Let's Talk About Sex
{{Short description|1991 single by Salt-n-Pepa}}
{{About||the 1998 film|Let's Talk About Sex (film)|the Canadian television program|Let's Talk Sex}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Let's Talk About Sex
| cover = Let's_talk_about_sex!.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Salt-N-Pepa
| album = Blacks' Magic
| released = August 6, 1991
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 3:33
| label = Next Plateau
| writer = Hurby Azor
| producer =
- Hurby Luv Bug
- the Invincibles
| prev_title = Do You Want Me
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = You Showed Me
| next_year = 1992
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|ydrtF45-y-g|"Let's Talk About Sex"}}}}
}}
"Let's Talk About Sex" is a song by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa, released in August 1991 by Next Plateau as the fourth single from their third studio album, Blacks' Magic (1990). It was written and co-produced by Hurby Azor, and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Zimbabwe where it was a number-one hit. Its music video was directed by Millicent Shelton. In 1992, "Let's Talk About Sex" earned a nomination in the category for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Award.
Content
The song talks about safe sex, the positive and negative sides of sex and the censorship that sex had around that time in American mainstream media. The song was later included in the trio's Greatest Hits (2000) album. It samples "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers. An alternate version of the song entitled "Let's Talk About AIDS" was released to radio on a promotional single and included as a B-side on various singles for the song. The lyrics were changed to more directly address the spread of AIDS and HIV.
Chart performances and awards
The song was certified gold by the RIAA and peaked at No. 13 at the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the purely sales-based UK Singles Chart, the song hit No. 2, and in the German singles chart, the song hit No. 1, the first original song by an American hip-hop act to achieve that feat. It also hit No. 1 in the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.
In 1992, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Critical reception
The song received favorable reviews from many music critics. Steve Huey from AllMusic called it a "playful safe-sex anthem".{{cite web|first= Steve |last= Huey |title= Salt-N-Pepa - Blacks' Magic |publisher= AllMusic |accessdate= November 18, 2020 |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/blacks-magic-mw0000654978}} Larry Flick from Billboard stated that the "hot rap divas show no sign of cooling off with this spicy hip-hopper that pokes fun at people with inhibitions about sex." He remarked that "cheeky rhymes and charming demeanors make this yet another multiformat winner."{{cite magazine|first=Larry|last=Flick|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1991/BB-1991-08-17.pdf|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Billboard|date=August 17, 1991|accessdate=November 18, 2020|page=69|author-link=Larry Flick}} DeVaney and Clark from Cashbox commented, "Although they have changed their style from their original hip-hop image to commercial/R&B/Rap, the sound of this single is quite catchy and will probably take R&B by storm." They also concluded, "This single, by far, is one of the most commercial rap cuts of the year."{{cite magazine|first1= Bryan |last1= DeVaney |first2= Randy |last2= Clark |title= Music Publishing: Singles |magazine= Cashbox |date= October 19, 1991 |page= 5 |accessdate= November 18, 2020 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/90s/1991/CB-1991-10-19.pdf}}
David Thigpen from Entertainment Weekly described it as "an articulate, funny, and danceable primer on sex and the single flygirl that hit male-dominated hip-hop where it hurt."{{cite magazine|first= David |last= Thigpen |title= Music Review: 'Very Necessary' |magazine= Entertainment Weekly |date= October 22, 1993 |accessdate= November 18, 2020 |url= https://ew.com/article/1993/10/22/music-review-very-necessary/}} A reviewer from Melody Maker wrote, "It's one of the most uncompromising safe sex raps ever written. The song also recoginises the biological differences between males and females, and the serious messages are balanced by a cheeky, never ribald, sense of humour. Their concern is genuine. It is, as they say, largely about understanding."{{cite magazine|author=Push|magazine=Melody Maker|title=Albums|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/52090112475/|date=April 21, 1990|access-date=February 24, 2023}} Kim France from Spin felt that "Let's Talk About Sex" "packs a wallop with the kind of sassy, seducto-humor the two previous Salt-N-Pepa records were chock full of."{{cite magazine|first=Kim|last=France|title=Spins|magazine=Spin|date=May 1990|page=78|accessdate=January 23, 2023|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v28LuIZchkEC}}
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Let's Talk About Sex" directed by Millicent Shelton and designed by visual artist and designer Ron Norsworthy, starts in a black-and-white scene with a girl turning on a radio and listening to the song. Then she starts kissing her boyfriend and scenes of Salt-n-Pepa and other couples kissing and hugging are shown. Next the video colorizes when Salt-n-Pepa are shown dancing. Another version of the video has a scene in which a skeleton is shown after the word 'AIDS' with a stamp saying 'censored' in its mouth.
Track listings
- 7-inch single
- "Let's Talk About Sex!" (True Confessions edit) – 3:32
- "Let's Talk About Sex!" (Super Crispy Mix) – 4:39
- CD maxi
- "Let's Talk About Sex!" (True Confessions edit) – 3:32
- "Let's Talk About Sex!" (Original Recipe mix) – 4:42
- "Let's Talk About Sex!" (Super Crispy mix) – 4:39
- "Do You Want Me" (Techno Philly Mix) – 6:31
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|artist=Salt-n-Pepa|title=Let's Talk About Sex|award=Platinum|relyear=1991|certyear=1991|access-date=July 17, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|type=single|artist=Salt 'n' Pepa|title=Let's Talk About Sex|award=Gold|relyear=1991|certyear=1991|access-date=February 5, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|type=single|artist=Salt 'n Pepa|title=Let's Talk About Sex|award=Gold|relyear=1991|certyear=1991|access-date=February 5, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Salt N Pepa|title=Let's Talk About Sex|award=Silver|relyear=1991|certyear=1991|id=3825-669-1|access-date=February 5, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Salt 'N Pepa|title=Let's Talk About Sex|award=Gold|relyear=1991|certyear=1991|access-date=February 5, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
!scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"|United States
|August 6, 1991 |{{hlist|12-inch vinyl|cassette}} |{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} |
|---|
| scope="row"|United Kingdom
|August 19, 1991 |{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|cassette}} |FFRR |{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=19|date=August 17, 1991}} |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090906161455/http://salt-n-pepa.org/ Salt-n-Pepa's Official Fan Site]
{{Salt-n-Pepa}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Category:Next Plateau Entertainment singles
Category:Number-one singles in Austria
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Germany
Category:Number-one singles in Portugal
Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland