"Take Me There"
Single by Blackstreet and Mya featuring Blinky Blink and Mase
from the album The Rugrats Movie: Music From the Motion Picture and Finally
ReleasedNovember 30, 1998 (1998-11-30)
RecordedSeptember 1998[1]
Genre
Length
  • 5:04 (original version)
  • 4:03 (radio edit)
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Teddy Riley
Blackstreet singles chronology
"The City Is Mine"
(1998)		 "Take Me There"
(1998)		 "Girlfriend/Boyfriend"
(1999)
Mya singles chronology
"Movin' On"
(1998)		 "Take Me There"
(1998)		 "Somebody Like Me"
(1999)
Mase singles chronology
"Top of the World"
(1998)		 "Take Me There"
(1998)		 "Get Ready"
(1999)
Blinky Blink singles chronology
"Take Me There"
(1998)		 "Make Me Wanna Sing"
(2000)

"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 No. 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 Nickelodeon's 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 Tommy 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] In 2014, Billboard ranked "Take Me There" in its "Top 50 Forgotten Gems From the Now! Series", which list songs from the series that were underrated at the time of their release.[6]

Chart performance

The single entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 5, 1998,[7] peaking at No. 14 on January 23, 1999.[8] It reached No. 10 on Billboard's 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,[9] 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:

["Take Me There"] earn[ed] the Greatest Gainer/Airplay title for its 17% increase in audience. A remix by Big Yam using the melody of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" and a rap-less edit are helping the track make inroads on radio. [...] the song's inclusion on the Burger King commercials promoting the Rugrats toys being offered by the fast-food giant is helping the song gain exposure. [...] Just look at the jump "Take Me There" took after The Rugrats Movie opened. "Take Me There" was shipped to radio the first week in October but didn't really affect the charts until the film took off.

The movie's success helped the soundtrack stay at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks.[10]

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.[11] 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

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Take Me There"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Platinum 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Take Me There"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 26, 1998 Urban radio Interscope [34]
United Kingdom November 30, 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 [35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mya Records With Blackstreet For "Rug Rats" Movie". MTV News. September 16, 1998. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Blackstreet Discusses Hooking Up With Mya, Mase For "Rugrats"". MTV. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Mya Records With Blackstreet For "Rug Rats" Movie". MTV. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Blast from the Past".
  5. ↑ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. November 21, 1998. p. 8. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Top 50 Forgotten Gems From The Now! Series: JC Chasez, Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Mumba & More | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Hot 100: Week of December 5, 1998". Billboard. December 5, 1998. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  8. ↑ "The Hot 100". Billboard. January 2, 2013.
  9. ↑ ""The Rugrats Movie" Soundtrack". Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Billboard". December 19, 1998.
  11. ↑ ""The Rugrats Movie" Music Miscellanea". www.rugratonline.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2001.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7494." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7465." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 19, 1998. p. 18. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn (22.1–29.1. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 22, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Take Me There". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 3, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Blackstreet Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Blackstreet Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Mya Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Mya Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  26. ↑ "The Urban Top 40 Of 1998" (PDF). Music Week. January 9, 1999. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  29. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Blackstreet & Mýa – Take Me There". Recorded Music NZ.
  30. ↑ "AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1271. October 23, 1998. p. 57.
  31. ↑ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 28, 1998. p. 27. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
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