"Give It Up, Turn It Loose" is a song by American R&B/pop vocal group En Vogue, released as the fourth

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their second album, ''

Funky Divas ''Funky Divas'' is the second studio album by American recording group En Vogue, released by Atlantic Records division East West on March 24, 1992 in the United States. Conceived after the success of their Grammy Award–nominated debut album '' ...

'' (1992). The song's title is a reference to the

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

song " Give It Up or Turnit a Loose". Released on November 12, 1992, the single reached number 15 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart, and number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1994, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

. This song features Maxine Jones on lead entirely.

Critical reception

In his review of ''

'', AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described it as a "doo wop good-feelin'"-song. Daryl Easlea for BBC noted its "smooth old-school groove".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' felt that the group vocally "glides with ease over a languid, retro- soul shuffle beat. Jazzy flutes and restrained funk guitars add texture that will warm the hearts of pop and urban folks alike." Randy Clark from '' Cashbox'' stated, "Although they use the same basic sound and style, these Funky Divas have opted for a more smooth and kicked back approach on this track, compared to their current spirited hit single, with an over-all vibe that's slightly reminiscent of Cheryl Lynn's ' Got to Be Real'." John Martinucci from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' said that " Maxine and the girls are giving some sisterly advice for those who are stuck in dead end relationships." He called it a "

down-tempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

track".

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "If anything 'Give it Up' has less to recommend it than some of the others and so is unlikely to end up one of their bigger hits." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "In which direction will the catwalk lead this time? To soul music a la the

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, or four

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s." In an retrospective review, Pop Rescue called it "such a funky track". Mark Sutherland from ''

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'' gave the song four out of five, adding, "Not quite as snazzy as their last two hits, but still rather fabulous. The four Voguestresses strut about funkily and inform us that "love knocks you on your behind" in such a poignant fashion that you can only nod sagely and mutter 'how true'." Cheo H. Coker from ''

Stanford Daily ''The Stanford Daily'' is the student-run, independent daily newspaper serving Stanford University. ''The Daily'' is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Palo Alto, California, United States. It has published since the U ...

'' felt that it is "perhaps the most enjoyable on the album; the jam is the catchiest thing since its Debarge predecessor, " I Like It", from which it takes its inspiration."

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" was directed by German feature film director and producer Marcus Nispel. It is made in black-and-white and features the group performing in a beauty parlor while clips of life in the city play throughout the video. It was published on YouTube in April 2015. The video has amassed almost 1 million views as of September 2021.

Track listings

* US cassette single # "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" (LP edit) # " You Don't Have to Worry" (club remix) * US maxi-single # "Turn It Loose" (Kevin's Extended R&B Mix) – 5:17 # "Turn It Loose" ("Welcome to the Ghetto" Hip Hop Mix) – 5:26 # "Turn It Loose" (Kevin's Extended Jazz Mix) – 4:58 # "Turn It Loose" (Somethin' for the People Remix) – 5:50 * UK CD single # "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" (LP edit) – 4:05 # " Free Your Mind" (Theo's Rap and Wreck Mix) – 5:41 # "Hold On" (radio version with intro) – 5:02 # "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" (Kevin's Jazz Mix) – 4:20 * UK 7-inch vinyl :A. "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" (LP edit) – 4:05 :B. "Free Your Mind" (Theo's Rec & Wreck Remix) – 5:41

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1992 singles 1992 songs Black-and-white music videos East West Records singles En Vogue songs Music videos directed by Marcus Nispel Songs written by Denzil Foster Songs written by Thomas McElroy Song recordings produced by Foster & McElroy