This has to be by far the most difficult week Jim has given us in the (almost a) year since I first started playing Song Lyric Sunday. A genre of music about which I know nothing and like even less! Yup, as you can read in his post, Syncopative, this week we are being asked to play a hip hop rap ‘song’ – I use the word loosely. Needless to say this necessitated some research on my part, which took me to a very long list of people of whom I’d never heard, whose names seemed mostly to comprise numbers and capital letters, but I eventually found a name I recognised and, miracle of miracles, could recall something of – and it was even one that I quite liked at the time, too. So, on the basis of that extremely limited selection pool, this is my offering for this week:

The lyrics probably won’t be rivalling Bob Dylan for a Nobel Prize any time soon, and as they seem to go on for ever I’ve cut out quite a lot, but the task is to include them in our piece, so here goes:

You can’t touch this
You can’t touch this
You can’t touch this
You can’t touch this

My, my, my, my
(You can’t touch this)
Music hits me so hard
Makes me say “Oh, my Lord
Thank you for blessing me
With a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet”

It feels good when you know you’re down
A super dope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I’m known as such
And this is a beat, uh, you can’t touch

I told you, homeboy
You can’t touch this
Yeah, that’s how we livin’, and ya know
You can’t touch this

Look in my eyes, man
You can’t touch this
Yo, let me bust the funky Iyrics
You can’t touch this

Fresh new kicks and pants
You got it like that
Now you know you wanna dance
So, move outta your seat
And get a fly girl
And catch this beat
While it’s rolling

Hold on
Pump a little bit and let ’em know it’s going on
Like that, like that
Cold on a mission, so fall on back
Let ’em know that you’re too much
And this is a beat, uh, they can’t touch

Yo, I told you
You can’t touch this
Why you standing there, man?
You can’t touch this
Yo, sound the bell, school’s in, sucker
You can’t touch this

Give me a song or rhythm
Making them sweat, that’s what I’m giving them
Now, they know
You talk about the Hammer
When you’re talkin ’bout a show
That’s hyped and tight
Singers are sweatin’
So pass them a wipe or a tape
To learn
What it’s gonna take in the 90’s to burn
The chart’s legit
Either work hard or you might as well quit

That’s word, because, you know
You can’t touch this
You can’t touch this
Break it down!

Stop, Hammer time!…

etc etc for another couple of years…If you’re feeling masochistic, or just need a translation, you’ll find the full set here.

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Rick James / Stanley Kirk Burrell / Mc Hammer / Alonzo H. Miller

U Can’t Touch This lyrics © Bust It Publishing, Stone Diamond Music Corp., Jobete Music Co Inc

I suppose we should be grateful that the lyrics aren’t misogynistic or homophobic, like so many of the genre. Rather than claim this information as my own, I’m quoting Wikipedia here: “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.” So now we know, although I still have no idea about Rick James or Super Freak, and really can’t be arsed to find out. It went to #1 in many countries, and peaked at #3 in the UK and #8 in the US: it actually sold more here, 600k, than it did over there, at 500k. Despite my protestations I do actually quite like this, and the video is fun. Let’s face it: it was hard to ignore!

I’ve taken to sharing a second song each week with these posts, but I hope you’ll forgive me for not doing so this week, for obvious reasons. I will, however, leave you with this:

I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes, and happily next Sunday’s theme is right up my street! Have a good week 😊