Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

"Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." is a song by American dance group C+C Music Factory. It was released in June 1991 as the third single from the album Gonna Make You Sweat. The single features Freedom Williams and he is also seen in the song's music video. The song was inspired by a running gag on The Arsenio Hall Show, where Arsenio, while allegedly on a long drive, pondered certain thoughts and referred to them as "things that make you go hmmm...."

"Things That Make You Go Hmmm..."
Single by C+C Music Factory
from the album Gonna Make You Sweat
ReleasedJune 23, 1991
Recorded1989
Length5:23
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Robert Clivillés
  • David Cole
C+C Music Factory singles chronology
"Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)"
(1991)		 "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..."
(1991)		 "Just a Touch of Love"
(1991)
Music video
"Things That Make You Go Hmmmm..." on YouTube

The C+C song was a success in the US, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100, number 31 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, and number 20 on the Top 40 Radio Monitor. It also reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. The song contains samples from the songs "I'm Shook" by James Brown, "My Thang" by James Brown, and "Apache" by the Incredible Bongo Band.[1][2] The song was certified gold by the RIAA on August 13, 1991 for sales of over 500,000 copies.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis noted that the song "took a phrase popularized by Arsenio Hall and made it into another cleverly infectious Top Ten smash."[3] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "After forging a guitar-driven pop/hiphop sound that is being heavily copied by others, groove clique deftly sidesteps into James Brown-style funk territory. Rapper Freedom Williams tells amusing tales amid retro-horns and percussion."[4] Penelope Layland from The Canberra Times stated that it is "the best track on the album", "with its clever, catchy lyrics and smooth beat."[5] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that writers/producers Cole and Clivillés "have successfully crossbred a unique brand of rap and melody that's taken them on back-to-back trips into the Top Ten. This third entry maintains their infectious rhythm, strengthened by a title that will keep audiences hummmmin'."[6] Australian music channel Max placed "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." at number 804 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2013.[7] Music & Media wrote that "the secret behind the success of these dance/pop providers is the good hook in their songs. This time it's the saxophone part, which is repeated after each line."[8]

Chart performance

"Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." proved to be a major hit on several continents and remains one of the group's most successful songs. It managed to peak at number-one on both the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play in the United States and the RPM Dance Chart in Canada. In Europe, the single climbed into the Top 10 in Finland, Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked at number 4 in its fourth week at the UK Singles Chart, on July 21, 1991.[9] Additionally, it was a Top 20 hit in the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. In Oceania, "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." hit number 2 and 6 in New Zealand and Australia. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number 4. The single was awarded with a gold record in the US, after 500,000 singles were sold there.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by German director Marcus Nispel and the style of the video was a major trendsetter in the early 1990s. It featured silhouetted animation of dancers jumping and dancing in front of a white background, with a stage visible, but also in silhouette. The story of the song was also interpreted with black and gold cut-out animation that was a departure from the in-vogue 3D CGI animation of the time; however, these 2-D cut-outs ended up being even more progressive. The video was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009. By September 2020, it had more than 7,6 million views.[10]

In American advertising, Coca-Cola was one of the first to advertise special promotions featuring the group in a special, brief cut of their music video. A version of the song was also used in a series of ads for McDonald's in Australia, Ireland and the UK in the early 2000s for their New Tastes Menu. It was also parodied for use in adverts for Wowcher in the UK as "Things That Make You Go Wow".

The ABC television network was one of the earliest media outlets to jump on the C+C bandwagon, advertising their spring 1992 prime-time programming under the takeoff banner, "Shows that make you go...", using a custom version of the song and running ads with a woman posing in front of a white background. Then, for their 1992-93 network campaign, ABC brought out many of their stars to do a complete take-off of the song and video for the It Must Be ABC banner.

The song was heard in the short-lived US TV show Surviving Jack in episode six, "She Drives Me Crazy", as well as in the British television series Brainiac: Science Abuse.

The British girl group Stooshe covered the song and released it in 2013 as a B-side to their single "Black Heart", under the title "Things That Make You Go Mmm". The single reached number three in the UK and number four in Scotland.

Charts and certifications

References
  1. http://www.whosampled.com/artist/C+C%20Music%20Factory/
  2. "Top 40 Radio Monitor- Billboard". Billboard. 103. October 12, 1991. p. 86. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  3. "C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  4. Flick, Larry (July 13, 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  5. Layland, Penelope (February 7, 1991). "Sound of the future with a tribute to the past". The Canberra Times. p. 15. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. Sholin, Dave (July 5, 1991). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1863. p. 52. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  7. "THE TOP 1,000 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME – 2013". Max. 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  8. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. July 27, 1991. p. 11. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 75 21 July 1991 - 27 July 1991". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  10. "C+C Music Factory - Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.... (Video Version) ft. Freedom Williams". YouTube. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  11. "Things That Make You Go Hmmm...", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  12. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada".
  14. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  15. German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  16. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  17. "Single top 100 over 1991" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  18. UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  19. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. July 13, 1991. p. 20. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  20. "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  21. Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 21, 1991). "1991 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 103 (51): YE-14.
  22. US certifications riaa.com (Retrieved August 5, 2008)
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