| "Funky Cold Medina" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byTone Lōc | ||||
| from the albumLōc-ed After Dark | ||||
| Released | March 18, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | Delicious Vinyl | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Marvin Young,Matt Dike,Michael Ross | |||
| Producer(s) | Matt Dike, Michael Ross | |||
| Tone Lōc singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Funky Cold Medina" is ahip hop song written byYoung MC,Matt Dike andMichael Ross,[1] and first performed by American rapper, actor and producerTone Lōc. It was the second single from Tone Lōc's debut album,Lōc-ed After Dark (1989). The single was released on March 18, 1989, and rose to number three on theBillboard Hot 100 the following month where it went platinum, selling over one million copies and becoming the second ever platinum-certified rap single (after "Wild Thing" from thesame album being the first). It peaked on theUK Singles Chart at number 13 in May of that year.
Flavor Flav used the phrase "cold medina" a year earlier onIt Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, and it was adopted by his labelmatesBeastie Boys as a nickname for the cocktail known as a "fuzzy navel"; Flav later suggested to Tone Loc that he should use the phrase in a song.[2]
The song contains severalsamples. Thedrum break is from "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" byFunkadelic, and the mainguitar riff is from "Hot Blooded" byForeigner. Other samples are taken from "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" bythe Rolling Stones (when this song is mentioned in the lyrics), "Christine Sixteen" byKiss, "All Right Now" byFree and "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" byBachman–Turner Overdrive. The cowbell sample is from "Honky Tonk Women" bythe Rolling Stones.[3]
After the song became popular, several differentcocktails were introduced bearing the name "Funky Cold Medina".[4]
The song tells ofTone Lōc's experiences with the "Funky Cold Medina", anaphrodisiac beverage. It starts with Lōc drinking at a bar and asking a fellow patron how he is having such success with women. The stranger credits his luck with Funky Cold Medina, which makes anyone who drinks it irresistible.
Lōc tests the formula on his dog, who becomes uncharacteristically affectionate towards Lōc and quickly gets swarmed by female dogs from the neighborhood. Lōc then tries it on a woman named Sheena he's attracted to, but upon returning to Lōc's home Sheena turns out to be a man, whom he ejects from his apartment forthwith. The next day, Lōc makes a celebrity appearance onLove Connection and meets a woman who immediately wants to marry him, which freaks him out. Lōc concludes the formula just brings trouble and resolves not to use it again.[5]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[20] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[24] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
