Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

Album: Gonna Make You Sweat (1991)
Charted: 4 4
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about romantic situations which take suspicious and ironic turns. In the early '90s, before gangsta rap took hold, rap songs were often lighthearted and clever, telling self-deprecating stories over dance grooves (examples: "Bust A Move," "Funky Cold Medina"). In this song, our hero gets seduced by a girl so his girlfriend will catch him cheating, his baby comes out looking like his best friend, and he finds out a girl who he thinks is pure has been "Playing Tic Tac Toe," which is a classic '90s saying for sleeping around.
  • "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm..." became a popular catch phrase when Arsenio Hall started using it on his late-night talk show. He did a bit where he punctuated his jokes with the saying. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Santa Barbara, CA
  • This was C+C Music Factory's third hit, after "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and "Here We Go." All three songs had a similar beat courtesy of David Cole and Robert Clivilles, who were the C and C. They also featured raps by Freedom Williams, and vocals by Martha Wash of Black Box and Weather Girls fame. Wash was replaced in the video by Zelma Davis, who was deemed more video-friendly.
  • Something to make go hmmmm...

    This was the first song in the history of the Hot 100 with "mmm" in the title. But by the end of the decade, there were two more: "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies and "MMMbop" by Hanson.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.