B-side "Dancin' Machine" Recorded 1989 Length 4:16 | Released January 13, 1990 Genre Hip hop
pop-rap | |
Format 12" vinyl
7" vinyl
CD single
cassette | ||
"U Can't Touch This" is a song co-written, produced and performed by MC Hammer from his 1990 album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The track is considered to be Hammer's signature song and is his most successful single.
Contents
Along with Hammer, Rick James shares songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller because the song samples the prominent opening riff of "Super Freak". The song has been used or referenced in multiple television shows, films, commercials and other forms of media. It has also received numerous awards and recognitions.
The song is notable as the winner of the Best R&B Song and a Best Rap Solo Performance and the first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1991 as well as the Best Rap Video and Best Dance Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. It peaked at number one in the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and on the charts in several countries.
Production
The song samples the prominent opening riff of the Rick James song "Super Freak", which is repeated throughout the recording. The lyrics describe Hammer as having "toured around the world, from London to the Bay" and as being "magic on the mic", which Hammer says coincides with James' "beat that you can't touch". Additionally, the song lyrics "You can't touch this" and "Stop! Hammer time!" became pop culture catchphrases. Hammertime was later used as the title of a reality show starring Hammer on the A&E Network in the summer of 2009.
The sample of "Super Freak" that forms the basis of the song led to Rick James and other performers on the original record to file a lawsuit for infringement of copyright. The suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as a songwriter, effectively granting James millions of dollars in royalties.
The song was first performed publicly on a late 1989 episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.
Impact on album sales
Because the song was not initially released as a single, listeners had to purchase the album, which as a result, went on to sell more than 18 million copies, gaining multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, as well as in other countries.
Music video
Directed by Rupert Wainwright, a music video was produced to promote the single, showing Hammer doing some of his signature dances, such as "The Running Man" and the "Hammer Dance".
Reception and legacy
In April 1990 "U Can't Touch This" hit the Top 40. The song also secured a Best R&B Song and a Best Rap Solo Performance in 1991, a new category at the time and the first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year. The single was a major success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track also performed successfully in other parts of the world, peaking at no. 1 in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and no. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
In September 1990, the video for "U Can't Touch This" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best Dance Video and was nominated for Best Male Video, Best Editing, and Best Choreography. In 1991, Kids Incorporated covered "U Can't Touch This" in the Season 7 episode "Pipe Dreams".
In 1999, MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made included "U Can't Touch This" at No. 71. In October 2000, VH1's "100 Greatest Dance Songs" included "U Can't Touch This" at No. 88. In May 2001, VH1's 100 Greatest Videos included "U Can't Touch This" at No. 59.
In August 2005, "U Can't Touch This" was certified gold. In December 2007, VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" included the song at No. 16. During 2008, the song ranked as No. 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
The song is used comically in various films of the 2000s such as Bubble Boy, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, Shark Tale, White Chicks, and Racing Stripes, among others.
Parodies
In 1991, a parody entitled "I Can't Watch This" was released by "Weird Al" Yankovic for his album Off the Deep End which is about watching a bad TV program were overlaid on the song's music track and featuring samples of various commercials during the breakdowns. A groove metal cover of the song was performed by the Austrian NDH band Stahlhammer, infused with death growls and heavy guitar riffs.
Before the 1990 NFL season started, the Miami Dolphins parodied the song as "U Can't Touch Us".
Peter Griffin parodies this song as "Can't Touch Me" in the Family Guy episode, "E. Peterbus Unum", giving examples of flaunting his diplomatic immunity, including telling MC Hammer that he cannot sue for plagiarism and walking on the grass.
Grup Vitamin, Turkish parody group, parodies this song as "Dokundur" in "Bol Vitamin" album in 1990 and as "Sürtündürt" in "Grup Vitamin" one in 1991.
The TV sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys performed "U Can't Touch This" as a dance routine at the end of the 2015 Christmas episode.
German neo-Nazi hard rock band Landser mention the song in the intro to their 1997 song In den Bergen von Ruanda (In the Mountains of Rwanda).
The Annoying Orange parodies the song as "Can't Squash This".