Give It to You (Martha Wash song)

"Give It to You" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Martha Wash and the second release from her self-titled debut album, Martha Wash (1992). The song is the follow-up single to "Carry On", and is written and produced by Brian Alexander Morgan. Released in January 1993 by RCA Records, it would be her second number-one single on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, reaching the top spot on April 3, 1993.^[1] It also became a modest crossover hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, peaking at numbers 90 and 91, same year. The music video for "Give It to You" was directed by German director Marcus Nispel, featuring Wash performing in a castle, surrounded by shirtless male dancers.

"Give It to You"
Single by Martha Wash
from the album Martha Wash
Released	January 8, 1993
Recorded	1992
Genre	Dance-pop house
Length	3:49
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Brian Alexander Morgan
Producer(s)	Brian Alexander Morgan
Martha Wash singles chronology
"Carry On" (1992) "Give It to You" (1993) "Runaround" (1993)
Music video
"Give It to You" on YouTube

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Second shot from Wash's self-titled solo debut has more of a Black Box vibe than her recent No. 1 hit, "Carry On". The hook is simply irresistible, while the bass line firmly supports shoulder-shaking backup vocals and a plethora of cool keyboard effects. As always, Wash's one-of-a-kind soprano is the shining light of this track."^[2] Randy Clark from Cash Box described it as "a rather simple, cliched melody with its repetitious, discotheque beat".^[3] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton deemed it "a fairly standard piece of jack swing soul".^[4] Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update commented, "Martha opens her lungs and belts out the song with vitality and excitement, reflecting the urgency and uplifting quality of the music. An exceptional house track."^[5]

Impact and legacy

In 1996, British DJ duo Sharp Boyz named the song one of their favourites. George Mitchell said, "When I first heard this I had to buy two copies, it's a classic diva track. You need two copies so you can play them back to back." Steven React added, "She's one of the best vocalists in the world."^[6]

Track listings

• CD maxi (US)^[7]

1. "Give It to You" (Top 40 Version by Dennis Ferrante and Kenny Ortiz) — 3:06
2. "Give It to You" (Maurice's Mix) — 3:53
3. "Give It to You" (Morales' Mix) — 3:49
4. "Give It to You" (LP Version) — 3:49

• 2x12" single (US)^[8]

1. "Give It to You" (Momo's Klub Mix) — 6:44
2. "Give It to You" (Dead Zone Mix) — 5:42
3. "Give It to You" (Maurice's Klub Mix) — 6:48
4. "Give It to You" (Kaoz Klub Mix) — 6:24
5. "Give It to You" (Def Dub Mix) — 6:25
6. "Give It to You" (Momo's Dub Mix) — 7:34
7. "Give It to You" (Maurice's Underground Playground) — 7:25
8. "Give It to You" (Kaoz Dub It to You Mix) — 6:35
9. "Give It to You" (Top 40 Version) — 3:06

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993) Peak position Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)^[9] 4 Europe (European Dance Radio)^[10] 4 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)^[11] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Single Tip)^[12] 16 UK Singles (OCC) 37 UK Dance (Music Week)^[13] 2 UK Club Chart (Music Week)^[14] 1 US Billboard Hot 100^[15] 90 US Radio Songs (Billboard)^[16] 75 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[17] 48 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[18] 1 US Cash Box Top 100^[19] 91

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)^[20] 29 UK Club Chart (Music Week)^[21] 14

References

1. Hot Dance Club Songs, Billboard.com, issue date April 3, 1993
2. Flick, Larry (1993-01-16). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
3. Clark, Randy (1993-01-30). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
4. Masterton, James (1993-02-28). "Week Ending March 6th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
5. Tee, Ralph (1993-01-13). "Hot Vinyl Buzzing" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
6. "Jocks On Their Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1996-09-28. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
7. Release information at Discogs
8. Release information at Discogs
9. "RPM Dance (May 01, 1993)". RPM. May 1, 1993. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
10. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 14. April 3, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
11. "Martha Wash - Give It To You" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
12. "MARTHA WASH - GIVE IT TO YOU" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
13. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 6, 1993. p. 18. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
14. "RM Club Chart Number Ones Of 93" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). December 25, 1993. p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
15. "Martha Wash Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
16. "Martha Wash Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
17. "Martha Wash Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
18. "Martha Wash Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
19. "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVI, no. 28. 20 March 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
20. "Canada Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1993". RPM. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
21. "The RM Club Chart 93" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). December 25, 1993. p. 4. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

External links

• Official video at YouTube