Freak Me

"Freak Me" is a song by American R&B group Silk. It was released in February 1993 as the second single from their debut album, Lose Control. It was co-written and co-produced by Keith Sweat, for whom Silk was a touring opening act. Tim Cameron, Jimmy Gates and Gary "Lil G" Jenkins sing lead on the song. The song was the group's highest-charting hit, reaching number-one on both the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and the U.S. Hot R&B Singles chart for eight weeks. On the Hot 100, this song also spent ten weeks at number two. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sold over 1.3 million copies domestically.^[1][2]

"Freak Me"
U.S. commercial cassette single
Single by Silk
from the album Lose Control
B-side	"Happy Days"
Released	February 18, 1993
Recorded	1992
Genre	R&B
Length	4:36
Label	Keia Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Keith Sweat Roy Murray Teno West
Producer(s)	Keith Sweat T.H.
Silk singles chronology
"Happy Days" (1992) "Freak Me" (1993) "Girl U for Me/Lose Control" (1993)

The song was covered by Another Level, and their version reached No. 1 on the UK chart.

Music video

Two versions of the music video for "Freak Me" were produced: the first was directed by Bronwen Hughes, while the second was directed by Lionel C. Martin.^[3]

Track listing

• US 12" vinyl"^[4]
• 1 "Freak Me" [Remix] – 4:55 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 2 "Freak Me" [Jeep Beat Mix] – 4:55 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 3 "Freak Me" [LP Version] – 4:35 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 4 "Happy Days" [Instrumental] – 3:45
• Maxi-CD^[5]
• 1 "Freak Me" [LP Version] – 4:35 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 2 "Freak Me" [Remix] – 4:55 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 3 "Freak Me" [Jeep Beat Mix] – 4:55 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 4 "Freak Me" [Extended Version] – 5:38 Featuring – Teno West – Actual Performer on song
• 5 "Freak Me" [Christine Henke cover] – 3:58 Featuring – Dioni [on the remix] – 2007

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[6] 3 Canada Top Singles (RPM) 43 Europe (European Dance Radio)[7] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 30 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 42 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 9 UK Singles (OCC) 46 US Billboard Hot 100 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (Billboard) 1

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Australia (ARIA)[11] 15 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 43 US Billboard Hot 100[13] 5 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] 4 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position US Billboard Hot 100[15] 32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11]	Platinum	70,000^
United States (RIAA)[16]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Another Level version

"Freak Me"
Single by Another Level
from the album Another Level
B-side	"Whatever You Want"
Released	6 July 1998
Recorded	1998
Genre	R&B
Length	3:39 (radio edit) 4:56 (album version)
Label	Northwestside
Songwriter(s)	Keith Sweat Roy Murray Anthony Teno West Johnson
Producer(s)	Fitzgerald Scott Cutfather & Joe
Another Level singles chronology
"Be Alone No More" (1998) "Freak Me" (1998) "Guess I Was a Fool" (1998)

The song was covered by British boy band Another Level in 1998. It was released on 6 July 1998 as the second single from the band's self-titled debut album.^[17] This version reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, overtaking Billie's "Because We Want To".^[18] It was produced by Fitzgerald Scott, Cutfather and Joe; it was the seventeenth biggest-selling boy band single of the 1990s in the UK, selling over 415,000 copies.

Track listing

• UK CD single (1)^[19]

1. "Freak Me" (Cutfather & Joe Radio Edit)
2. "Whatever You Want"
3. "Freak Me" (Club Asylum Classic Vocal Mix)

• UK CD single (2)^[20]

1. "Freak Me" (Blacksmith R&B Radio Rub)
2. "Freak Me" (Blacksmith Put It There Mix)
3. "Freak Me" (Blacksmith Skate And Roll Mix)

• German CD single^[21]

1. "Freak Me" (C&J Radio Edit) — 3:39
2. "Freak Me" (Blacksmith R&B Rub) — 6:09

• German CD maxi-single^[22]

1. "Freak Me" (C&J Radio Edit)
2. "Whatever You Want"
3. "Freak Me" (Club Asylum Radio Edit)
4. "Freak Me" (Blacksmith R&B Rub)
5. "Freak Me" (C&J Mix)
6. "Freak Me" (Rich Boogie Remix)

Credits and personnel

• Production – Fitzgerald Scott
• Engineering – Alex Nesmith
• Programming – Alex Nesmith
• Co-production – Cutfather and Joe
• Keyboards, programming – Joe Belmaati
• Rhodes piano – Tue Röh
• Engineering – Bernard Löhr

Source:^[21]

Charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[23] 43 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 15 France (SNEP)[25] 91 Germany (GfK)[26] 75 Ireland (IRMA)[27] 10 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 12 Norway (VG-lista)[31] 10 Scotland (OCC)[32] 13 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 11 UK Singles (OCC)[34] 1 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[35] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 95 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[37] 17 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 20 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 55 UK Singles (OCC)[40] 28 UK Urban (Music Week)[41] 29

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[42]	Gold	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43]	Gold	5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[44]	Platinum	600,000‡
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1993 (U.S.)
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1993
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1990s

References

1. "American certifications – Silk – Freak Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
2. "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 3. BPI Communications. January 15, 1994. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
3. Breihan, Tom. "The Number Ones: Silk's "Freak Me"". stereogum.com. Stereogum Media. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
4. "Silk (4) - Freak Me (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
5. "Silk (4) - Freak Me (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
6. "Silk – Freak Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
7. "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. June 5, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
8. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Silk" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
9. "Silk – Freak Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
10. "Silk – Freak Me". Top 40 Singles.
11. "1993 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
12. "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
13. "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
14. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
15. Mayfield, Geoff (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
16. "American single certifications – Silk – Freak Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
17. "Freak Me [CD 1]: Another Level: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk.
18. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 4622. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
19. "Another Level - Freak Me (CD, Maxi) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
20. "Another Level - Freak Me (CD, Single, CD2) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
21. "Another Level - Freak Me (CD, Single) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
22. "Another Level - Freak Me (CD, Maxi) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
23. "Another Level – Freak Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
24. "Another Level – Freak Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
25. "Another Level – Freak Me" (in French). Les classement single.
26. "Another Level – Freak Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
27. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Freak Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
28. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 35, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
29. "Another Level – Freak Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
30. "Another Level – Freak Me". Top 40 Singles.
31. "Another Level – Freak Me". VG-lista.
32. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
33. "Another Level – Freak Me". Singles Top 100.
34. "Another Level: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
35. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
36. "Jaaroverzichten 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
37. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1998". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
38. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
39. "Årslista Singlar – År 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
40. "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7. ISSN 0265-1548.
41. "The Urban Top 40 Of 1998" (PDF). Music Week. January 9, 1999. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
42. "Dutch single certifications – Another Level – Freak Me" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 28 June 2022. Enter Freak Me in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1998 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
43. "New Zealand single certifications – Another Level – Freak Me". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
44. "British single certifications – Another Level – Freak Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 October 2023.