch This

Listen to this article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.129.170.102 (talk) at 04:35, 30 November 2009 (→Impact in pop culture: U Can't Touch This used in movies, shows, albums, etc.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"U Can't Touch This"
Song
B-side"Dancin' Machine"

"U Can't Touch This" is MC Hammer's signature song, from his 1990 album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The album sold 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' "Super Freak" heavily; James is accordingly credited as a co-author. The lyrics were written entirely by Hammer.

The song received its debut live performance on a late 1989 episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.[1] 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". 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 reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100[2]. Despite intense radio play and a #27 chart debut, U Can't Touch This didn't chart 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.

"You can't touch this" and "Stop... Hammer time!" became popular catchphrases as a result of this song. Additionally, Hammertime became the title of a reality show, featuring MC Hammer, on the A&E Network in the summer of 2009.[4]

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[5] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[6] 5
Canadian RPM Top Singles[7] 8
Dutch GfK chart[8] 1
Dutch Top 40[9] 1
French Singles Chart[10] 17
Irish Singles Chart[11] 3
Norwegian Singles Chart[12] 6
Swedish Singles Chart[13] 1
Swiss Singles Chart[14] 2
UK Singles Chart[3] 3
Preceded by Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one single
June 23, 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian ARIA Singles Chart number-one single
July 21, 1990 - August 25, 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Dutch Top 40 number-one single
August 4, 1990 (1990-08-04) – September 1, 1990 (1990-09-01) 		Succeeded by

Impact in pop culture

The YouTube video Evolution of Dance contained the song, and went on to become the most viewed video on YouTube, a position it held for over two years.[15] A 1990 compilation album of then-current chart hits was released in Australia by EMI under this title, which also featured the song as the first track. The German translation Halt! Hammerzeit is a known internet meme.[16][17]

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.[2]

References

Listen to this article
(2 parts, 0 minutes)
  1. Part 1
  2. Part 2
Spoken Wikipedia icon
These audio files were created from a revision of this article dated
Error: no date provided
, and do not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help · More spoken articles)
  1. ^ "allmusic ((( Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em > Review )))". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f "allmusic ((( MC Hammer > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Chart Stats — MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ http://www.aetv.com/hammertime/
  5. ^ "australian-charts.com — MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This — austriancharts.at [[:Template:De icon]]". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  7. ^ "RPM Volume 52 No. 9, July 14 1990 - RPM". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ "dutchcharts.nl — MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This [[:Template:Nl icon]]". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  9. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 - Week 31, 1990 [[:Template:Nl icon]]". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  10. ^ "lescharts.com — MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This [[:Template:Fr icon]]". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  11. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ "norwegiancharts.com — MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ "swedishcharts.com — MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ "MC Hammer — U Can't Touch This — hitparade.ch [[:Template:De icon]]". Retrieved June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  15. ^ "The songs — Evolution of Dance — with Jud Laipply". Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  16. ^ Urban Dictionary: Halt! Hammerzeit!
  17. ^ Halt! Hammerzeit - Google Image Search
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U_Can%27t_Touch_This&oldid=328735063"