"Horny '98" is a house song by Turkish-German producer Mousse T. featuring British pop duo Hot 'n' Juicy with vocals provided by Inaya Day. It was released as a standalone single in May 1998 and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart the following month, staying on the chart for 17 weeks. The song also reached No. 1 in Italy, No. 2 in New Zealand, and No. 5 in Ireland. It was later included on the South Park soundtrack album ' (1998). Two different music videos were produced for the song.
In 2006, a mash-up of the song with "Bohemian Like You" by the Dandy Warhols, titled "Horny as a Dandy", reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 14 in Austria, and No. 10 in Italy.
Hot 'n' Juicy were initially a duo of singers, Emma Lanford and Nadine Richardson. They appeared on the 1998 version of "Horny" and the 2006 mash-up "Horny as a Dandy". They were residents of a tower block on the former Lee Bank estate in Birmingham. They became a trio in late 1998 when they were joined by Nikki Belle, who remained in the group until 1999. After the group split up, Belle went on to provide vocals on a version of Womack & Womack's "Teardrops" for Whelan & Di Scala, an English EDM duo.
Originally called "Horny Track", which was produced with a trumpet sample from Earth, Wind & Fire's 1983 song "Something Special", the single was actually first released as an instrumental in 1997 on a limited edition 12-inch vinyl as a little "present" for fellow club DJs. The 1998 release, titled "Horny '98", was given a commercial edge after adding vocals by duo Emma Lanford and Nadine Richardson, with Inaya Day, working under the name Hot 'n' Juicy (although only Emma Southam and Nadine Richardson appear in the music video and on the sleeve). Italian house music fans were the first to pick up on the record.
Chuck Taylor from Billboard wrote, "As one of many highlights on the new , 'Horny' has the potential to be the novelty smash of the season." He added further, "With lyrics that are ultra-self-explanatory, 'Horny' will either bring a giddy smile or a look of disdain. While it has been wholly embraced by club pundits who tend to appreciate anything cheeky and suggestive, those at radio may find themselves more comfortable distancing themselves from it. Of course, carefree, adventurous types will see 'Horny' as the best thing to come down the pike since Rice Krispies treats. Better yet, perhaps they will simply look to European radioâÂÂwhich treated this as a full-fledged pop recordâÂÂand turn it into a major hit."
An editor from Daily Record praised it as a "raunchy R&B hit", and "this year's catchiest summer anthem so far." Pan-European magazine Music & Media opined that the music is "tough and sexy with a tight disco beat, screeching horns and an appropriately smouldering vocal. The shadow of Gloria Gaynor looms very, very large over this tune but that's no bad thing..." They also declared the song as a "perfect dance/pop crossover". Mike Goldsmith from NME described it as "such screamingly familiar ear candy". Ziad from the Record Mirror Dance Update gave "Horny '98" five out of five and named it Tune of the Week, writing, "At the heart of it are some very catchy, distinctive string/brass disco stabs, which provide the main hook, and this '98 version sees the addition of a female vocal, basically singing that she's feeling horny. All these are strong ingredients indeed, for what should be a huge record."
The single reached No. 1 on the singles chart in Italy and became a massive summer hit. The track then reached the top position on the German dance chart after some seven weeks. It also peaked at No. 2 in the UK, No. 3 in Scotland, No. 5 in Ireland, No. 9 in Norway, No. 11 in Switzerland and No. 12 in Iceland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Horny '98" reached No. 6 in June 1998. Outside Europe, it peaked at No. 2 in New Zealand, No. 12 on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart in the U.S. and No. 13 in Australia.
In 2018, Dave Fawbert from ShortList said, "Completing 1998's sexy one-two, this is the sound of Jumpin' Jaks in Romford in the summer of 1998: the sound of carefree youth, shots for a pound, dancing on the tables and fights outside McDonald's. Wonderful." Tomorrowland featured "Horny '98" in their official list of "The Ibiza 500" in 2020.
The song was later included on the South Park soundtrack album '. On Chef Aid, the song opens with a mock phone call between Sid Greenfield (voiced by Trey Parker) and South Park creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, talking about putting the song on the album. In the mock phone call (which begins on the previous track, and continues throughout "Horny") Matt and Trey repeatedly voice their dislike for the song, and Sid Greenfield finally agrees not to include it (this being after the song has already finished playing in its entirety).
In 2004, a mash-up between "Horny" and the Dandy Warhols' song "Bohemian Like You" was released as "Horny as a Dandy", featuring vocals from Hot 'n' Juicy. This version was produced by Loo & Placido and appears on their 2004 album Mash Up the Tops and on some versions of Mousse T.'s 2004 album All Nite Madness. In 2006, the mash-up was released as a single in Germany on 17 March and throughout the world in mid-2006. The single peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, number 13 in Austria, and number 10 in Italy. On the first CD single, a new version produced by Mousse T. features a re-recorded sample of "Bohemian Like You" with the Dandy Warhols providing the vocals and instrumentation.