Peak
2
Weeks
23
Score
4,570
Chart Year
1991
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This song's bass line is sampled from Betty Wright's "Tonight is the Night," which chronicles a young woman's very first "intimate encounter" with a man. In that song, which was recorded during a live performance, Ms. Wright is heard telling her audience the story of how she came to write the song, and how her mother did not exactly approve of her performing it in public. According to Ms. Wright, her mother, properly mortified by the song's subject matter, righteously exclaimed, "I KNOW you're not gonna sing THAT song!" That line ("I KNOW you're not gonna sing THAT song.") can be heard throughout "I Wanna Sex You Up." >> This was the debut single for both the group and the record label, Giant Records. It was a huge hit, but it did offend the sensibilities of some listeners. At a few radio stations, they referred to the song as "I Wanna Love You Up." This was written for the 1991 movie New Jack City starring Wesley Snipes and Ice-T. When they were looking for songs for the film, the producers wanted the modern R&B sound - "New Jack Swing" - that artists like Bobby Brown and Jodi Watley were using. To get it, they contacted the producer/songwriter Elliott Straite (knows as "Dr. Freeze"), who had written the Bell Biv Devoe hit "Poison." They showed him the film and let him pick a scene to soundtrack; he chose one where the character Uniqua (Tracy Camilla Johns) does a striptease for Nino, the kingpin played by Snipes. He wrote this sexy song specifically for the scene. Bryan Abrams, Kevin Thornton, Mark Calderon, and Sam Watters formed the group (originally called Take One) at Northwestern High School in Oklahoma City. They made their debut at a high school talent show singing a jingle from a jeans commercial. When they were starting out, the group was known for its impromptu auditions, having sung without notice to Ronnie Milsap, Huey Lewis, Sheila E, The O'Jays, Jon Bon Jovi, Kool & the Gang, and Tony! Toni! Tone! This is by far Color Me Badd's most famous song, but it's not their biggest American chart success: Their next two singles, "I Adore Mi Amor" and "All 4 Love," went to #1. Report this ad This was used on Color Me Badd's first album, and also on the New Jack City soundtrack. The version on the soundtrack is rougher and a little more raunchy, with a spoken interlude where one of the guys tells a girl to "just lay back and enjoy the ride." Bryan Abrams sang lead on this track. When he heard the playback, he hated his vocal, but he got over it fast when the song became a huge hit. The soundbite "to the tik tok ya don't stop" that's sampled throughout is from "La Di Da Di," the 1985 hip-hop single from Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh.
A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) ooh (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) ooh (I know you not gonna play that song) (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) ooh (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) ooh (I know you not gonna play that song) Come inside take off your coat I'll make you feel at home Now let's pour a glass of wine 'cause now we're all alone I've been waiting all night so just let me hold you close to me 'Cause I've been dying for you, girl, to make love to me Girl ,you make me feel real good We can do it 'til we both wake up Girl you know I'm hooked on you And this is what I'll do (I wanna love you down) I wanna sex you up (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) All night, girl you make me feel good I want to (let me rub you down) I wanna sex you up (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) ooh (I know you not gonna play that song) Let me take off all your clothes Disconnect the phone so nobody knows, yeah Let me light a candle so we can make it better Makin' love until we drown, dig Girl you know it feels real good We can do it 'til we both wake up Girl you know I'm hooked on you And this is what I'll do (Yeah) I wanna sex you up (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) Makin' love until we drown I wanna sex you up (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) (I know you not gonna play that song) Girl, you just make me feel so good I just wanna, I just wanna look at you Don't say anything at all Just lay back, and enjoy the ride, yeah All I wanna do is (I wanna love you down) I wanna sex you up (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) All night, girl, you make me feel good I want to (let me rub you down) I wanna sex you up (A tick tock, ya don't stop-stop, to the) (I know you not gonna play that song) Listen Make sweet lovin' all night long I wanna sex you up Feels so right it can't be wrong (I know you not gonna play that song) Don't be shy, girl, hang with me I wanna sex you up Open up your heart and I'll set you free (I know you not gonna play that song) Ohh, I wanna touch you in all the right places, baby I wanna make love to you, yeah All night, all night, yeah Do-do-do-do-do-me, yeah (I know you not gonna play that song) Make sweet lovin' all night long Feels so right it can't be wrong (I know you not gonna play that song) Don't be shy, girl, hang with me
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 6, 1991 | 88 | 38 |
| 2 | Apr 13, 1991 | 71 | 55 |
| 3 | Apr 20, 1991 | 51 | 75 |
| 4 | Apr 27, 1991 | 31 | 95 |
| 5 | May 4, 1991 | 20 | 106 |
| 6 | May 11, 1991 | 12 | 114 |
| 7 | May 18, 1991 | 10 | 116 |
| 8 | May 25, 1991 | 8 | 118 |
| 9 | Jun 1, 1991 | 3 | 123 |
| 10 | Jun 8, 1991 | 2 | 124 |
| 11 | Jun 15, 1991 | 2 | 124 |
| 12 | Jun 22, 1991 | 2 | 124 |
| 13 | Jun 29, 1991 | 2 | 124 |
| 14 | Jul 6, 1991 | 3 | 123 |
| 15 | Jul 13, 1991 | 4 | 122 |
| 16 | Jul 20, 1991 | 6 | 120 |
| 17 | Jul 27, 1991 | 15 | 111 |
| 18 | Aug 3, 1991 | 21 | 105 |
| 19 | Aug 10, 1991 | 33 | 93 |
| 20 | Aug 17, 1991 | 50 | 76 |