My Neck, My Back (Lick It) Explained

My Neck, My Back (Lick It)
Cover:Khia - My Neck My Back single cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Khia
Album:Thug Misses
Released:[1]
Studio:Grooveland, Clearwater, Florida
Genre:
Length:3:42
Label:Artemis
Producer:
  • Michael "Taz" Williams
  • Plat'num House
Next Title:You My Girl
Next Year:2002

"My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" is a song by American rapper Khia, released in April 2002 as the lead single from her debut studio album, Thug Misses. Owing to its sexually explicit lyrics, an edited version of the song was released to mainstream radio. The song reached number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number four in the United Kingdom two years later and number 12 in Australia. Lyrically, “My Neck, My Back (Lick It)” is about a woman searching for and pursuing a man at a club, demanding that he perform sexual acts on her, including cunnilingus and anilingus, and encouraging other women to do the same.

Background and meaning

The lyrics contain detailed, explicit descriptions of both cunnilingus and anilingus,[4] so a heavily edited version was used for radio broadcasting and the official music video.[5] Khia later stated in a 2002 interview for MTV News concerning the song's big success: "I guess the world is just nasty and freaky like that […] It's not even my favorite song, and I was kind of surprised that's the song that everybody jumped on. … That song is just nothing compared to my other music. It's like, 'That's what the world is about today,' so hey, it works for me."[6]

In 2018, NPR ranked the song as #184 for their The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women list, saying: "'My Neck, My Back' is the most enduring erotic pleasure procedural of this era, and rightfully so. Underscoring the dirty in Dirty South, Khia raps simple demands as to where she wants to be licked (short version: 'all over'), with explicit suggestions towards technique that span two dedicated verses. It's a delightfully nasty club classic where a woman's pleasure is presented as a debt owed her."[7]

Recording and composition

"My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" is a dirty rap song,[8] and India Mae Alby of Keakie.com described it as a "low beat Club song".[9] The song is noted for its chorus, in which Khia raps "My neck, my back, lick my pussy and my crack".[10] The song was written by Khia herself and Edward Meriwether.[11] During a studio session, Khia recorded "My Neck, My Back" at Grooveland Studios in Clearwater, Florida.[12]

Music video

Background

The music video was directed by Diane Martel, and was released during the spring of 2002.[13] In the United Kingdom, a different video was used, which did not feature Khia, instead depicting a group of bikini-clad models washing a Hummer H2 in a seductive manner while lip-synching the words to the song.[14]

Synopsis

The music video begins with Khia dancing in a half-bikini dress at a party in front of various people full of arcade games. It later shows scenes of Khia at a pool receiving a massage by a dreadheaded man. Khia is also seen dancing at a barbecue. There are also scenes showing Khia in a house wearing a polka-dot shirt and heels surrounded by men. Khia can also be seen sitting on a bed in the same look she had on in the beginning of the video right next to many other various people.

Remixes and freestyles

The official remix of the song, the "Roc-A-Fella Remix", features rapper Memphis Bleek. The remix was released as a clean version.[15]

Saweetie did a freestyle of the song titled "Icy Grl".[16] [17] The song was released on her SoundCloud in the summer of 2017 and later released a music video for it in October of the same year.[18] The visual, which went viral on the Internet, would go on to accrue 104 million views on YouTube as of August 2020.[17] [19]

Usage in media

In 2015, American pop singer Miley Cyrus performed a cover of the song at the Adult Swim's New York City upfront party.[20] The performance later caught the attention of Khia herself, who praised the singer-songwriter for performing the song.[21]

American singer-songwriter Elle King covered the song in a country-like style.[22] [23]

The song is featured prominently and sampled in the Girl Talk song "Non-Stop Party Now" off the album Unstoppable.

Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine did a lounge/swing styled cover of the song on their 2010 album OK Bartender.

Track listings

  1. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Clean Radio Edit) – 3:20
  2. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Kardinal Beats Clean Radio Edit) – 3:02
  1. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Clean Radio Edit) – 3:20
  2. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Kardinal Beats Clean Radio Edit) – 3:02
  3. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Tom Neville X-Rated Mix) – 7:22
  4. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (FNP Remix) – 6:52
  5. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Kardinal Beats Dirty Club Mix) – 3:24
  6. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Street/Club Version) – 3:43
  7. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Video)

A1. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Kardinal Beats Dirty Club Mix) – 3:24

A2. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Friday Night Posse Remix) – 6:52

B1. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Street/Club Version) – 3:43

B2. "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" (Tom Neville X-Rated Mix) – 7:22

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002–2004)Peak
position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[26] 30
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[27] 10
Greece (IFPI)[28] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)Position
Australia (ARIA)[29] 79
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[30] 99

Notes and References

  1. Web site: My Neck, My Back (Lick It) / My Neck, My Back: Khia. Amazon. June 12, 2013. June 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120624043408/http://www.amazon.com/My-Neck-Back-Lick-Explicit/dp/B004G3O4ZO. live.
  2. link
  3. Web site: Video Vultures: The Dirty South . Heave Media . April 9, 2013 . February 24, 2014 . September 24, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924025507/http://www.heavemedia.com/2013/04/09/video-vultures-the-dirty-south/ . live .
  4. Book: Porno? Chic!: How Pornography Changed the World and Made it a Better Place . Routledge . McNair, Brian . 2013 . 102 . 9780415572903 . December 15, 2020 . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220511060255/https://books.google.com/books?id=f47qOw2w5Q0C&pg=PA102 . live .
  5. Book: Edited Clean Version: Technology and the Culture of Control . University of Minnesota Press . Guins, Raiford . 2008 . 153 . 9780816648146 . December 15, 2020 . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220511060255/https://books.google.com/books?id=NtFXpZi3z28C&pg=PA153 . live .
  6. Web site: Reid . Shaheem . Khia Shocked By Response To 'My Neck, My Back' . . June 6, 2002 . December 9, 2017 . August 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170801115000/http://www.mtv.com/news/1455425/khia-shocked-by-response-to-my-neck-my-back/ . dead .
  7. News: The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ . . July 30, 2018 . NPR.org . July 30, 2018 . July 30, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180730071954/https://www.npr.org/2018/07/30/627395449/turning-the-tables-the-200-greatest-songs-by-21st-century-women-part-1 . live .
  8. Web site: Eyre . Bronti . Top 5 Songs About Vaginas . . April 26, 2013 . ThoughtCatalog.com . April 26, 2013 . September 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140929151548/http://thoughtcatalog.com/bronti-eyre/2013/04/top-5-songs-about-vaginas/ . live .
  9. Web site: Alby . India Mae . The Cultural Legacy of Khia's 'My Neck, My Back (Lick It)' . Keakie.com . January 12, 2018 . April 4, 2019 . April 4, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190404175023/https://www.keakie.co.uk/news/the-cultural-legacy-of-khias-my-neck-my-back-lick-it . dead .
  10. Web site: Pussy And My Crack Memes . April 5, 2019 . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220511060257/https://me.me/t/pussy-and-my-crack?since=1484977298%2C7773361 . live .
  11. Web site: Wiki for Lick My Neck, My Back by Khia. April 5, 2019. May 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220511060257/https://songmeanings.com/songs/wiki/104548/. live.
  12. Web site: Khia - My Neck My Back - Dance Music, Pop . June 12, 2013 . March 1, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190301033427/http://classicsretro.blogspot.com/2019/02/DJ.Kamikaze.Khia.My.Neck.My.Back.Like.It.html . live .
  13. Web site: Diane Martel technician videography . mvdbase.com . February 24, 2014 . November 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121119124246/http://www.mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Martel&first=Diane . live .
  14. Web site: Khia - My Neck, My Back (Car Wash Version) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/nRzWrX5aJyc . 2021-12-21 . live. . August 6, 2008.
  15. Web site: Khia - My Neck, My Back (Lick It). Discogs. April 21, 2018. April 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180422062546/https://www.discogs.com/Khia-My-Neck-My-Back-Lick-It/release/2319739. live.
  16. Web site: Fresh. Mikey. Interview: Saweetie Turned Her "Icy Girl" Video Into A Career Springboard. Vibe. November 8, 2017. March 12, 2018. November 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171109063612/https://www.vibe.com/2017/11/interview-saweetie-icy-girl-video/. live.
  17. Web site: C.M.. Emmanuel. The Break Presents: Saweetie. XXL. December 1, 2017. March 17, 2018. December 2, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171202044803/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2017/12/saweetie-interview-the-break/. live.
  18. Web site: Fresh. Mikey. Saweetie Is "High Maintenance" And She's An "Icy Girl". Vibe. October 17, 2017. March 12, 2018. March 24, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180324223837/https://www.vibe.com/2017/10/saweetie-icy-girl-high-maintenance/. live.
  19. Lyle. Ashley. Rising MC Saweetie Talks Viral Hit 'Icy Grl,' Signing With Warner Bros. Records & the Value of Education. Billboard. February 14, 2018. March 12, 2018. February 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215092857/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8099115/saweetie-interview-icy-grl-warner-bros-deal. live.
  20. Web site: Harris . Christopher . Miley Cyrus Covers Khia's "My Neck, My Back" . May 14, 2015 . April 5, 2019 . April 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190417130454/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.33850/title.miley-cyrus-covers-khias-my-neck-my-back . live .
  21. Stutz . Colin . Khia Thanks Miley Cyrus for Covering 'My Neck, My Back' . . Billboard.com . May 14, 2015 . April 5, 2019 . April 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190427095532/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6568284/khia-miley-cyrus-my-neck-my-back-cover-thanks . live .
  22. Web site: Ranta . Alan . Stawamus Stage, Squamish BC, August 9 . Exclaim! . May 11, 2022 . August 10, 2015.
  23. Web site: Lewis . Casey . Style Rider: Elle King Buys Black High-Waisted Jeans In Bulk . Vice . May 11, 2022 . February 5, 2015.
  24. Web site: Khia - My Neck, My Back (Lick It) (CD) at Discogs. Discogs. Discogs.com. June 12, 2013. February 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210226101011/https://www.discogs.com/Khia-My-Neck-My-Back-Lick-It/release/10247977. live.
  25. Web site: Khia - My Neck, My Back (Lick It) (12') at Discogs. Discogs. Discogs.com. June 12, 2013. November 4, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101104014924/http://www.discogs.com/Khia-My-Neck-My-Back-Lick-It/release/334948. live.
  26. Khia Chart History (Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales) . . May 7, 2020 . May 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220511060257/https://www.billboard.com/artist/khia/chart-history/cns/ . live .
  27. Hits of the World . Billboard . 116 . 44 . October 30, 2004 . 41 . 0006-2510 . April 15, 2019 . . August 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210824191214/https://books.google.com/books?id=khMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41 . live .
  28. Web site: Top 50 Singles Εβδομάδα 29/03 – 04/04. IFPI. el. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20030414005703/http://www.ifpi.gr/chart03.htm. April 14, 2003. June 29, 2020. See Best column.
  29. Web site: ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2002. Australian Recording Industry Association. May 11, 2020. May 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510222220/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/2002/singles-chart. live.
  30. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2002. Billboard. January 2, 2013. May 11, 2020. October 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171029145303/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2002/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs. live.
  31. Web site: ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2003. Australian Recording Industry Association. May 11, 2020. July 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200729015554/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/2003/singles-chart. live.
  32. Web site: UK Year-End Charts 2004 . . April 15, 2019 . August 9, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110809004759/http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2004.pdf . live .