After dropping out of high school and joining the US Naval Reserve, he eventually went AWOL to concentrate on music. He fled to Canada in 1964 and started using the name Ricky Matthews. In Toronto, he led various incarnations of The Mynah Birds, some of which included Neil Young and Bruce Palmer (who would go on to form Buffalo Springfield) and Nick St. Nicholas (later of Steppenwolf). After scoring a deal with Motown, the band was swindled by their manager and the label discovered James was on the lam, and the band split up.
After serving time for desertion, James tried to rekindle the Mynah Birds, but eventually found a role as a writer and producer at Motown, using the name Terry Johnson on tunes for Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers and The Spinners. He moved to California in 1969 and formed Salt 'n' Pepper (not to be confused with Salt-N-Pepa) and worked with a number of bands (Heaven and Earth, Great White Cane, and Stone City Band) before returning to Motown, where he developed the gritty funk sound that would bring him hits and notoriety. "Super Freak" in 1981, from the Street Songs album, was his biggest hit. During this period, he also helped launch the careers of R&B singer Teena Marie and the Mary Jane Girls as well as producing Eddie Murphy's hit, Party All the Time.
After remaining moderately successful through the 80s, his popularity waned in the 90s and he succumbed to drugs, having frequent run-ins with the law, one of which resulted in a prison term. After an unsuccessful comeback attempt in 1997 and suffering a stroke, James retired. He died in 2004 from heart failure with multiple contributing factors.
Superfreak
Rick James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The kind you don't take home to mother
She will never let your spirits down
Once you get her off the street, ow girl
She likes the boys in the band
She says that I'm her all-time favorite
When I make my move to her room it's the right time
[Chorus:]
That girl is pretty wild now
The girl's a super freak
The kind of girl you read about
In new-wave magazines
That girl is pretty kinky
The girl's a super freak
I really love to taste her
Every time we meet
She's all right, she's all right
That girl's all right with me, yeah
She's a super freak, super freak
She's super-freaky, yow
Super freak, super freak
She's a very special girl
The kind of girl you want to know
From her head down to her toenails
Down to her feet, yeah
And she'll wait for me at backstage with her girlfriends
In a limousine
Going back in Chinatown
Three's not a crowd to her, she says
"Room 714, I'll be waiting"
When I get there she's got incense, wine and candles
It's such a freaky scene
[Chorus]
Temptations sing!
Ohhhhh
Super freak, super freak
That girl's a super freak
Ohhhhh
She's a very kinky girl
The kind you don't take home to mother
She will never let your spirits down
Once you get her off the street, ow girl
The song "Superfreak" by Rick James is an ode to a woman who is, as he describes her, a "very kinky girl" that you wouldn't bring home to mother. James sings about her love for music, the way she waits for him backstage with her girlfriends, and how she's always up for a wild time with incense, wine, and candles. He seems to admire her free-spiritedness and the fact that she never lets his spirits down, once she's off the streets.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "That girl is pretty wild now, the girl's a super freak, the kind of girl you read about in new-wave magazines. That girl is pretty kinky, the girl's a super freak, I really love to taste her every time we meet." This repetition of "super freak" emphasizes just how unique and adventurous this woman is.
In the second verse, James continues to describe her as a "special girl" who is worth getting to know from her head down to her toenails. He even mentions her girlfriends and how three's not a crowd to her. This "freaky scene" he describes in her waiting room shows that she's not afraid to be bold and unconventional, and James clearly enjoys that about her. All in all, "Superfreak" is a song that celebrates the wild and free-spirited people in the world who may not fit into societal norms but are still worth knowing and exploring.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a very kinky girl
This woman is interested in unconventional or atypical means of sexual pleasure.
The kind you don't take home to mother
She is not the kind of girl who you would introduce to your parents as she does not fit the norms and expectations.
She will never let your spirits down
She will always deliver and not let you down, especially in the bedroom.
Once you get her off the street, ow girl
Once you get her alone and off the streets, she becomes sexually open and engaged.
She likes the boys in the band
She finds musicians attractive and is often drawn to them.
She says that I'm her all-time favorite
She specifically enjoys Rick James and what he offers during their encounters.
When I make my move to her room it's the right time
When Rick James takes the initiative to go to her room, he knows it is the right moment for sexual intimacy.
She's never hard to please
She is always satisfied with their sexual interactions and does not make it difficult for Rick James to please her.
That girl is pretty wild now
The woman is uninhibited and acts in an unconventional, spontaneous way.
The girl's a super freak
This woman is extreme in her sexual preferences and interests, making her a 'super freak.'
The kind of girl you read about in new-wave magazines
She is the type of person who is featured in avant-garde, countercultural publications because of her unusual sexual behavior.
That girl is pretty kinky
She has unconventional desires and methods of obtaining pleasure.
I really love to taste her every time we meet
Rick James enjoys performing oral sex on her every time they meet.
She's all right, she's all right
She is acceptable and satisfactory in Rick James's eyes.
That girl's all right with me, yeah
Rick James approves of and is satisfied with this woman.
She's a super freak, super freak
The woman is referred to as a 'super freak' again to emphasize her extreme sexual interests.
She's super-freaky, yow
The woman is extremely unconventional and spontaneous sexually.
She's a very special girl
This woman is unique and stands out in Rick James's eyes because of her sexual preferences.
The kind of girl you want to know
She has qualities and interests that a person would want to get to know in order to potentially engage sexually.
From her head down to her toenails, down to her feet, yeah
She is entirely attractive and interesting to Rick James, both personality and physically.
And she'll wait for me at backstage with her girlfriends in a limousine
She will wait for Rick James backstage and will be accompanied by her friends in a fancy car.
Going back in Chinatown
They are going to an area in Chinatown for sexual activity.
Three's not a crowd to her, she says
The woman enjoys having multiple partners and does not find it unpleasant or uncomfortable.
Room 714, I'll be waiting
She is waiting for Rick James in a specific room, likely for sexual activity.
When I get there she's got incense, wine and candles
When Rick James arrives in the room, he finds that the woman has set a romantic mood with candles, incense, and wine.
It's such a freaky scene
The setting and the woman's sexual proclivities create a bizarre atmosphere.
Temptations sing! Ohhhhh
This line is likely referencing the song 'Ball of Confusion' by The Temptations, as the two songs share a similar bassline.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALONZO MILLER, RICK JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jerrybear3081
Mc Hammer: "Cant Touch This"
Rick James: "TOUCH THIS!"
@tetto1982
el pepe
@morenajoyce9142
@@tetto1982 ete sech
@amairanigallagher6359
Las canciones se me hacen muy parecidas, me explican por quรฉ โฅ๏ธ
@f-2lobos790
@@morenajoyce9142 me when me when me when me when
@patricianavarubio3491
@@amairanigallagher6359 por quรฉ es la misma canciรณn
@jaefousable
Boy did not discriminate at all.
@scottm8579
Sure he did. If you didn't party, you were drop kicked..
@brieplays5433
Well kinky comes in all shapes sizes and colors ๐คฃ
@demitrius2395
Nah you canโt tell he preferred the White woman lmao