Let's Talk About Sex

"Let's Talk About Sex" is a song by American hip-hop trio Salt-n-Pepa. It was released in August 1991 as a single from their Blacks' Magic album, and achieved great success in many countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Zimbabwe where it was a number-one hit.

"Let's Talk About Sex"
Single by Salt-n-Pepa
from the album Blacks' Magic
B-side	"Remix"
Released	August 6, 1991
Recorded	1990
Genre	Hip house dance pop rap
Length	3:33
Label	Next Plateau
Songwriter(s)	Hurby Azor Al Bell
Producer(s)	Hurby Luv Bug and the Invincibles
Salt-n-Pepa singles chronology
"Do You Want Me" (1990) "Let's Talk About Sex" (1991) "You Showed Me" (1992)
Music video
"Let's Talk About Sex" on YouTube

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.

Critical reception

The song received favorable reviews from many music critics. Steve Huey from AllMusic called it a "playful safe-sex anthem".[1] 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 noted that "cheeky rhymes and charming demeanors make this yet another multiformat winner."[2] 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." He also added, "This single, by far, is one of the most commercial rap cuts of the year."[3] 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."[4]

Music video

The 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.

Cover versions

• German singer/band leader Max Raabe and Palast Orchester covered in cabaret/big band style for his 2001 album Super Hits.[5]
• The chorus was sampled in Pretty Ricky's 2006 single, "On the Hotline".
• The song was featured in the riff-off scene in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect. It was also song by a choir of seniors in the 2012 film Song for Marion, released in the United States as Unfinished Song.
• The EDM groups Cheat Codes and Kris Kross Amsterdam re-use the song's chorus in their 2016 single, "Sex". This song, however, takes a more pro-sex R&B approach to the theme than the original, with new verses and dance-focused production.

Chart performances and awards

The song was certified gold by the RIAA and peaked at No. 13 at the 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.

Track listings

7" Single

1. "Let's Talk About Sex!" (True Confessions Edit) — 3:32
2. "Let's Talk About Sex!" (Super Crispy Mix) - 4:39

CD Maxi

1. "Let's Talk About Sex!" (True Confessions Edit) — 3:32
2. "Let's Talk About Sex!" (Original Recipe Mix) — 4:42
3. "Let's Talk About Sex!" (Super Crispy Mix) — 4:39
4. "Do You Want Me" (Techno Philly Mix) — 6:31

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1991–92) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[6] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 24 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[10] 3 Denmark (IFPI)[11] 5 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 2 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 8 France (SNEP)[14] 11 Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[16] 4 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 3 Norway (VG-lista)[20] 3 Portugal (AFP)[21] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24] 2 UK Music Week Dance Singles[25] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[26] 13 US Billboard Hot Rap Tracks[26] 12 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[26] 6 US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[26] 51 Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[27] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position Germany (Official German Charts)[28] 50 Chart (1992) Position Australian Singles Chart[29] 48 Austrian Singles Chart[30] 18 Dutch Top 40[31] 13 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[32] 51 Germany (Official German Charts)[33] 14 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[34] 23 Swiss Singles Chart[35] 19 Certifications Country Certification Date Sales certified Australia[36] Platinum 1992 70,000 Austria[37] Gold December 5, 1991 15,000 UK[38] Silver October 1, 1991 200,000 U.S.[39] Gold December 10, 1991 500,000

See also

• Safe sex
• 1991 in music

References

1. Huey, Steve. "Salt-N-Pepa - Blacks' Magic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
2. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 1991-08-17. p. 69. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
3. "Music Publishing: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. 1991-10-19. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
4. Thigpen, David (1993-10-22). "Music Review: 'Very Necessary'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
5. Max Raabe und Palast Orchester - News, Bilder, Konzerte und Videos 2013 - Neuigkeiten Archived August 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
6. "Australian-charts.com – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
9. "Canada Top Singles peak". Archived from the original on 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2015-01-13.
10. "Canada Dance/Urban peak". Archived from the original on 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2015-08-21.
11. "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. January 25, 1992. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 21, 1991. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
13. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
14. "Lescharts.com – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!" (in French). Les classement single.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!". GfK Entertainment Charts.
16. Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived June 3, 2009, at WebCite (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Salt-N-Pepa" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
19. "Charts.nz – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!". Top 40 Singles.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!". VG-lista.
21. "Top 10 Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. June 13, 1992. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
22. "Swedishcharts.com – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!". Singles Top 100.
23. "Swisscharts.com – Salt-N-Pepa – Let's Talk About Sex!". Swiss Singles Chart.
24. UK Singles Chart OfficialCharts.com (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
25. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. September 21, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
26. Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
27. • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
28. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
29. 1992 Australian Singles Chart aria.com Archived September 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
30. 1992 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived June 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
31. "Single top 100 over 1991" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Archived from the original (pdf) on March 30, 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
32. "Eurochart Hot 100 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 (51–52): 21. December 21, 1991. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via American Radio History.
33. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
34. "End of Year Charts 1992". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
35. 1992 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived October 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
36. "ARIA Accreditations (1987-2010)". Australian Fun Countdowns. Retrieved 2015-08-04.
37. Austrian certifications ifpi.at Archived 2010-02-01 at WebCite (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
38. UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 20, 2008)
39. U.S. certifications riaa.com Archived 2007-06-26 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved August 20, 2008)

External links

• Salt-n-Pepa's Official Fan Site
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics