"You're Makin' Me High" is the
lead single
A lead single (or first 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.
A similar term, "debut ...
from American singer
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American 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. Braxton has won seven ...
's second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, ''
Secrets'' (1996). The mid-tempo song represents a joint collaboration between the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
-winning producer
Babyface and
Bryce Wilson. 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 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 vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...
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''.
"You're Makin' Me High" became Braxton's first number-one single on both the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and
Hot R&B Singles charts; it remained on top for one week on the former and for two weeks on the latter, eventually reaching
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
status. A
remix
A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, 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, poem, or photograph ca ...
by
David Morales with re-recorded vocals allowed the single to also top the
Dance Club Songs
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
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 reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
mix was also recorded featuring Jamaican dancehall DJ
Mad Cobra.
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 Award ...
in
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
. 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, ...
". "You're Makin' Me High" was
sampled
Sample or samples may refer to:
* Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample ...
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 rappers Method Man (of Wu-Tang Clan) and Redman (of Def Squad). They are sig ...
's 2001 song "Part II", from the ''
How High
''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film directed by Jesse Dylan in his feature film directorial debut and written by Dustin Lee Abraham. In the film, Method Man and Redman portray two cannabis users who are visited by the ghost ...
'' soundtrack. In 2014, Anglo-American producer/DJ
Secondcity sampled a part of the song's bridge for the main hook of his UK number-one single "
I Wanna Feel".
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 musi ...
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 advertis ...
'' described 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'', is 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 ...
'' remarked that Braxton "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 We ...
'' declared it as "a nagging and surprisingly sprightly
R&B workout", with the singer's "exceptional" vocals and deemed it "an obvious hit".
Damien Mendis from the ''RM'' Dance Update gave the song five out of five, writing, "Oh my gosh! The ever-reliable
Babyface hooks up with
Bryce Wilson of
Groove Theory to create a definitive true R&B flave that'll leave you begging for more. Check the recipe: phat '
Tell Me Tell Me may refer to:
* ''Tell Me...'', a 1979 album by Jimmy Knepper
* Tell me (advertisement), a 2005 Chinese-language newspaper ad calling for universal suffrage in Hong Kong
* Tell Me (TV series), ''Tell Me'' (TV series), a 2019 South Korean qu ...
'-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!" In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue complimented it as a "wonderful mid-tempo song, making the most of the sultry vocals, slinky bass and beats." The reviewer also added that the backing vocals "sound great – adding an extra layer of warmth." Richard Harrington from ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' stated that Braxton "can handle airy, upbeat material", like "You're Makin' Me High". He explained, "With its sinewy synth-line, it has more of a
West Coast sound than most
LaFace productions, but the impression is more joyful than ominous. A celebration of sexual desire, it also includes a bit of erotic breathing and a coy
masturbation
Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...
reference".
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
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, for whom Woodruff has directed 9 music videos since 1994, ...
, features Braxton and a group of friends (consisting of actresses
Erika Alexander,
Vivica A. Fox
Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983) and played roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of Our Lives'' (1988) and ''Generations (American TV s ...
, and
Tisha Campbell
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 NBC musical comedy drama ''Rags to ...
) enjoying themselves in luxurious surroundings. An elevator brings up a series of men. 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
Bryce Wilson, whom she dated at the time, and they are shown together in a bathtub of
cotton candy
Cotton candy, also known as candy floss (candyfloss) and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool ...
and on a dance floor, with Braxton also shown wearing a white bodysuit. The music video premiered on
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
,
BET, and
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
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)
* 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), eponymous debut album (1993). ...
"
# "
Another Sad Love Song"
* 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 ''
Secrets'' 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, Jakkai Butler: background vocals
* Brad Gilderman, Russell Elevado: recording
*
Bassy Bob Brockman: mixing
*
Paul Boutin, Robbes Stieglietz, Bryan Reminic: assistant engineers
* Randy Walker: midi programming
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
R&B number-one hits of 1996 (USA)
*
Hot 100 number-one hits of 1996 (United States)
*
Number-one dance hits of 1996 (USA)
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