"Freak like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995 by East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, Do You Wanna Ride? (1995). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, as well as number two on the BillboardHot R&B Singles chart for four weeks, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of one million copies. Its music video was directed by Hype Williams. In 2023, Billboard ranked "Freak like Me" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".[2] The song has been covered by several artists, most notably by British girl group Sugababes, who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart with their version in 2002.
"Freak like Me" is a R&B song with a g-funk beat.[3] The song's drum beat is sampled from Sly & the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song". The song also interpolates "I'd Rather Be with You" by Bootsy's Rubber Band. Hence, Eugene Hanes, Marc Valentine, Loren Hill, William "Bootsy" Collins, and George Clinton's son George Jr. (the last of whom died in 2010) are credited as joint authors and composers. In honor of the song's 20th anniversary, a documentary focusing on the song's (and singer Adina Howard's) impact was released titled Adina Howard 20: A Story of Sexual Liberation.[4][5] It received a nomination for "Outstanding Independent Documentary" at the 2016 Black Reel Awards.
American Billboard magazine wrote, "The G-funkiestR&B smash of the '90s, using a Bootsy Collins interpolation, a Sly & The Family Stone sample and a Chronic-styled synth hook to attract that kind of man (because Adina Howard's that kind of girl)."[2] Bill Speed from the Gavin Report stated that newcomer Howard "is hot with her debut single 'A Freak like Me', but don't be fooled by what appears to be another coochie song. It's way more than that." He concluded with that it "will be one of those funky hip-hop flavored hits that all demos will enjoy."[6] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel complimented its "memorable chorus".[7]Everett True from Melody Maker found that the singer "provides sweet relief with another of those succulent, sensuous G-funk thangs which sounds like a cross between En Vogue and Snoop Doggy Dogg."[8]
Alan Jones from Music Week felt "it's a record with immense pedigree; a softly percolating laidback soul/R&B nugget which reveals its subtle strength. With repeated plays it should dent the Top 40 this time and open up the market for Ms Howard's excellent album Do You Wanna Ride?"[9] Ralph Tee from the Record Mirror Dance Update wrote, "The track is pure hip hop soul combining Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre beats and sounds with a style of vocal that's taken Brandy all the way with 'I Wanna Be Down'."[1] Another Record Mirror editor, James Hamilton, described it as a "slinkily rolling r&b swayer."[10]Spin ranked "Freak like Me" number ten in their list of the 20 best singles of 1995.[11]
In 2002, English girl group Sugababes recorded a cover of "Freak like Me". Conceived and produced by English producer Richard X, the cover samples the 1979 song "Are "Friends" Electric?" by Gary Numan and Tubeway Army. In 2001, Richard X had created a bootlegmashup of the original recordings of "Freak Like Me" and "Are "Friends" Electric?", titled "We Don't Give a Damn About Our Friends", which he released under the alias Girls on Top.[37] That song became a successful underground dance track. Richard X wanted to release the mashup commercially, but he could not get permission from Howard to use her vocals, so he enlisted the Sugababes to re-record the vocals.[38][39]
"Freak like Me" was released on April 22, 2002, as the lead single from their second studio album, Angels with Dirty Faces (2002). It was the first Sugababes single to feature Heidi Range, who joined after the departure of Siobhán Donaghy in August 2001. The Sugababes version blends the original recording's samples into an R&B and rock track.[40] This version of the song used the radio edit lyrics of Howard's song ("brotha" is used instead of "nigga"). Numan was now credited as a co-writer of the song. A remix of the song, billed as the "We Don't Give a Damn Mix", was used for the video and also appears on Richard X's 2003 album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1.
The Guardian named "Freak like Me" as the best number-one single of 2002.[41]NME complimented the track as "genius" and claimed, "if this gets to number one, we'll be grinning all summer. Yes, even The Critics."[42]Billboard named the song number 45 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[43]
Numan considered the Sugababes version of "Freak like Me" to be better than "Are 'Friends' Electric?".[44]
"Freak like Me" was released in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2002.[45] The song became Sugababes' first number-one single when it debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, remaining in the top 10 for four weeks. The British Phonographic Industry certified the song gold for selling and streaming over 400,000 units.
Outside of the United Kingdom, the song was also successful: it reached the top 10 in Flanders, Ireland, and Norway. In Australia, "Freak like Me" was released on June 17, 2002,[46] and became the fourth single by Sugababes to make the singles chart, reaching number 44. It would be their lowest-charting single in Australia until the release of "Shape" in 2003.
The music video was directed by Dawn Shadforth and Sophie Muller and was filmed in London. It uses the "We Don't Give a Damn Mix" of the song, which is more faithful to the original mash-up. Set in a strange nightclub, the video serves to introduce then-recently added member Heidi Range. It begins outside the nightclub with a man tumbling down the stairs, with Keisha Buchanan in a long coat, seen only from below the knee, walking out of a door, over the man's body and up the stairs. Mutya Buena is seen standing on the stairs facing the direction where the man is lying. Inside, they spot Range dancing and flirting with many guys. They both quickly clash with her, and a fight between them ensues, which ends with Range falling to the floor unconscious. A man tries to help her up, but Buena grabs him by the neck and throws him away from her. Range wakes up again soon after, and stumbles out of the club with another man, where they begin to kiss, until she suddenly bites hard into his arm. Meanwhile, Buchanan takes a man outside, and she leads him into a dark alley, where they flirt briefly, before she scares him away. Buena then goes outside as well, and overpowers a man who towers over her. The music video ends with Buchanan and Buena accepting Range into the group, and dancing into the night. The demonstrations of supernatural strength shown throughout the video and Range biting the man on the arm are generally understood to imply that the women are, as the song suggests, vampire-like "freaks." Julian Morris stars in the music video as one of the boys running from Buena.
^ abCrawford, David (2015). "Sugababes - "Freak Like Me". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 815.
^CMJ Network, Inc (September 8, 2003). "CMJ New Music Report". CMJ Network, Inc. – via Google Books.
^"Gary Numan – Interview". Designer Magazine. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2018. I did the Graham Norton show and I said I think its better than mine – I think the vocal is a lot more interesting than mine.
^Freak Like Me (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Sugababes. Island Records. 2002. 12IS798, 582898-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Freak Like Me (UK cassette single sleeve). Sugababes. Island Records. 2002. CIS798, 582898-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Freak Like Me (European CD single liner notes). Sugababes. Island Records. 2002. CIDT798, 582907-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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