Street Songs Explained

Street Songs
Type:	studio
Artist:	Rick James
Cover:	Rick James - Street Songs.jpg
Released:	April 7, 1981
Recorded:	December 1980 – January 1981
Studio:	the Record Plant, in Sausalito, California and Motown / Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre:	Funk synth-funk^[1] R&B
Length:	34:45
Label:	Gordy
Producer:	Rick James
Prev Title:	Garden of Love
Prev Year:	1980
Next Title:	Throwin' Down
Next Year:	1982

Street Songs is the fifth studio album by American musician Rick James, released in April 1981 on Gordy Records. It contained two of James's biggest hits: the singles "Give It to Me Baby" and "Super Freak".

Release

"Give It to Me Baby", the lead single from the album, became James's second number one single on the R&B chart, spending five weeks at the top spot. The next single, "Super Freak", was an even bigger hit, reaching number 16 on the Billboard Top 100.

A Deluxe Edition was released in 2001 containing an additional 17 mixes and live versions of the album tracks. Although the song "Fire and Desire" (a duet he performed with singer Teena Marie) was not originally released as a single, the song itself received much airplay on R&B radio stations and has since become a classic hit. James and Marie would reunite to perform the song at the 2004 BET Awards 5 weeks before James' death.

Reception

The album became an immediate success upon its release, eventually reaching number three on the US Pop chart—James's highest-charting album during his career—and spending twenty weeks at number one on the US R&B chart. The album was certified platinum in the US in July 1981.^[2] By 1983, the album had sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide.^[3] At the 1982 Grammys, James was nominated for Best Male Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance for the album while being the first African American male artist to be nominated in the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance category for the song "Super Freak".^[4]

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Rick James, except where noted.

Side A

1. "Give It to Me Baby" – 4:07
2. "Ghetto Life" – 4:20
3. "Make Love to Me" – 4:48
4. "Mr. Policeman" – 4:17

Side B

1. "Super Freak" (James, Alonzo Miller) – 3:24
2. "Fire and Desire" (Duet with Teena Marie) – 7:17
3. "Call Me Up" – 3:53
4. "Below the Funk (Pass the J)" – 2:36

2001 Deluxe edition

Disc one

9. "Give It to Me Baby" (12" version) – 5:42
10. "Give It to Me Baby" (instrumental) – 6:48
11. "Super Freak" (12" version) – 7:05
12. "Super Freak" (instrumental) – 3:33

Disc two (Recorded Live at Long Beach, California, July 30, 1981)

1. "Introduction" – 1:46
2. "Ghetto Life" – 4:21
3. "Big Time" – 7:08
4. "Come Into My Life" – 4:14
5. "I'm a Sucker for Love" – 8:28
6. "Square Biz" – 7:01
7. "Fire It Up" – 3:35
8. "Love Gun" – 5:42
9. "Do You Want Some Funk (Interlude)" – 2:22
10. "Mary Jane" – 10:39
11. "Super Freak" – 4:21
12. "You and I" – 11:48
13. "Give It to Me Baby" – 6:05

2002 remastered edition

9. "Give It to Me Baby" (12" version) – 5:42
10. "Super Freak" (12" version) – 7:05

Personnel

Performers

• Rick James – lead vocals
• Ja'net Dubois – background vocals
• Melvin Franklin – background vocals ("Give It to Me Baby")
• Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs – background vocals
• Teena Marie – lead vocals ("Fire and Desire"), background vocals ("Give It to Me Baby", "Mr. Policeman")
• Mary Jane Girls – background vocals
• The Temptations (Dennis Edwards, Melvin Franklin, Glenn Leonard, Richard Street, Otis Williams) – background vocals ("Ghetto Life", "Super Freak")

Musicians

• Gerald Albright – tenor flute ("Make Love to Me", "Fire and Desire")
• Oscar Alston – bass, handclaps, percussion
• Reggie Andrews – string arranger
• Rollice Dale – string contractor
• Clifford J. Ervin – flugelhorn, piccolo, trumpet
• John Ervin – flute, trombone
• Fernando Harkless, Roy Poper – trumpet
• Nathan Hughes, Armando Perzara, Raul Rekow, Bugsy Wilcox – percussion
• Rick James – arranger, bass, composer, drums, guitar, horns, percussion, producer, timbales, timpani
• Daniel LeMelle – flute, handclaps, horn arrangements, alto and tenor saxophone, string arrangements
• Tom McDermott – guitar, percussion
• Alonzo Miller – producer, composer
• Narada Michael Walden – drums
• Stevie Wonder – harmonica soloist ("Mr. Policeman")
• Levi Ruffin – synthesizers

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Position
US Billboard 200^[6]	36
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[7]	1

Chart (1982)	Position
US Billboard 200^[8]	40
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[9]	19

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions^[10]
		US	US R&B	US Dance
1981	"Give It to Me Baby"	40	1	1
	"Super Freak"	16	3	1
1982	"Ghetto Life"	102	38	-

External links

• Rick James-Street Songs at Discogs

Notes and References

1. Web site: Piatkowksi . Peter . 40 YEARS AGO RICK JAMES’ ‘STREET SONGS’ SIGNALED A NEW IDENTITY FOR MOTOWN. PopMatters . 11 November 2023.
2. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database RIAA Gold and Platinum Database
3. Book: Newsweek: Volume 101, Part 2; Volume 101, Part 2, page 81. Newsweek. 1983. February 27, 2012.
4. Web site: Grammy Award Nominees 1982 - Grammy Award Winners 1982 . October 18, 2016.
5. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 154.
6. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1981. Billboard. March 17, 2021.
7. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1981. Billboard. March 17, 2021.
8. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1982. Billboard. March 17, 2021.
9. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1982. Billboard. March 17, 2021.
10. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4589/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} Rick James US singles chart history]. allmusic.com. June 15, 2011.