"U Can't Touch This" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by American rapper

MC Hammer Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He is known for hit songs such as " U Can't Touch This", "2 Legit 2 Quit" ...

. It was released as the third single from his third album, ''

Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' is the third studio album by American rapper MC Hammer, released on February 12, 1990 by Capitol Records and EMI Records. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley. The album ...

'' (1990), and has been considered his signature song. Along with Hammer,

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

shares songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller, as the song samples the prominent opening

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

of James' 1981 single "

Super Freak "Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by American singer Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' fifth album, '' Street Songs'' (1981) and became one of James' signature songs. "F ...

". 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 An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

. The song is notable as the winner of a

Grammy Award for Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Ba ...

and a

Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously, a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance. In 2003, this award was split into separate a ...

. 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 The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one of the four original genre categories added at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 like ...

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

of the

song "

", which is repeated throughout the recording. The lyrics describe Hammer as having "toured around the world, from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to The Bay" and as being "magic on the mic", which he says coincides with James' "beat that you can't touch". Additionally, the lyrics "you can't touch this" and "Stop! Hammer time!" became pop culture

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

s. ''

Hammertime ''Hammertime'' is a 2009 American reality TV series that chronicles the daily life of rapper MC Hammer. The show debuted June 14, 2009 on the A&E Network and was produced by 3Ball Productions. The title is derived from a lyric in Hammer's 1990 hit ...

'' was later used as the title of a reality show starring Hammer on A&E during the summer of 2009. 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 Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

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

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

, 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. As of October 2022, the video has over 740 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Reception and legacy

Bill Coleman from '' Billboard'' commented, "A

classic paired with Hammer's distinctive rhyme styling has added up to a deserved smash." Whitney Pastorek from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' 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 Harem pants or harem trousers are baggy, long pants caught in at the ankle. Early on, the style was also called a harem skirt. The original so-called 'harem pants/skirts' were introduced to Western fashion by designers such as Paul Poiret around 1 ...

and gold lamé, together at last! — were cartoonish". In April 1990, the song hit the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

. It also secured a

and a

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. The track also performed successfully in other parts of the world, peaking at number one in Australia,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and Sweden, and number 3 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In September 1990, the music video for the song won a

and a MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video. It was also nominated for

MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video was one of four original general awards that have been handed out every year since the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, though, the award was briefly renamed Male Artist of the Year, and ...

, Best Editing, and Best Choreography. In 1991, ''

Kids Incorporated ''Kids Incorporated'' (also known as ''Kids Inc.'') is an American children's television program that began production in the mid-1980s and continued airing well into the early 1990s. It was largely a youth-oriented program with musical performan ...

'' covered the song in the season 7 episode "Pipe Dreams". 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 Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. In December 2007, VH1's ''100 Greatest Songs of the '90s'' included it at number 16. During 2008, it ranked as number 26 on VH1's ''100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop''. In October 2005, ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

'' ranked the song at number 196 in their list of ''Greatest Songs Since You Were Born''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

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 ''Off the Deep End'' is the seventh studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1992. This album was the first album self-produced by Yankovic, after six albums with Rick Derringer. Recorded between June 1990 and January 1992, the album was ...

'', 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 NFL season started, the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

parodied the song as "U Can't Touch Us". 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

References

External links

*
U Can't Touch This
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

{{Authority control 1990 singles 1990 songs Capitol Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance MC Hammer songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Sweden Songs written by Rick James Songs written by MC Hammer Quotations from music 1990 neologisms Songs involved in plagiarism controversies Quotations from hip hop music Novelty and fad dances