"I Wanna Sex You Up"
Single by Color Me Badd
from the album C.M.B. and New Jack City (soundtrack)
ReleasedMarch 7, 1991 (1991-03-07)[1]
StudioUnique Recording (New York City)[2]
Genre
Length4:06
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Elliot Straite
  • Color Me Badd
Producer(s)Dr. Freeze[6]
Color Me Badd singles chronology
"I Wanna Sex You Up"
(1991) 		"I Adore Mi Amor"
(1991)
Music video
"I Wanna Sex You Up" on YouTube

"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock and Judd Nelson. The single achieved commercial success in the United States, spending four weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and topping both the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. "I Wanna Sex You Up" also enjoyed international success, peaking atop the charts of New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Chart performance

The song spent three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached number two for four consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the 10th-best-selling single of 1991 in the UK and the Number 2 song of the year in the US, and in 1992 the song won the group a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo and Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year.

Critical reception

A reviewer from Cashbox described the song as "naughty and suggestive yet not particularly explicit R&B/pop".[7] Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly complimented it as "irresistible".[8] Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times found that all it "has going for it is sexy lyrics."[9] James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update called it a "sweetly cooing young guys crooned gorgeous sineous sexy swayer".[10] Stephen Holden from New York Times wrote, "'I Wanna Sex You Up' has a loping pop Latin beat that is similar to the Young Rascals' 'Groovin'' and Laura Nyro's 'Stoned Soul Picnic', and a piercing lead vocal by Bryan Abrams, whose voice resembles that of the late-1960's Stevie Wonder."[11] David Fricke from Rolling Stone declared it as "a crafty blend of doo-wop doo-wah and hip-hop clatter so irresistible it makes you willing to forgive the utter banality of the lyrics."[12] Mark Frith from Smash Hits felt that Color Me Badd "sound excellent" when "they do manage to break into a sweat", like on "I Wanna Sex You Up".[13]

Retrospective response

Alex Henderson from AllMusic named the song as one of the "moments" on the C.M.B. album, describing it as a slow jam which samples rapper Slick Rick "in a rather clever fashion".[14] "I Wanna Sex You Up" was ranked number 40 on Blender's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever"[15] and VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s".[citation needed] In an 2017 retrospective review, Pop Rescue commented, "This song stood out from the rest of the charts when it was released in the UK, and that along with the boys’ breathy sexy promises and the inclusion of ‘sex’ in the song title made this track a sure-fire hit. Musically it's quite a simple song, allowing the vocals to really shine here – and to their credit, their vocals worth together really well."[16]

Track listings

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Silver 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[1] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Covers, remixes and samples

A sample of "I Wanna Sex You Up" was used in the Kardinal Beats remix of "Tick Tock" by Lemar.[53]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American single certifications – Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "C.M.B. - Color Me Badd | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Josephs, Brian (July 20, 2012). "The 25 Best New Jack Swing Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  4. ^ Stanley, Bob (September 13, 2013). "1991: Time for the Mu Mu". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 639. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  5. ^ Breihan, Tom (December 13, 2021). "The Number Ones: Color Me Badd's "I Adore Mi Amor". Stereogum. Retrieved December 23, 2023. I Wanna Sex You Up" landed at the exact right moment. It's a breezy little R&B jam that nods in the direction of rap music...
  6. ^ C.M.B. (US CD album liner notes). Color Me Badd. Giant Records. 1991. 9 24429-2.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "Pop Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. April 27, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  8. ^ Berger, Arion (August 9, 1991). "C.M.B.". Entertainment Weekly.
  9. ^ Hunt, Dennis (September 15, 1991). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Hamilton, James (May 4, 1991). "DJ Directory: Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  11. ^ Holden, Stephen (May 8, 1991). "The Pop Life". New York Times.
  12. ^ Fricke, David (December 12, 1991-December 26, 1991). "The year in records". Rolling Stone. Issue 619/620.
  13. ^ Frith, Mark (August 7, 1991). "Review: LPs". Smash Hits. p. 46. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Color Me Badd – C.M.B.". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  15. ^ The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe! Archived December 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine from Blender.com
  16. ^ "Review: "C. M. B" by Color Me Badd (CD, 1991)". Pop Rescue. March 29, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  17. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  20. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1582." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1597." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 33. August 17, 1991. p. 18. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  23. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 27. July 9, 1991. p. 45. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  24. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  25. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  26. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  27. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Wanna Sex You Up". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  28. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  29. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  30. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  31. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". VG-lista. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  32. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  33. ^ "Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  35. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 25, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  36. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. June 8, 1991. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  37. ^ "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. July 6, 1991. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  38. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. June 1, 1991. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  39. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  40. ^ a b "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1991". ARIA. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  42. ^ "RPM Dance Tracks of 1991". RPM. Retrieved April 29, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  43. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 21. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via World Radio History.
  44. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  45. ^ "Single top 100 over 1991" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  46. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  47. ^ "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  48. ^ "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. January 11, 1992. p. 20.
  49. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1991". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  50. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  51. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  52. ^ "British single certifications – Color Me Badd – I Wanna Sex You Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  53. ^ RCA. "Lemar – Tick Tock". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2007.

External links

Color Me Badd
American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Song
Authority control databases
Categories