U Can’t Touch This

“U Can’t Touch This” is considered to be MC Hammer’s signature song and most successful single. It is the second track from his 1990 album “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em”.

MC Hammer (real name Stanley Burrell) shares song writing credits with Rick James as the track samples the opening riff of James’ infamous “Super Freak”. This led James and other performers on the original record to file a lawsuit for infringement of copyright. The suit was settled with MC Hammer agreed to credit James as a songwriter on the track. The song consists of Hammer discussing touring the world and his skills as a musician. Lyrics from the song such as “You can’t touch this” and “Stop! Hammer time!” ended up being popular pop culture catchphrases.

The music video was directed by Rupert Wainwright, and features MC Hammer showcasing his famous signature dance moves, such as “The Running Man” and the “Hammer Dance”. The video was uploaded to MC Hammer’s official YouTube channel in February 2009. As of September 2019, the video has over 501 million views.

Release Date: 13th January 1990

Songwriter/s: Stanley Burrell, Rick James & Alonzo Miller

Producer/s: MC Hammer

Label/s: Capitol Records

Music Video Director: Rupert Wainwright

Chart Rankings, Certifications, Accolades & Awards: In its year of release, “U Can’t Touch This” ranked #1 in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the US. The track also charted in the Top 10 in the UK, Spain, Norway, Ireland and many other countries. The song is certified Gold in Canada, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the US, but 2x Platinum in Australia. In 1999, MTV’s “Greatest Videos Ever Made” included “U Can’t Touch This” at #71. In October 2000, VH1’s “100 Greatest Dance Songs” included it at #88, #26 on VH1’s “100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop”, as well as their 2007 list “100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s” at #16. The music video won an MTV Video Music Award for “Best Rap Video” and “Best Dance Video” in 1990. The track as won the “Best R&B Song” and “Best Rap Solo Performance” at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1991.