Take Me There

Take Me There is a song by R&B group Blackstreet featuring Mya and rappers Ma$e and Blinky Blink.

The song was featured on the movie soundtrack to the 1998 animated film "The Rugrats Movie" and on Blackstreet's third album "Finally."

The single was released on February 2, 1999 in the United States as the lead single from "The Rugrats Movie" soundtrack.

The song was written by Mason Betha, Michael Foster, Madeline Nelson, Teddy Riley and Tamara Savage & produced by Teddy Riley.

The single was a commercial success, peaking at number fourteen on Billboard's Hot 100 and number ten on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart.

"Take Me There" was a commercial success internationally.

It reached the top spot in New Zealand and certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).

The song's popularity also played a vital role in the success of "The Rugrats Movie."

Song Composition
"Take Me There" is a contemporary R&B/ rap song with a soft melody and the song runs for four minutes and four seconds while the full length version (including the instrumental) is five minutes and two seconds.

The song contains interpolations of the original Rugrats TV theme which was written by Mark Mothersbaugh (who is not credited as a songwriter though) with an additional hip hop/rap beat.

Music Video
The music video premiered in October of 1998. It was directed by Luke Nola & Steve Saussey.

The video aired as part of Mya & Blackstreet hosting Nickelodeon's "SNICK."

It begins with Angelica Pickles turning on the television to a clip of the Rugrats pulling the Reptar Wagon up a hill then to the music video.

The clip used appears to be the deleted scene "The Rugrats March."

It takes place in a realistic, live action version of the Pickles' house, with Mýa and Blackstreet dancing through the house.

Mya is seen in Tommy Pickles' bedroom and the members of Blackstreet are seen in the kitchen.

During the rap from Mase and Blinky Blink, they are shown driving the Reptar Wagon.

During this part, they used the background from a scene in the film. It also contains clips from the movie.

Chart Performance
"The Rugrats Movie" soundtrack has earned a Platinum Record (which is awarded when an album has sold over 1 million copies in the United States).

The main selling element of the soundtrack has not been the Rugrats, but the major label artists who have appeared on the soundtrack; in particular, the Jackson 5 version of "Take Me There" climbed the charts.

While the original was still on radio airplay, the remix was making both versions a hit on every radio station and playlists.

On December 19, 1998, the song earned a peak of 27 in only three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 "Greatest Gainer/ Airplay."

That same day, it made its way onto the Top 40 Tracks in four weeks.

In the week of December 7, 1998, "Take Me There" had been peaked #13 on the Hits of the World board in the United Kingdom.

The song landed on #19 of the Video Monitor (the most-played clips as monitored by the Broadcast Data Systems) by being played many times on BET.

It did very well on the MTV playlists peaking at #21 in the same week.

Well liked in The Clip List, it made a debut on the Box Tops and was played about 15 hours weekly on the California Music Channel (CMC).

Seeing the popularity of "Take Me There," "Sound Tracks" had this to say:

"Airplay of 'Take Me There' by Blackstreet & Mýa featuring Mase and Blinky Blink (Interscope) continues to grow on the Hot 100 and the Hot 100 Airplay charts. 'Take Me There' moves 27-19 on Hot 100 Airplay and 35-27 on the Hot 100 to earn the Greatest Gainer/ Airplay title for its 17% increase in audience. A remix by Big Yam using the melody of the Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' and a rapless edit are helping the track make inroads at radio. No doubt, the song's inclusion on the Burger King commercials promoting the Rugrats toys being offered by the fast-food giant is helping the song gain exposure. [...] Just look at the jump 'Take Me There' took after 'The Rugrats Movie' opened. 'Take Me There' was shipped to radio the first week in October but didn't really affect the charts until the film took off."

It also helped the "Rugrats Movie" soundtrack stay at #20 on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks.