"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a song by American R&B group Color Me Badd, released in March 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991). The song was produced by Dr. Freeze and was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1991 film New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock and Judd Nelson. The song heavily samples "Tonight Is the Night" by Betty Wright.

The single, released by Giant and Reprise Records, achieved commercial success in the United States, spending four weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping both the Billboard Hot R&B Singles and 12-inch Singles Sales charts. "I Wanna Sex You Up" also experienced international success, peaking atop the charts of New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The accompanying music video was directed by American director Lionel C. Martin.

Critical reception A reviewer from Cashbox described the song as "naughty and suggestive yet not particularly explicit R&B/pop". Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly complimented it as "irresistible".Berger, Arion (August 9, 1991). "C.M.B.". Entertainment Weekly. Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times found that all it "has going for it is sexy lyrics." James Hamilton from Music Weeks RM Dance Update called it a "sweetly cooing young guys crooned gorgeous sineous sexy swayer" in his weekly dance column. Stephen Holden from New York Times wrote, "'I Wanna Sex You Up' has a loping pop Latin beat that is similar to the Young Rascals' 'Groovin'' and Laura Nyro's 'Stoned Soul Picnic', and a piercing lead vocal by Bryan Abrams, whose voice resembles that of the late-1960's Stevie Wonder."Holden, Stephen (May 8, 1991). "The Pop Life". New York Times. David Fricke from Rolling Stone declared it as "a crafty blend of doo-wop doo-wah and hip-hop clatter so irresistible it makes you willing to forgive the utter banality of the lyrics." Mark Frith from Smash Hits felt that Color Me Badd "sound excellent" when "they do manage to break into a sweat", like on "I Wanna Sex You Up".

Retrospective response Alex Henderson from AllMusic named the song as one of the "moments" on the C.M.B. album, describing it as a slow jam which samples rapper Slick Rick "in a rather clever fashion". "I Wanna Sex You Up" was ranked number 40 on Blender's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever"The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe! from Blender.com and VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". In a 2017 retrospective review, Pop Rescue commented, "This song stood out from the rest of the charts when it was released in the UK, and that along with the boys’ breathy sexy promises and the inclusion of ‘sex’ in the song title made this track a sure-fire hit. Musically it's quite a simple song, allowing the vocals to really shine here – and to their credit, their vocals worth together really well."

Chart performance The song spent three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and reached number two for four consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the 10th-best-selling single of 1991 in the UK and the second-best-selling single of the year in the US. In 1992 the song won the group a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo and Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year.

Track listings

7-inch single "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Master mix) – 4:05 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix) – 3:38

12-inch maxi "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix) – 3:38 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out—long version) – 5:13 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (instrumental) – 4:04 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Master mix) – 4:05 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Freeze mix) – 4:06

CD single"I Wanna Sex You Up" (Master mix) – 4:06 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix / long version) – 5:13 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Freeze mix) – 4:07 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (instrumental) – 4:04

CD maxi "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix) – 3:39 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix—long version) – 5:14 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (instrumental) – 4:04 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Master mix) – 4:05 "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Freeze mix) – 4:07

Cassette' "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Master mix) "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix) "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Master mix) "I Wanna Sex You Up" (Smoothed Out mix)

Personnel Co-production : Howie Tee, Spyderman Engineering : Angela Piva, Warren Woods Mastering: Eddy Schreyer Mixing: Dr. Freeze, Howie Tee Production : Dr. Freeze

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1991)PeakpositionDenmark (IFPI) 4Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 5Europe (European Hit Radio) 4Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 27France Airplay (SNEP) 3Israel (IBA) Search "Color Me Badd" for Israeli chart history.8Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)Radio Luxembourg Singles. June 2, 1991. 2Spain Airplay (Top 40 Radio)38UK Airplay (Music Week) 7UK Dance (Music Week) 1UK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 1US Billboard Hot 100 2US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard) 1US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard) 1US Cash Box Top 100 2Zimbabwe (ZIMA)* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000 3

Year-end charts Chart (1991)PositionAustralia (ARIA) 21Belgium (Ultratop) 36Brazil (Crowley) 25Canada Dance/Urban (RPM) 38Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 18Europe (European Hit Radio) 24France Airplay (SNEP) 20Germany (Media Control) 23Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 18Netherlands (Single Top 100) 18New Zealand (RIANZ) 5Sweden (Topplistan) 29UK Singles (OCC) 10UK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 30US Billboard Hot 100 2US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard) 3US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard) 35US Cash Box Top 100 15

Certifications

Release history RegionDateLabel(s)United StatesMarch 7, 1991United KingdomMay 6, 1991AustraliaJune 24, 1991RepriseJapanDecember 21, 1991

Covers, remixes and samples A sample of "I Wanna Sex You Up" was used in the Kardinal Beats remix of "Tick Tock" by Lemar.

See also R&B number-one hits of 1991 (USA) List of number-one singles from the 1990s (UK) List of number-one singles in 1991 (NZ)

References

External links Whosampled