Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

For the Married... with Children episode, see List of Married... with Children episodes.

"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Blondes Have More Fun and Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
B-side	"Dirty Weekend"
Released	December 1978
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded	1978
Genre	Disco, pop rock
Length	6:29 (12" version), 5:28 (album/1st 7" version), 4:16 (2nd 7" version)
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Rod Stewart, Carmine Appice
Producer	Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
I Was Only Joking (1978) Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? (1978) Ain't Love A Bitch (1979)

"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" is a 1978 hit song for Rod Stewart. It was written by Stewart and Carmine Appice, and produced by Tom Dowd.

"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" spent one week at the top of the British charts in December 1978 and four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, starting 10 February 1979. It also topped the charts in Australia for two weeks.

Royalties from the song were donated to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Stewart performed the song at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in January 1979.^[1]

The song was criticized by many in the rock press as a betrayal of Stewart's blues-oriented rock roots due to its disco-like arrangement, but Stewart and others were quick to point out that other widely respected artists, such as Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones, had also released disco-flavoured songs. It was also alleged that Stewart created the song through partial musical plagiarism.^[2]

Carmine Appice, who played drums on this song told Songfacts: "This was a story of a guy meeting a chick in a club. At that time, that was a cool saying. If you listen to the lyrics, 'She sits alone, waiting for suggestions, he's so nervous...' it's the feelings of what was going on in a dance club. The guy sees a chick he digs, she's nervous and he's nervous and she's alone and doesn't know what's going on, then they end up at his place having sex, and then she's gone."^[3]

In 2004 Rolling Stone ranked the song #301 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

A 12" disco single of the song was released in 1978. The song was remixed by disco producer Jim Burgess. It ran one minute longer than the LP version at 6:29, contains two alternate recorded lines, an alternate ad-lib to fade ending, and a heavier bass-infused drum beat. This disco version has never appeared on CD.

Copyright infringement lawsuit

A copyright infringement lawsuit by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor claimed the song had been derived from his song "Taj Mahal." The case was "settled amicably" according to Ben.^[2]

Cover versions

• Garou recorded "Sexy" for his cover album Gentleman cambrioleur in 2009.
• Gene Summers & Crossfire covered "Sexy" on a single in 1979 on LeCam Records. It was re-issued, that same year as Gene Summers & Dea on Country Disco Records.
• The Finnish singers Pentti Oskari Kangas and Seitsemän Seinähullua Veljestä covered the song as a single in 1979, translated to Finnish^[4]
• Recorded by British Standard Unit (Morgan Fisher) as "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy?" on the 1979 album "Hybrid Kids Vol.1: a Collection of Classic Mutants".
• Pop group Brotherhood of Man recorded a version for their album 20 Disco Greats (1981)
• The song was later recorded by Millie Jackson for her one of her 1982 releases titled, "Live and Uncensored."
• Those Darn Accordions covered the song on the 1996 album No Strings Attached, with vocals by tattooed octogenarian accordionist Clyde Forsman.
• The Revolting Cocks included a cover of the song (with more sexually explicit lyrics than the original version) on their 1993 album Linger Ficken' Good.
• Miio included the song on their 2003 album.
• Brooklyn art-punk band Les Savy Fav incorporate a riff from the song on their track "Cut It Out" from their 1997 debut "3/5".
• A reformed Vanilla Fudge featuring Carmine Appice covered the song too in 2004.
• The Girls of FHM made a cover in 2004, making number ten in the UK singles chart. British music artist Tina Barrett, formerly of S Club 7, Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton, formerly of Atomic Kitten and Michelle Heaton, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young, formerly of Liberty X are among the women featured in the music video for the song.
• Paris Hilton recorded the song for her 2006 debut album Paris. It is the final track on the album, and it was released only on Italian airplay. The song was used for the spot for 3 Mobile.
• Korean singer K covered the song for his Japanese single Brand New Map and his cover album The Timeless Collection Vol. 1.
• Tiny Tim, falsetto singer and novelty ukulele player covered the song twice, once with a contemporary disco beat, and another with a Tin Pan Alley-style arrangement. The disco cover, performed live, demonstrated his surprising ability to switch between a warmer tenor and shrill falsetto on a moment's notice. The Tin Pan Alley arrangement was sung entirely in Tiny Tim's regular (non-falsetto) register.
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood released a version of this with the Frankie Say Greatest compilation. Vocals by Paul Rutherford
• By Sabrina on her 1987 album Sabrina.
• In 1980 Polish singer Zdzisława Sośnicka covered the song on her album Odcienie samotności, title of the Polish cover is Nuda
• Glee's Warblers released the album Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers where the song is included in the track list. It is lead by Darren Criss, who play Warbler Blaine Anderson.

Live cover versions, sampling & remixes

• In 1980, the song was covered by Japanese pop singers Pink Lady on an episode of their American variety show Pink Lady and Jeff.
• Jars of Clay sampled it on their song Truce which appeared on the Stringtown (Album), recorded in the spring of 1998 at the Ryman Auditorium with the Nashville String Machine
• In 1998, hip-hop group The LOX sampled the song for their first single, "If You Think I'm Jiggy."
• The song was remixed by techno/house group N-Trance in 1997 and features lyrics from the Millie Jackson version (as performed by vocalist Kelly Llorenna). It was featured in the movie A Night at the Roxbury the following year.
• Sean Kingston used a sample of the chorus rhythm on "Take You There".
• Ham Sandwich, an Irish indie rock band from Kells, played the song on The Podge and Rodge Show.
• In 2005, Chico sang this song during week one on The X Factor; judge Simon Cowell compared his performance to that of a stripper.
• Japanese hip hop artist YOU THE ROCK★ (real name: Hiroshi Tademae) sampled part of the song for his 1999 hit "THE PROFESSIONAL ENTERTAINER."
• hip-hop group Inner City Posse sampled the song in their song "Ghetto Zone", from their 1991 album Dog Beats.

Pop culture

• The song appears twice in Star 80, a film about the life and death of Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten.
• Radio Active's Salute to New York programme included the song "Da Ya Think I'm Sexist?" by 'Rod McStewart', in which a promiscuous rock star shows his double standards.
• Chicago disk jockey Steve Dahl parodied the song as "Do You Think I'm Disco?" in which a superficial disco fan repents and gets into rock 'n roll.
• Comedians Bob and Ray performed the song on a 1979 Saturday Night Live special, sitting in chairs and dressed in their usual business suits.
• Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) sang "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" in the WKRP in Cincinnati episode "Put Up Or Shut Up" (1/21/80)
• As a joke ukulele player Tiny Tim sang the song in a 1979 appearance on the Tonight Night Show With Johnny Carson, and in 1982 made a music video of the song.
• In The Simpsons episode "I Love Lisa", Ned Flanders sings a clean version of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" to his wife Maude on Valentine's Day, which says: "If you think I'm cuddly, and you want my company. Come on, wifey, let me know".
• In Married... with Children episode "Nightmare on Al's Street", Steve Rhoades sings the song.
• In the 1993 film So I Married an Axe Murderer, Mike Myers in his dual role as father and son Stewart and Charlie McKenzie, does a comedic scene, where Stewart performs the song with a bagpiper in his thick Scottish accent at Charlie's wedding reception while Charlie looks on.
• The Fairly Odd Parents character Wandisimo uses the title occasionally as his catchphrase.

References

1. ^ (AP) "Frost Sets UNICEF Show" The Robesonian November 30, 1978: 1
2. ^ ^{a b} Interview with Ben Jor Expatica.com
3. ^ "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Songfacts.com. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1306. Retrieved 8 May 2009. 
4. ^ Suomen Äänitearkisto's information page on the cover version

Preceded by "Rat Trap" by The Boomtown Rats	UK number one single 2 December 1978	Succeeded by "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" by Boney M
Preceded by "Le Freak" by Chic	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Rod Stewart version) 10 February 1979	Succeeded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
Preceded by "Keep on Dancin'" / "Do It at the Disco" / "Let's Lovedance Tonight" by Gary's Gang	Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single 24 February 1979 – 10 March 1979	Succeeded by "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" by Instant Funk
Preceded by "Y.M.C.A." by Village People	Australian Kent Music Report number-one single 29 January 1979 - 5 February 1979	Succeeded by "C'mon Aussie C'mon" by The Mojo Singers