"U Can't Touch This"
Single by MC Hammer
from the album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em
B-side"Dancin' Machine"
ReleasedMay 28, 1990 (1990-05-28) (UK)
Recorded1989[1]
Genre
Length4:16
LabelCapitol (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)MC Hammer
MC Hammer singles chronology
"Dancin' Machine"
(1989)		 "U Can't Touch This"
(1990)		 "Have You Seen Her"
(1990)
Music video
"U Can't Touch This" on YouTube

"U Can't Touch This" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by American rapper MC Hammer. It was released as the third single from his third album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990), and has been considered his signature song. Along with Hammer, Rick James shares songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller, as the song samples the prominent opening riff of James' 1981 single "Super Freak". The song has been used and referred to in many television shows, films, commercials, and other forms of media. It has also received multiple awards and recognition.

The song is notable as the winner of a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. It was the first rap song to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1991, as well as the MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and charted in several countries.

Production and sales

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 he says coincides with James's "beat that you can't touch". Additionally, the 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 A&E during the summer of 2009.[4]

The sample of "Super Freak", which forms the basis of the song, led James (and other performers on the original record) to file a lawsuit for copyright infringement, which was settled out of court, with Hammer agreeing to credit James as a songwriter, effectively granting him millions of dollars in royalties.

In late 1989, the song was first performed publicly on an episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.[5]

The song was not initially released as a single. As a result, the album went on to sell more than 18 million copies,[6] gaining multi-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

Chart performance

In April 1990, the song hit the Top 40. It also secured a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1991, a new category at the time, and the first rap song to be nominated for Grammy Award for Record of the Year. The single was a major success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.[7] The track also performed successfully in other parts of the world, peaking at number one in Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.[8]

In September 1990, the music video for the song won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and a MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video. It was also nominated for MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video, Best Editing, and Best Choreography.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from Billboard commented, "A Rick James classic paired with Hammer's distinctive rhyme styling has added up to a deserved smash."[9] Whitney Pastorek from Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The good-natured boast, laid over the hook of Rick James' 'Superfreak', proved irresistible. Hammer's hydraulic dance moves and outlandish fashions — harem pants and gold lamé, together at last! — were cartoonish".[10] Ben Thompson from NME said, "Currently more popular than sliced bread in the US of A, MC Hammer updates one of the more favoured moments of the dreadful Rick James in a barrage of twiddly synths. The debt that Swingbeat owes to Landscape's 'Einstein a Go-Go' has yet to be fully investigated."[11]

Impact and legacy

In 1999, MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made included the song at number 71. In October 2000, VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs included it at number 88. In May 2001, VH1's 100 Greatest Videos included it at number 59.

In August 2005, the song was certified gold. In December 2007, VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s included it at number 16.[12] During 2008, it ranked as number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

In October 2005, Blender ranked the song at number 196 in their list of Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.[13]

Music video

A music video, directed by Rupert Wainwright, was produced to promote the single, showing Hammer doing some of his signature dances, including the "running man", "the bump", and the "Hammer dance", while wearing his iconic Hammer pants.[14]

As of August 2023, the video has over 800 million views on YouTube.[15]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[51] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[52] Gold 45,000‡
France — 130,000[53]
Germany (BVMI)[54] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[55] Gold 75,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] Gold 5,000*
Sweden (GLF)[57] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[58] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[59] Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 1990 — Capitol
United Kingdom May 28, 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [60]
Germany June 1, 1990 [16]
Australia June 11, 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
United Kingdom June 18, 1990 Cassette [61]
Japan June 27, 1990 Mini-CD [62]

Notable parodies

In 1991, a parody entitled "I Can't Watch This" was released by "Weird Al" Yankovic for his album Off the Deep End, with lyrics complaining about bad TV shows overlaid on the song's music track (and featuring samples of various commercials during the breakdowns).

Before the 1990 NFL season started, the Miami Dolphins parodied the song as "U Can't Touch Us".[63]

Childersburg High School Principal Quentin Lee in Childersburg, Alabama created a parody video to "share some joy" and provide advice to students on handling the COVID-19 pandemic.[64]

The Go Jetters show parodied this song as a commercial for their show, only to be more show-related and be called "Can't Glitch This".

In the Family Guy episode "E Peterbus. Unum", Peter Griffin performed a parody of the song called "Can't Touch Me".

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pastorek, Whitney (January 11, 2010). "20 Years Ago: MC Hammer drops 'U Can't Touch This'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  2. ↑ Pemberton, Pat (June 14, 2012). "U Can't Touch This". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  3. ↑ Magill, Frank N. (1998). Chronology of Twentieth-century History: Arts and Culture. Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 1822. ISBN 978-1-88496-466-4.
  4. ↑ "Hammertime – A&E TV". Hammertime. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009.
  5. ↑ Rant, Screen (March 4, 2006). "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This (Live @ Arsenio Hall)". Metacafe. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ Huey, Steve. "MC Hammer – Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em". AllMusic. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  9. ↑ Coleman, Bill (May 5, 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 18. p. 75. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  10. ↑ Pastorek, Whitney (January 8, 2010). "20 years ago: MC Hammer's 'U Can't Touch This'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. ↑ Thompson, Ben (June 9, 1990). "Singles". NME. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ali, Rahsheeda. "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  13. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 151–200". Blender. October 2005. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. ↑ "The inside story of M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" music video". Fast Company. 13 January 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  15. ↑ "MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This". EMI. Retrieved June 17, 2014 – via YouTube.
  16. 1 2 "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  17. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  18. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1272." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7958." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 39. September 29, 1990. p. VII. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  22. ↑ "UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits". MusicSeek.info. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006.
  23. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  24. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  25. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  26. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – U Cant Touch This". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 31, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  28. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  29. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  30. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". VG-lista. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  31. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  33. ↑ "MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  34. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending JUNE 23, 1990". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012.
  35. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1990". ARIA Charts. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Vol. 53, no. 6. Library and Archives Canada. December 22, 1990. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1990". RPM. Vol. 53, no. 6. Library and Archives Canada. December 22, 1990. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles: 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. 36. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1990". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
  42. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  44. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1990" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  46. ↑ "1990 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 2 March 1991. p. 41.
  47. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1990". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  48. ↑ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1990". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012.
  49. ↑ Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  50. ↑ "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  51. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". Music Canada.
  52. ↑ "Danish single certifications – MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  53. ↑ Legrand, Emmanuel (March 23, 1991). "EMI Prays With A Hammer" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 8. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  54. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (M.C. Hammer; 'U Can't Touch This')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  55. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – M.C. Hammer – U Can't Touch This" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 11 April 2019. Enter U Can't Touch This in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1990 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  56. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This/Dancin' Machine". Recorded Music NZ.
  57. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.
  58. ↑ "British single certifications – MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  59. ↑ "American single certifications – M.C. Hammer – Can_t Touch This". Recording Industry Association of America.
  60. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. May 26, 1990. p. 30.
  61. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. June 16, 1990. p. 31.
  62. ↑ "U・キャント・タッチ・ジス | M.C.ハマー" [U Can't Touch This | M.C. Hammer] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  63. ↑ Seifert, Andy; Wolinsky, David (February 5, 2010). ""Let's Ram It!" and 25 years of other immortal NFL songs". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010.
  64. ↑ Westhoff, Kiely (August 4, 2020). "An Alabama high school principal turned 'U Can't Touch This' into Covid-19 safety video". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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