Wikipedia

Give It Up, Turn It Loose

For the James Brown song, see Give It Up or Turnit a Loose.

"Give It Up, Turn It Loose" is a song by American R&B/pop vocal group En Vogue, released as the fourth single from their second album, Funky Divas (1992). The song's title is a reference to the 1969 James Brown song "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose". Released on November 12, 1992 by Eastwest Records, the single reached number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 16 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, and number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. It was written and produced by Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster, and features Maxine Jones on lead entirely. The music video was directed by Marcus Nispel. In 1994, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[2]

"Give It Up, Turn It Loose"
Single by En Vogue
from the album Funky Divas
B-side"Free Your Mind" (Theo's Rec & Wreck Remix)
ReleasedNovember 19, 1992 (1992-11-19)
RecordedNovember 1991–January 1992[1]
Length5:13
LabelEastWest
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Denzil Foster
  • Thomas McElroy
En Vogue singles chronology
"Free Your Mind"
(1992) 		"Give It Up, Turn It Loose"
(1992) 		"Love Don't Love You"
(1993)
Music video
"Give It Up, Turn It Loose" on YouTube

Critical reception

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AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" as a "doo wop good-feelin'"-song.[3] Daryl Easlea for BBC noted its "smooth old-school groove".[4] Larry Flick from Billboard felt that here, 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."[5] Randy Clark from Cash Box 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'."[6] John Martinucci from the Gavin Report found that "Maxine and the girls are giving some sisterly advice for those who are stuck in dead end relationships", calling it a "down-tempo track".[7] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "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."[8]

Paul Lester from Melody Maker viewed it as "yet another funky En Vogue thing."[9] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "In which direction will the catwalk lead this time? To soul music a la the Pointer Sisters, or four Mariah Careys."[10] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel declared the "mid-tempo workout" as "a neat kiss-off song".[11] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue called it "such a funky track".[12] Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits gave it 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'."[13] Cheo H. Coker from Stanford Daily named it "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."[14]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Give It Up, Turn It Loose" was directed by German feature film director and producer Marcus Nispel.[15] 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 later made available on YouTube in 2015, and had generated more than 1.1 million views as of February 2023.[16]

Track listings

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Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 19, 1992 CD EastWest [39]
United Kingdom January 4, 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [40]

References

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  1. ^ "Don't think I can make it. By Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy, Will Townsend, Pharoah Davis, Warren Robinson & Andre Zachary". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2009.
  2. ^ Staff (January 6, 1994). "Grammy Nominees". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Promis, Jose F. "En Vogue - Funky Divas". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  4. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2009). "En Vogue Funky Divas Review". BBC. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Flick, Larry (November 21, 1992). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 80. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  6. ^ Clark, Randy (November 28, 1992). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 5. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Martinucci, John (November 13, 1992). "Urban: New Releases" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 20. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Masterton, James (January 10, 1993). "Week Ending January 16th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  9. ^ Lester, Paul (January 9, 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 25. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 5. January 30, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Gettelman, Parry (April 24, 1992). "En Vogue". Orlando Sentinel.
  12. ^ "Review: "Funky Divas" by En Vogue (CD, 1992)". Pop Rescue. May 1, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  13. ^ Sutherland, Mark (January 6, 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 45. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  14. ^ Coker, Cheo H. (April 16, 1992). "Hip-hop's four funky divas". Stanford Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "En Vogue: Give It Up, Turn It Loose". IMDb. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "En Vogue - Give It Up, Turn It Loose (Official Music Video)". YouTube. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Give It Up, Turn It Loose (US cassette single sleeve). En Vogue. East West Records America. 1992. 4-98455.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Turn It Loose (US maxi-single liner notes). En Vogue. East West Records America. 1992. 96091-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Give It Up, Turn It Loose (UK CD single liner notes). En Vogue. East West Records America. 1992. A8445CD, 7567-96082-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Give It Up, Turn It Loose (UK 7-inch vinyl sleeve). En Vogue. East West Records America. 1992. A8445.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1789." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  23. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 5. January 30, 1993. p. 43. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  24. ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 8. February 20, 1993. p. 20. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  25. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (19.–25. febrúar)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 18, 1993. p. 29. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Give It Up, Turn It Loose". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  27. ^ "En Vogue – Give It Up, Turn It Loose". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  28. ^ "En Vogue – Give It Up, Turn It Loose". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  30. ^ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. February 20, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  31. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 1, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  32. ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  33. ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  34. ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  35. ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  36. ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  37. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  38. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  39. ^ "En Vogue – Give It Up, Turn It Loose". Amazon. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  40. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. December 26, 1992. p. 23.
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