Super Freak

"Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' album Street Songs and became one of James' signature songs. It features background vocals from Motown labelmates The Temptations—in which the bass singer is James' uncle Melvin Franklin—and Canadian singer Taborah Johnson. "Freak" is a slang term for a very promiscuous girl, as described in the song's lyrics, "...a very kinky girl / The kind you don't take home to mother". Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #477 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[3] Nine years later, MC Hammer's 1990 hit "U Can't Touch This" sampled it. The song was nominated for the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 1982 Grammys.^[4]

Chart performance

The song was a big hit for James in 1981, charting on the pop, R&B and dance charts in the US. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song peaked at no. 16 in the fall of 1981 and spent 10 weeks in the top 40. Together with two other singles from Street Songs, "Give It to Me Baby" and "Ghetto Life", it spent three weeks at no. 1 on the American dance charts earlier that year.

Weekly charts

Chart (1981–1982)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[5]	26
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[6]	2
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)^[7]	4
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[8]	40
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[9]	2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[10]	3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[11]	4
US Billboard Hot 100^[12]	16
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play^[12]	1
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles^[12]	3
US Cash Box^[13]	17
US Record World^[14]	14

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[15]	54
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[16]	24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[17]	26

Beatfreakz version

On 2 October 2006, the Beatfreakz covered the song, as "Superfreak", and gained a no. 7 UK hit with it.

Chart (2006–2007)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)^[18]	5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Dance Flanders)^[18]	8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[19]	6
France (SNEP)^[20]	56
Ireland (IRMA)^[21]	20
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[22]	34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[23]	26
Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[24]	66
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)^[25]	7

Other cover versions

In 1984, Los Angeles-based novelty band Big Daddy (whose comic conceit was to cover fast songs as ballads and slow songs up-tempo, and all contemporary songs done in 1950s style) recorded the song to a slower beat as if it had been done by the Everly Brothers.
In 1989, the song was covered by thrash metal band Mordred on their album Fool's Game.
In 2006, a cover by Billy Crawford was included on the soundtrack to the 2006 animated film Asterix and the Vikings.
In 2007, the song was covered in bluegrass style by Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby on their eponymous collaborative album.
In 2008, Raving Rabbids covered the song in the Nintendo DS game Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party.
In 2013, Welsh post-hardcore band The Blackout recorded a cover version as a bonus track on their fourth studio album Start the Party.

Live cover performances

In 2004, the Dave Matthews Band covered Super Freak live at Alpine Valley Music Theatre. The song is featured on Live Trax Vol. 8.
Australian Idol 4 finalist Bobby Flynn performed a version of the song in 2006.
The song was covered by Irish band Dirty Epics on The Podge and Rodge Show in February 2009.
The 2012 season of Strictly Come Dancing featured this song for it Halloween week. It was danced to by Denise van Outen and James Jordan.

Sampling

The riff of the song was most popularly sampled in 1990 by MC Hammer in his well known single, "U Can't Touch This". The song was also sampled in Wassuup by Da Muttz in 2001.
Hip hop artist GZA/Genius sampled the song on his debut 1991 album Words from the Genius.
In 1997, artist Jude's song entitled "Rick James" (no. 28 Billboard Modern Rock Chart) featured the words "Oh, Rick James was the original Super Freak" in its chorus line.
The title track of Jay-Z's 2006 comeback album Kingdom Come features a sample from "Super Freak".
In the 2007 song "Freaky Gurl" by Gucci Mane, the lines in the chorus pay homage to the original Rick James song.
In 2007, French actor/rapper Disiz la Peste released a rap song in French that uses of "Super Freak" as the instrumental backing.
In 2013, British singer Lily Allen sampled the song for her single "Hard out Here".
In 2016, Brazilian band Banda Uó, uses the melody to their single "Arregaçada".

In popular culture

The song appears in the soundtrack of the 1983 movie Doctor Detroit.
In the Philippines, the song was played in the Philippine Basketball Association TV coverage by Vintage Sports during the 1984 First All-Filipino Conference, it was used for the commentators.
In the 1986 movie Heartbreak Ridge, Mario Van Peebles as Corporal 'Stitch' Jones, sings most of the song before he is thrown out of a bar.
In season 4 of The A-Team, Rick James guest stars and performs this song in the episode "The Heart of Rock n Roll."
An instrumental version of the song was featured in the 1992 movie Batman Returns.
In a 1998 episode of Just Shoot Me!, disappointed to find out she hadn't been the inspiration to the fictional song "Nina in The Cantina", Nina Van Horn found solace in the belief that she was at least the inspiration to Rick James' Super Freak.
In the 2002 episode of One on One titled "Me and My Shadow," Flex (Flex Alexander) and Duane (Kelly Perine) decide to have a high school band and Alfonso Ribeiro sings the song.
In the 2006 comedy film Little Miss Sunshine, Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) performs a burlesque routine to the song at a children's beauty pageant.
In the 2009 movie Dance Flick, Megan White (Shoshana Bush) dances to this song for her audition to get into Julliard.
The song is featured in the soundtrack of Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006).
In an episode of the American sitcom George Lopez, George sings this song to the baby he thinks is in Angie's womb.
In season 7 episode 10 of Two and a Half Men, a drunk Charlie Harper sings this song at the wedding of his brother Alan.
This song is played in the 2010 film Diary of a Wimpy Kid when Greg is constantly being taken down by Fregley in their wrestling class.
In the 2013 war film Lone Survivor, the song is referenced sporadically.
In the 2016 film Suicide Squad, the song is played during the character introduction of Harley Quinn.

References

↑ "Super Freaky Bluegrass". Billboard. 119 (13): 48. March 31, 2007. ISSN 0006-2510.
↑ "New Dance Central Songs Hit Tomorrow from Missy Elliott and Rick James". IGN. February 14, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
↑ The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (1-500) at the Wayback Machine (archived October 25, 2006). Rolling Stone.
↑ "Grammy Awards 1982". Awards and Shows. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 4". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Rick James – Super Freak" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 28 november 1981" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0460." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rick James - Super Freak search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rick James – Super Freak" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Rick James – Super Freak". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
1 2 3 "Street Songs – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 31, 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived May 11, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
↑ RECORD WORLD 1981 at the Wayback Machine (archived July 15, 2004). Record World. Geocities.com.
↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1981" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1981" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
1 2 "Ultratop.be – Beatfreakz – Superfreak" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Beatfreakz: Superfreak" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Lescharts.com – Beatfreakz – Superfreak" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Superfreak". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Beatfreakz - Superfreak search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Beatfreakz – Superfreak" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
↑ (Romanian) Issue nr: 48/2006 (04 Decembrie - 10 Decembrie 2006) at the Wayback Machine (archived December 6, 2006). See last week peak position. Romanian Top 100.
↑ "Archive Chart: 2006-10-21" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved July 14, 2013.

External links

Preceded by "Try It Out" / "Hold Tight" by Gino Soccio	US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (with "Give It to Me Baby" and "Ghetto Life") July 25, 1981 - August 8, 1981 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "I'm in Love" by Evelyn "Champagne" King

Rick James

Studio albums	Come Get It! (with Stone City Band) Bustin' Out of L Seven Fire It Up Garden of Love Street Songs Throwin' Down Cold Blooded Glow The Flag Wonderful Kickin' Urban Rapsody Deeper Still

Compilations	Reflections Greatest Hits Bustin' Out: The Very Best of Rick James Ultimate Collection The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James Anthology Greatest Hits Gold The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James, Vol. 2 The Definitive Collection

Songs	"You and I" "Mary Jane" "Give It to Me Baby" "Super Freak" "Dance wit' Me" "Ebony Eyes" "Cold Blooded" "Glow" "Loosey's Rap"

Related	I'm Rick James (2007 documentary) The Stone City Band The Mynah Birds Mary Jane Girls "Party All the Time" "In the Ghetto" "U Can't Touch This" "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories: Rick James"

Book:Rick James

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