Freak Like Me

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This article is about the song. For the book, see Freak Like Me (Real, Raw, and Dangerous).

"Freak Like Me"

Single by Adina Howard
from the album Do You Wanna Ride?
Released	1995
Genre	R&B, Hip hop soul
Chart positions
U.S. #2, U.S. R&B #2

"Freak Like Me" is the first single from Adina Howard's 1995 R&B debut album Do You Wanna Ride?. Like Howard's image, the song can be best described as hypersexual. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

The song's chorus is a lyrical interpolation of the verses found in Bootsy Collins' "I'd Rather Be With You". While the lyrics in "Freak Like Me"'s chorus are different from the Bootsy Collins song, they are sung in identical melody. The song's drum beat is sampled from Sly & the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song."

1 Sugababes version
2 References

[edit] Sugababes version

"Freak Like Me"

Single by Sugababes
from the album Angels with Dirty Faces / Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
B-side(s)	"Breathe Easy"
Released	April 22, 2002
Format	CD single, Vinyl single
Recorded	London, England
Genre	Pop
Length	4:30
Label	Island Records
Writer(s)	Eugene Hanes Marc Valentine Loren Hill William Collins George Clinton Gary Numan
Producer(s)	Richard X
Chart positions
#1 (United Kingdom) #2 (Ireland) #4 (Norway) #10 (Belgium)
Sugababes singles chronology
"Soul Sound" (2001)	"Freak Like Me" (2002)	"Round Round" (2002)

In May 2002, the UK girl group Sugababes, lyrically covered "Freak Like Me". Their version, however, used a completely different instrumental (sampled from Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?") and used the radio edit lyrics of Howard's song (the word "brotha" is used instead of "nigga"). Numan was now credited as a co-writer of the song.

It was originally a bootleg mashup titled "We Don't Give a Damn About Our Friends", created by producer Richard X under the alias Girls on Top. The producer had created the mashup, as all mashups are, without the permission of the copyright holders of the songs, but it became a successful underground dance track. After failing to gain permission to use Adina Howard's vocals for a commercial release, the Sugababes were chosen by Richard X to record them instead.

The sound effect featured at the beginning of the song is the coin-insert tone from the popular 1981 video game Frogger. (The sound was also used to begin the song "Froggy's Lament," about the video game itself, on Buckner and Garcia's Pac-Man Fever album.)

The song appeared on the Sugababes' second studio album Angels with Dirty Faces. It was produced by Richard X and received a mixed reception from music critics. It was released as the first single from the album in the spring of 2002 and reached number one in the UK (where it sold 235,000 copies), number two in Ireland, and number 4 in Norway. "Freak like Me" is the first single to feature vocals by Heidi Range, after the departure of Siobhán Donaghy in 2001. The song also appears on Richard X's CD, "Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1". It was released as "Are 'Freaks' Electric?" on the club promo.[1]

[edit] Music video

Sugababes in the music video for "Freak like Me". From left to right: Mutya Buena & Heidi Range.

The music video was directed by Dawn Shadforth and Sophie Muller and was filmed in London, England. The video acts as an introduction for the recent addition of Heidi Range, following Siobhan Donaghy's departure the previous year, and was also noted for its dark, yet rather surreal tone. The video begins with Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena standing outside a strange nightclub. A man is seen tumbling down the entrance's stairs, however, they ignore him and enter the club nonchalantly. Inside, they spot Range dancing and flirting with many guys. They both quickly clash with her, and a fight between them ensues, which ends with Range falling to the floor unconscious. A man tries to help her up, but Buena grabs him by the neck and throws him away from her. Range then wakes up again soon after, and stumbles out of the club with another man, where they begin to kiss, until she suddenly bites hard into his arm.

Meanwhile, Buchanan takes a man outside, and she leads him into a dark alley, where they flirt briefly, before she scares him away. Buena then goes outside as well, and starts a fight with a man. The music video ends with Buchanan and Buena accepting Range into the group, and dancing into the night. The demonstrations of supernatural strength shown throughout the video and Range biting the man on the arm are generally understood to imply that the woman are vampire-like "freaks", as the song suggests.

[edit] Track listings and formats

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Freak Like Me".

Australian/European CD single

"Freak like Me"
"Freak Like Me" (We Don't Give A Damn Mix)
"Breathe Easy"
"Freak Like Me" (video)

Vinyl single

"Freak Like Me" (Different Gear Mix)
"Freak Like Me" (We Don't Give A Damn Mix)
"Soul Sound" (Capoeira Twins Mix)
"Run for Cover" (Jameson Mix)

[edit] Chart performance

On April 22, 2002, "Freak Like Me" was released in the United Kingdom. The song became Sugababes' first number one single when it debuted at number one on the singles chart, remaining in the top ten for four weeks. The single remains one of the best selling singles released by the group, selling 235,000 copies since its release.

Outside of the UK, the song was also successful. While it reached the top ten in Ireland, Norway and Belgium, the song entered the top 30 of most of the charts it appeared on.

In Australia, "Freak Like Me" became the fourth single by Sugababes to make the singles chart, reaching number forty-four. It would be their lowest-charting single in Australia until the release of "Shape" in 2003.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2002)	Peak Position
UK Singles Chart	1
Irish Singles Chart	2
Norway	4
Belgium	10
Switzerland	11
Denmark	13
Philippines	14
Spain	15
Japan	16
Brazil	18
France	19
Austria	22
Germany	22
Netherlands	23
New Zealand	25
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	44