Take Me There (Blackstreet and Mya song) explained

Take Me There
Cover:Take me There.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Blackstreet and Mya featuring Blinky Blink and Mase
Album:The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture Finally
Released:November 1998
Recorded:September 1998[1]
Genre:
Label:Interscope
Producer:Teddy Riley
Chronology:Blackstreet
Prev Title:The City Is Mine
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:Girlfriend/Boyfriend
Next Year:1999

"Take Me There" is a song by American quartet Blackstreet and singer Mya, featuring Bad Boy rappers Mase and Blinky Blink. It was written by Mase, Michael Foster, Madeline Nelson, Tamara Savage and Teddy Riley. Riley also produced the song. The song serves as the theme song for the animated feature film The Rugrats Movie and was released on November 30, 1998, as the lead and only single from the soundtrack. It also appeared on Blackstreet's third studio album, Finally.

"Take Me There" reached 1 in New Zealand for three weeks in January 1999 and achieved platinum status for selling over 10,000 copies there. In North America, the song peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. It also became a hit in several European nations, peaking at No. 7 in the United Kingdom, No. 9 in Ireland, and No. 22 in the Netherlands.

Background

Blackstreet initially became involved with The Rugrats Movie (1998) and its soundtrack after finding out that they were Nickelodeons favorite R&B group. Looking for other ways to tap into what was popular with children, Teddy Riley enlisted the help of Mýa and Mase. Riley explained, "It would appeal to the kids, and to get a more... broader audience of the kids, it would be great to have Mýa and Mase." This collaboration resulted in the song "Take Me There", which Riley produced, incorporating the Rugrats theme song.[2] Backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards, Mýa talked about the collaboration, saying, "We knocked it out in one day. Kids came to the studio [to hear the song], and they were listening to the song and they were just singing right along, because [the song] rings a bell when you first hear it."[3]

Composition

"Take Me There" is a pop-rap and R&B song with a soft melody. It runs for four minutes and four seconds. The full-length version, including the instrumental section, is five minutes and two seconds. It contains interpolations of the original Rugrats TV theme, which was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh (uncredited).

Music video

The music video premiered in October 1998. The video starts with cartoon character Angelica Pickles turning on the television to a clip of the Rugrats pulling the Reptar Wagon up a hill. The clip used appears to be the deleted scene "The Rugrats March". It takes place in a realistic live-action version of the Pickles' house, with Mýa and Blackstreet dancing through the house. Mýa is seen in Tommy Pickles's bedroom, the members of Blackstreet are seen in the kitchen, and Mase and Blinky Blink are seen driving the Reptar Wagon against a background of a scene from the film. As the video ends, Angelica turns the television off. The video premiered as a part of Blackstreet and Mýa's hosting of SNICK,[4] and was directed by Luke Nola and Steve Saussey.

Critical reception

Music Week felt that by incorporating the cartoons theme instrumental that "Take Me there could be an extremely catchy R&B number (boosted by the number of stars it features) if it wasn't challenging Jay-Z for most annoying release of the week."[5]

Chart performance

The single entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 5, 1998,[6] peaking at No. 14 on January 23, 1999.[7] It reached No. 10 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. Internationally, it reached the top 10 in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in Japan. It also reached the top spot in New Zealand and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.

The Rugrats Movie soundtrack was awarded a platinum certification in the United States for selling over one million copies. While the film's website credits sales to the strength of the major-label artists who participated,[8] chart positions and sales correlate directly to the heavy promotions for the feature film's November 20, 1998, US release.

"Take Me There (Want U Back Mix)," which interpolates "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5, peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 19, 1998, after three weeks on the chart. That same day it made its way onto the top 40. During the week of December 7, 1998, "Take Me There" peaked at No. 13 on the Hits of the World board in the United Kingdom. The song landed on No. 19 of the Video Monitor, the most-played clips as monitored by the Broadcast Data Systems, via its airtime on BET. It also did very well on the MTV playlists, peaking at No. 21 in the same week. It was also well liked in The Clip List, making its debut on the Box Tops, and was played about 15 hours weekly on the California Music Channel (CMC).

Sound Tracks noted its popularity: The movie's success helped the soundtrack stay at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks.[9]

Remixes

A remix which samples the Jackson 5's number-one hit "I Want You Back" was issued promotionally to radio stations and was made commercially available on a CD single in the United Kingdom.[10] This version did not appear in the film and was not included on the soundtrack. It also appears on Blackstreet's album Finally; this version omits Mase and Blinky Blink, possibly because their verses primarily revolve around the Rugrats characters. A second remix, "Take Me There (Thugrats Remix)" appears on the "Girlfriend/Boyfriend" single featuring new verses from Mase and Blinky Blink.

Track listing

  1. "Take Me There" (radio version) – 4:01
  2. "Take Me There" (Want U Back mix) – 4:00
  3. "Take Me There" (album version) – 5:04
  4. "Take Me There" (instrumental) – 5:01

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Take Me There"!Chart (1998–1999)!Peak
position
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[11] 47
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[12] 29

Year-end charts

1998 year-end chart performance for "Take Me There"!Chart (1998)!Position
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 120
UK Urban (Music Week)[14] 22
1999 year-end chart performance for "Take Me There"!Chart (1999)!Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 150
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 91

Release history

Region!scope="col"
DateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesOctober 26, 1998Urban radioInterscope[17]
United KingdomNovember 30, 1998[18]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mya Records With Blackstreet For "Rug Rats" Movie . https://web.archive.org/web/20010709004731/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1426087/19980916/blackstreet.jhtml . dead . July 9, 2001 . September 16, 1998 . . May 16, 2011.
  2. Web site: Blackstreet Discusses Hooking Up With Mya, Mase For "Rugrats". https://web.archive.org/web/20180127084017/http://www.mtv.com/news/1426086/blackstreet-discusses-hooking-up-with-mya-mase-for-rugrats/. dead. January 27, 2018. January 26, 2018. MTV.
  3. Web site: Mya Records With Blackstreet For "Rug Rats" Movie. https://web.archive.org/web/20160404150639/http://www.mtv.com/news/1426087/mya-records-with-blackstreet-for-rug-rats-movie/. dead. April 4, 2016. January 26, 2018. MTV.
  4. Web site: Blast from the Past.
  5. Single Reviews. November 21, 1998. Music Week. 8. August 28, 2023.
  6. The Hot 100: Week of December 5, 1998. Billboard. December 5, 1998. July 13, 2021.
  7. The Hot 100. Billboard. January 2, 2013.
  8. Web site: "The Rugrats Movie" Soundtrack . May 25, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100324125253/http://www.rugratonline.com/rrmovi2a.htm . March 24, 2010 .
  9. Web site: Billboard. December 19, 1998.
  10. Web site: "The Rugrats Movie" Music Miscellanea . www.rugratonline.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20010228030514/http://www.rugratonline.com/rrmovi2c.htm . 2001-02-28.
  11. Web site: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 15. 51. 18. December 19, 1998. January 7, 2018.
  12. News: Íslenski Listinn (22.1–29.1. 1999). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 10. January 22, 1999. October 5, 2019.
  13. Web site: Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży. pl. May 1, 2019. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150604184020/http://hosting1642755.az.pl/sp%20uk%20best%201998.html. June 4, 2015.
  14. The Urban Top 40 Of 1998. Music Week. January 9, 1999. August 6, 2023.
  15. Web site: Jaarlijsten 1999. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. nl. February 22, 2020.
  16. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 1999. August 28, 2010. November 10, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20061110095342/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1999. dead.
  17. AddVance Notice. Radio & Records. 1271. 57. October 23, 1998.
  18. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 27. November 28, 1998. July 13, 2021.