She’s a very kinky girl,
The kind you don’t take home to mother.
“Superfreak” is Rick James’ ode to groupies. “Superfreaks” love the bands, but you would never take them home to meet your mother. They love to meet you in the limousine after the show. Three is NOT a crowd for these girls. They are very easy to please. They’re freaky. James is saying this with the utmost admiration. He loves his Super Freaks.
The bass line of “Superfreak” is one of the most recognizable in rock. When it was sampled by MC Hammer it probably became the most recognized bass-line in rap too. I’m not one to bust a move, but this song at least gets my head bopping.
Rick James sings “Superfreak” with the right amount of balance between tongue in cheek and earnestness. He realizes the lyrics are outrageous, but he completely embraces the sentiment of “Superfreak”, and he is unapologetic. That really makes it work. The bridge is super recognizable as well: the background singers singing oh, woah, oh, oh, oh, oh oh.
This might sound odd, but compare this song to The Carpenters’ Superstar.
Superfreak Lyrics
She’s a very kinky girl,
The kind you don’t take home to mother
She will never let your spirits down,
Once you get her off the street.
She likes the boys in the band,
She says that I’m her all time favorite
When I make my move to her room,
It’s the right time, she’s never hard to please.
That girl is pretty wild now
The girl’s a super freak
The kind of girl you read about
In the new wave magazines.
That girl is pretty kinky
The girl’s a super freak
I’d really like to taste her
Every time we meet.
She’s all right, she’s all right
That girl’s all right with me yeah.
She’s a super freak, super freak,
She’s super freaky, super freak, super freak.
She’s a very special girl,
From her head down to her toenails
Yet she’ll wait for me at backstage with her girlfriends,
In a limousine.
Three’s not a crowd to her, she said
“Room 714, I’ll be waiting.”
When I get there she’s got incense, wine and candles
It’s such a freaky scene.
That girl is pretty wild now
The girl’s a super freak
The kind of girl you read about
In the new wave magazines.
That girl is pretty kinky
The girl’s a super freak
I’d really like to taste her
Every time we meet.
She’s all right, she’s all right
That girl’s all right with me yeah.
She’s a super freak, super freak,
She’s super freaky, super freak, super freak.
Temptations sing, oh, super freak,
Super freak, the girl’s a super freak, oh.
She’s a very kinky girl,
The kind you don’t take home to mother
She will never let your spirits down,
Once you get her off the street.
written by James and Alonzo Miller
