Return of the Mack


"Return of the Mack" is a song written and recorded by the British R&B singer Mark Morrison and features backing vocals from Angie Brown. It was released in the United Kingdom in March 1996 and in the United States in February 1997. It topped the UK Singles Chart a month after its release, then became a European and Australian hit during the middle of the year. In the United States, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and went Platinum.

Background and composition

The song's beat is sampled from the song "Genius of Love" by American band Tom Tom Club. "Games" by Chuckii Booker was also sampled.

Critical reception

from Billboard noted that U.K. crooner Mark Morrison "energizes a deflated U.S. R&B scene with "Return Of The Mack"", adding that Morrison "shows international promise with fresh lyrics and vocals, and classic soul production reminiscent of R&B's '80s heyday." In 2017, BuzzFeed listed the song at number 48 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s". Matt Diehl from Entertainment Weekly wrote that Morrison "comes off more like a funked-up Seal, promising revenge to a deceitful lover in a warbly croon. The end result is an odd but infectious new-jack-swing variation on "Hey Joe", buoyed by bubbly beats and the insistent title refrain." Another editor, Leah Greenblatt described the track as a "new-jackalicious breakup jam". Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger noted that "the music certainly has his back – the rubbery basslines cocooning the song, the satisfying crunch of the drums, the light keyboard touches helping Morrison glide along his comeback trail." He added that "Return Of The Mack" "is a pleasure to listen to, a well-tailored suit of sound." In 2012, Porcys listed the song at number 71 in their ranking of "100 Singles 1990-1999".

Formats and track listings

CD maxi/12" maxi – US
  1. "Return of the Mack" – 7:20
  2. "Return of the Mack" - 4:32
  3. "Return of the Mack" - 2:56
  4. "Trippin'" – 4:19
  5. "Trippin'" – 4:22
  6. "Return of the Mack" – 5:49
CD single - US
  1. "Return of the Mack" - 3:32
  2. "Return of the Mack" - 4:32
CD single – Europe
  1. "Return of the Mack" – 3:32
  2. "Return of the Mack" – 3:57
  3. "Return of the Mack" – 4:34
  4. "Return of the Mack" – 3:46
  5. "Return of the Mack" – 4:29
  6. "Return of the Mack" – 3:56
  7. "Return of the Mack" – 4:58
12" maxi – Europe
  1. "Return of the Mack" – 4:34
  2. "Return of the Mack" – 4:29
  3. "Return of the Mack" – 7:30
  4. "Return of the Mack" – 6:44

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Canada Dance/Urban 3
US Billboard Hot 1008

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

Mann version

American hip-hop/rap artist Mann released a cover version of the song, featuring vocals from Snoop Dogg and Iyaz. His version is simply titled "The Mack". The single was released in the United Kingdom on 23 May 2011 as a digital download. The Music Video premiered on Mann's YouTube Channel on 28 June. It was released in the United States on 5 July 2011.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "The Mack" was first released onto YouTube on 23 June 2011 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-five seconds. It features Mann, Iyaz and Snoop Dogg, at a pool party that starts off in the day into the night and they are surrounded by women. Mark is also shown entering London Heathrow airport and then driving a car.

Critical reception

Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review, stating ""I'm tryin' to bag a chick from a centerfold and I'm tryin' burn bread like it's gonna be toast," the pint-sized rapper curiously explains between an instantly recognisable chorus that samples Mark Morrison's '96 classic 'Return Of The Mack' – the robotic tones courtesy of Iyaz. "Mann, he was buzzed, and he's on my level," Snoop fo shizzles as he continues to heap praise on the rising star. With such an endorsement, that ever-tricky second single shouldn't be an issue for long", rewarding it with three stars out of five.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

Nevada version

Swedish DJ Nevada released a cover version of the song titled "The Mack", twenty years after the release of the original version. Nevada's cover features the vocal collaboration of Mark Morrison and American rapper Fetty Wap. The song was written by Morrison, William Maxwell, Pyramids in Paris, and Jonathan White. It was released to digital download through Straightforward Music, Nourishing Music, and Capitol Records on 23 September 2016. This song has since received commercial successful by peaking inside the top 20 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, while making chart appearances in many other countries.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

In popular culture

Aside from, the song has been used in numerous other movies and TV shows like Entourage, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and My Mad Fat Diary.
In 2017, Burger King used the song in a commercial for their menu item Mac 'n' Cheetos.
In 2020, McDonald's New Zealand also used the song in a commercial advertising the return of the Big Mac after its stores were closed for four weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, McDonald's in the UK used the song in a commercial advertising their branches reopening after having been shut for nearly four months in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Use in politics

The song figured as the campaign anthem of 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidate Andrew Yang during his presidential campaign, and was played at most of his rallies and speeches.