Bust a Move (song)
"Bust a Move" is a song by British-American rapper Young MC from his 1989 debut album, Stone Cold Rhymin'. The song is built on a sample of "Found a Child" by the group Ballin' Jack. The drums, produced by a LinnDrum, are sampled from the song "Radio-Activity" by RoyalCash. The breakdown segment contains a combination of beats sampled from the songs "Scorpio" by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band, and "Daytime Hustler" by Bette Midler. "Bust a Move" also featured guest vocals by Crystal Blake and bass guitar by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who both appear in the music video.
"Bust a Move" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Young MC | ||||
from the album Stone Cold Rhymin' | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | May 22, 1989 | |||
Recorded | 1989[1] | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 4:20 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Young MC singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"Bust a Move" by Young MC on YouTube |
Released as a single on May 22, 1989, "Bust a Move" is Young MC's biggest hit, reaching number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in Australia in 1990. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 39 weeks and 20 weeks in the top 40, winning the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. In 2008, the song was ranked number 47 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop". The single was certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in January 1990.[2]
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[3] | 1 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] | 50 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 17 |
Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[6] | 1 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 14 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 25 |
UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 73 |
US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 7 |
US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard)[11] | 5 |
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12] | 7 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13] | 9 |
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[14] | 2 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[18] | Gold | 35,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[2] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | May 22, 1989 |
|
[1][2] | |
United Kingdom | July 3, 1989 |
|
4th & B'way | [19] |
In popular culture
The song is featured in the films Uncle Buck (1989), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), See Spot Run (2001), Grind (2003), The Blind Side and 17 Again (2009), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and It (2017). Romeo sampled the song's music and hook for his song "Big Moves" on the soundtrack of the 2001 film Max Keeble's Big Move. It also appears in the 2009 film Up in the Air, in which Young MC has a cameo performing the song.[20]
The song was performed by Will Schuester in the Glee episode "Mash-Up" and is regularly used in the television show My Name Is Earl as Randy's favorite party song. It was also featured as a playable song in the rhythm game Dance Central. The song appears on the soundtrack of the 2016 video game Forza Horizon 3,[21] and is played in the Futurama episode "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV". It also makes an appearance in The Big Bang Theory season 9 episode "The Positive Negative Reaction", where Leonard and Raj sing the song at a bar during karaoke.
References
- "Bust a move". faqs.org. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- "American single certifications – Young M.C. – Bust a Move". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- "Young M.C. – Bust a Move". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- "Young M.C. – Bust a Move" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6575." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 6596." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – Young M.C." (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- "Young M.C. – Bust a Move". Top 40 Singles.
- "Young MC: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "Young MC Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "Hot Dance Music: 12-inch Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 39. September 30, 1989. p. 32.
- "Young MC Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "Young MC Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "Young MC Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. Y-22.
- "Billboard Top 100 – 1989".
- "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990". ARIA. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- "New Singles". Music Week. July 1, 1989. p. 35.
- Karger, Dave (December 8, 2009). "Is 'Up in the Air' this year's 'Slumdog'?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-08-10. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- Ekberg, Brian (September 9, 2016). "Drive to the Music You Love in Forza Horizon 3 with Groove". Xbox Wire. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2017.