"You're Makin' Me High" is the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from American singer

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. ...

's second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'' (1996). The mid-tempo song represents a joint collaboration between the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning producer

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

and

Bryce Wilson Bryce Wilson (born October 7, 1972) is an American record producer/entrepreneur and actor. He was formerly half of late 1990s duo Groove Theory, and former artist on the early 1990s dance music/ electro hip-hop band Mantronix. Mantronix MC ...

. The beat of the song was originally for singer-songwriter

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

, with Dallas Austin pegged to write a lyric to override; however, Braxton had Babyface write lyrics for the song. It was ultimately issued in the United States as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

with " Let It Flow", the

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

hit from the 1995 film ''

Waiting to Exhale ''Waiting to Exhale'' is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMil ...

''. "You're Makin' Me High" became Braxton's first number-one single on both the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

charts; it remained on top for one week on the former and for two weeks on the latter, eventually going

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

. A

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

David Morales David Morales (; born August 21, 1962) is an American disc jockey (DJ) and record producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is also a remixer. David Morales has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including Ma ...

with re-recorded vocals allowed the single to also top the

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart for two weeks in August 1996. Another remix for urban markets was created featuring rapper Foxy Brown, called the "Groove Mix". A

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

mix was also recorded featuring Jamaican dancehall DJ

Mad Cobra Ewart Everton Brown (born 31 March 1968), better known by his stage name Mad Cobra or simply Cobra, is a Jamaican dancehall musician.Huey, Steve " Mad Cobra Biography, AllMusic, retrieved 2010-01-31Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia ...

. The song earned Braxton her third

Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

. The success of "You're Makin' Me High" would later be continued with the release of "

Un-Break My Heart "Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton for her second studio album, '' Secrets'' (1996). The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was released as the second single from the album on October 7, 1 ...

". "You're Makin' Me High" was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

for

Method Man & Redman Method Man & Redman (also referred to as Meth & Red, Red & Mef, John Blaze and Funk Doc or Funk Doctor Spock and Johnny Blaze) are an American hip hop duo, composed of East Coast rappers Method Man (of Wu-Tang Clan) and Redman (of Def Squad). ...

's 2001 song "Part II", from the ''

How High ''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film starring Method Man and Redman, written by Dustin Lee Abraham, and director Jesse Dylan's debut feature film. In the film, Redman and Method Man portray two cannabis users who are visited by ...

'' soundtrack. In 2014, Anglo-American producer/DJ

Secondcity Rowan Harrington (born 28 January 1987), better known by his stage name Secondcity, is an American-born British DJ and record producer, best known for his song "I Wanna Feel", which peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Musical career 2 ...

sampled a part of the song's bridge for the main hook of his UK number-one single "

I Wanna Feel "I Wanna Feel" is the debut single by American-born British producer Secondcity, released in May 2014. It contains an interpolation from "You're Makin' Me High" (1996) by Toni Braxton, sung by Kelli-Leigh Henry-Davila, who has previously provided ...

Critical reception

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 ''

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 ...

'' deemed the song a "sleek'n'sexy slice o' jeep funk" with a "sophisticated toned and rich production", as well as praising the song's chorus. Peter Miro from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' noted that "Toni oozes sensuality with her phrasing on “You’re Makin’ Me High”, mated to tight, cascading backup harmonies, and a crossover-capable baseline. She projects allure sufficient enough to perpetuate her sultry, waif-like mystique." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' described it as "a nagging and surprisingly sprightly R&B workout", with Braxton's "exceptional" vocals and deemed it "an obvious hit". Damien Mendis from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update rated the song five out of five, writing, "Oh my gosh! The ever-reliable

hooks up with

Groove Theory Groove Theory is an American duo, with former member, singer-songwriter Amel Larrieux and songwriter/producer/actor, Bryce Wilson. The group is best known for their 1995 hit " Tell Me", which reached the top five of '' Billboard''s Hot 100 an ...

to create a definitive true R&B flave that'll leave you begging for more. Check the recipe: phat ' Tell Me'-style beats, Intro/

Edie Brickell Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'', the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart. ...

-ish guitar licks entwined with subtle bass and a floating eastern-sounding moog hook. Toni's effortlessly smooth vocal is textured beautifully with lushly layered backing harmonies. Delicious!" Pop Rescue noted it as a "wonderful mid-tempo song, making the most of the sultry vocals, slinky bass and beats." They added that the backing vocals "sound great – adding an extra layer of warmth."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "You're Makin' Me High", directed by

Bille Woodruff Bille Woodruff is a director of film, television and music videos, noted for directing many videos for a number of R&B and hip-hop artists since the mid-1990s. These artists include Joe (singer), Joe, for whom Woodruff has directed 9 music video ...

, features Braxton and a group of friends (consisting of actresses

Erika Alexander Erika Rose Alexander (born November 19, 1969) is an American actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur and activist best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1990–1992), and Maxine Shaw on the FOX sitcom ''Livi ...

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and television host. Fox began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983). She eventually continued her career with roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of O ...

, and

Tisha Campbell-Martin Tisha Michelle Campbell (born October 13, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut appearing in the 1986 rock musical comedy film ''Little Shop of Horrors'', and later starred on the short-lived NBC musical comedy dram ...

) enjoying themselves in luxurious surroundings. An elevator brings up a series of men, some very attractive and others amusingly unattractive. Braxton and her friends "judge" the men using oversized playing cards as score cards. Periodically, one of the women chooses a man to leave with. Braxton chooses

, whom she dated at the time, and they are shown together in a bathtub of

cotton candy Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifu ...

and on a dance floor, with Braxton also shown wearing a white bodysuit. The music video premiered on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

, and VH1 on the week ending May 5, 1996.

Track listings

United States

* CD single # "You're Makin' Me High" (album version) – 4:27 # " Let It Flow" (album version) – 4:21 * Maxi-CD single # "You're Makin' Me High" (album version) – 4:27 # "You're Makin' Me High" (classic mix) – 9:41 # "You're Makin' Me High" (dance hall mix) – 4:51 # "You're Makin' Me High" (groove remix) – 4:32 # "Let It Flow" – 4:21 * 12-inch single :A1. "You're Makin' Me High" (classic mix) – 9:41 :A2. "You're Makin' Me High" (classic dub) – 6:12 :B1. "You're Makin' Me High" (groove remix) – 4:32 :B2. "You're Makin' Me High" (dance hall mix) – 4:51 :B3. "You're Makin' Me High" (album version) – 4:27 :B4. "Let It Flow" – 4:21 * 7-inch single :A. "You're Makin' Me High" – 4:07 :B. "Let It Flow" – 4:21 * Cassette single :A1. "You're Makin' Me High" (radio edit) – 4:07 :A2. "Let It Flow" (album version) – 4:22 :B1. "You're Makin' Me High" (instrumental) – 4:07 :B2. "Let It Flow" (instrumental) – 4:22 * Maxi-cassette single :A1. "You're Makin' Me High" (classic mix) – 9:41 :A2. "You're Makin' Me High" (groove remix) – 4:32 :A3. "Let It Flow" – 4:21 :B1. "You're Makin' Me High" (dance hall mix) – 4:51 :B2. "You're Makin' Me High" (album version) – 4:27

International

* UK CD1 # "You're Makin' Me High" (radio edit) # "You're Makin' Me High" (T'empo's radio edit) # "You're Makin' Me High" (dancehall mix) # "You're Makin' Me High" (groove remix) # "You're Makin' Me High" (T'empo's private club mix) # "You're Makin' Me High" (classic mix—

Morales Morales is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfredo Morales (born 1990), American footballer * Alvaro Morales (disambiguation), several people * Amado Morales (born 1947), Puerto Rican javelin thrower * Bartolomé Mo ...

) * UK CD2 # "You're Makin' Me High" (radio edit) # "Let It Flow" # "

Breathe Again "Breathe Again" is a song by American contemporary R&B, R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons for Braxton's Toni Braxton (album), self-titled debut album (1993 ...

" # "

Another Sad Love Song "Another Sad Love Song" is a song by American singer-songwriter Toni Braxton. Written and produced by Daryl Simmons and Babyface, featuring additional production from L.A. Reid, it was released as the lead single and its opening track from Brax ...

" * UK cassette single # "You're Makin' Me High" (radio edit) # "Let It Flow" * European CD single # "You're Makin' Me High" (album version/radio edit) – 4:07 # "You're Makin' Me High" (classic edit) – 3:35 * Australian and Japanese CD single # "You're Makin' Me High" (album version/radio edit) – 4:07 # "You're Makin' Me High" (album version) – 4:26 # "You're Makin' Me High" (classic edit) – 3:35 # "You're Makin' Me High" (classic mix) – 9:41

Personnel and credits

Credits are adapted from the ''

'' liner notes. * Toni Braxton: lead vocals, background vocals * Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds: writer, producer, keyboards, guitar, background vocals * Bryce Wilson: writer, producer, keyboards, programming * Chante Moore,

Marc Nelson Marc K. Nelson (born January 23, 1971) is an American singer and songwriter. He was an original member of Boyz II Men while still attending Philadelphia's High School of Performing Arts. However, Nelson left the group to pursue a solo caree ...

, Jakkai Butler: background vocals * Brad Gilderman, Russell Elevado: recording * Bassy Bob Brockman: mixing *

Paul Boutin Paul Boutin (born December 11, 1961 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American magazine writer and editor who writes about technology in a pop-culture context. Boutin, who began writing for ''Wired'' in 1997, wrote for ''The New York Times'' from 2003 ...

, Robbes Stieglietz, Bryan Reminic: assistant engineers * Randy Walker: midi programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1996 singles 1996 songs Arista Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles LaFace Records singles Music videos directed by Bille Woodruff Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Bryce Wilson Toni Braxton songs