Let's Talk About Sex

Infobox Single
Name = Let's Talk About Sex


Artist = Salt-n-Pepa
from Album = Blacks' Magic
B-side =
Released = 1991
Format = Audio cassette
Recorded = 1990
Genre = Hip-hop
Length = 3:11
Label = Next Plateau Records
Writer = Fingerprints
Producer =
Certification = Gold (RIAA)
Artist = Salt-N-Pepa
Type = singles
Last single = "Do You Want Me" (1990)
This single = "Let's Talk About Sex" (1991)
Next single = "You Showed Me" (1992)

"Let's Talk About Sex" is the name of a controversial hit song released by the American hip-hop trio Salt-n-Pepa. It was released as a single from their "Blacks' Magic" album in the year 1991, and achieved a great success in many countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland where it was a number-one hit.

Lyrics

The song talks about safe sex, the positive and negative sides of sex and the censorship that sex had around that time in American mainstream media. The song was later included in the trio's "Greatest Hits" (2000) album. It samples I'll Take You There by the Staple Singers.

An alternate version of the song entitled "Let's Talk About AIDS" was released to radio on a promotional single and included as a b-side on various singles for the song. The lyrics were changed to more directly address the spread of AIDS and HIV.

Chart performances

The song was certified gold by the RIAA and peaked at #13 at the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart

In the purely sales-based UK Singles Chart, the song hit #2, and in the German singles chart, the song hit #1, the first original song by an American hip-hop act to achieve that feat. It also hit #1 in the Australian "ARIA Singles Chart".

Music video

The music video for "Let's Talk About Sex" starts in a black-and-white scene with a girl turning on a radio and listening to the song. Then she starts kissing her boyfriend and scenes of Salt-N-Pepa and other couples kissing and hugging are shown. Next the video colorizes when Salt-N-Pepa are shown dancing.

Another version of the video has a scene in which a skeleton is shown after the word 'AIDS' with a stamp written 'censored' in his mouth.

Awards

*1992: Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Track listings

; 7" single
# "Let's Talk About Sex!" (true confessions edit) — 3:32
# "Let's Talk About Sex!" (super crispy mix)

; CD maxi
# "Let's Talk About Sex!" (true confessions edit) — 3:32
# "Let's Talk About Sex!" (original recipe mix) — 4:42
# "Let's Talk About Sex!" (super crispy) — 4:39
# "Do You Want Me" (techno philly mix) — 6:31

Certifications

ee also

*Safe sex
*1991 in music

References