I'm Too Sexy

"I'm Too Sexy" is the debut single by British group Right Said Fred. The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "I'm Too Sexy" topped the charts in six countries, including Australia, Ireland, and the United States.

"I'm Too Sexy"
Single by Right Said Fred
from the album Up
Released1991
GenreDance-pop[1]
Length2:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)TommyD
Right Said Fred singles chronology
"I'm Too Sexy"
(1991)
"Don't Talk Just Kiss"
(1991)
Right Said Fred singles chronology
"Where Do You Go to My Love?"
(2006)
"I'm Too Sexy 2007"
(2007)
"I'm a Celebrity"
(2008)
Music video
"I'm Too Sexy" on YouTube

Composition and recording

The idea for the song came about when the Fairbrass brothers were running a gym in London where, according to Richard, there was "lots of narcissism and posing". One day, he took his shirt off and started singing "I'm too sexy for my shirt" in front of a mirror as a joke. The band originally recorded it as an indie rock song.

It was rejected by multiple record companies before they played it to radio plugger Guy Holmes. He was initially unimpressed after playing it on his car stereo, but his passengers latched onto the song's "I'm a model, you know what I mean" hook and Holmes asked the band if they could rework it as a dance track.

DJ TommyD, an acquaintance of Richard Fairbrass, programmed electronics around the original vocal, whilst guitarist Rob Manzoli added a riff borrowed from the Jimi Hendrix song "Third Stone from the Sun".[2]

In the clubs, everyone imitated their "catwalk" dance as seen on the video clip by January 1992.[3]

Release

The single equalled the record for the most weeks at number two on the UK Singles Chart without ever topping the chart, staying at number two for six weeks in a row while held back by Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (this equaled the previous record set by Father Abraham's hit of 1978 "The Smurf Song").

In May 1992, the song was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Selling 'A' Side.[4] "I'm Too Sexy" was the act's first of several hits, particularly in the United Kingdom. They went on to have a number one single on the UK Singles Chart with "Deeply Dippy" in April 1992. In April 2008, the song was rated No. 49 on "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!" by Blender.[5]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Schnee described "I'm Too Sexy" as a "humorous yet misunderstood swipe at self centered male bodybuilders and models."[6] David Taylor-Wilson from Bay Area Reporter called it "a campy send-up of the fashion world."[7] In November 1991, Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Thoroughly fun and goofy ditty recently heated up international dance floors and radio airwaves. Fred cheekily boasts about his physical attributes over a festive pop/house groove, which should have no trouble duplicating its success here."[8] Music Week said it is a "eccentric"[9] and "amusingly muttered 121.7bpm pop rattler".[10] Matt Stopera and Brian Galindo from BuzzFeed put the song at number 90 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s. They commented, "Yes, this song is cheesy as hell, but it doesn't ever try to be anything other than what it is: a fun, catchy, campy dance song."[11] Cashbox said, "Here is a fun, tongue-in-cheek dance tune that should get lots of club play." They added that the group "have put together a clever dance/club put-down of what could only be the whole fashion-model "poser" attitude that's so much in vogue."[12] People noted it as a "dopey dance tune mocking fashion models and voguers—but it'll keep you moving."[13]

In June 2007, the song was voted No. 80 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.[14] In April 2011, it was voted No. 2 on VH1's 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '90s.

Track listing

UK CD (CD SNOG 1)
  1. "I'm Too Sexy" (Betty's mix)
  2. "I'm Too Sexy" (7" mix)
  3. "I'm Too Sexy" (12" instrumental)
  4. "I'm Too Sexy" (Italian version)
UK 7" (SNOG 1) / cassette (CA SNOG 1)
  1. "I'm Too Sexy"
  2. "I'm Too Sexy" (instrumental)
UK 12" (12 SNOG 1)
  1. "I'm Too Sexy"
  2. "I'm Too Sexy" (7" version)
  3. "I'm Too Sexy" (12" instrumental)
U.S. Single
  1. "I'm Too Sexy" (7" version)
  2. "I'm Too Sexy" (Extended Club Mix)
  3. "I'm Too Sexy" (Betty's Mix)
  4. "I'm Too Sexy" (Instrumental)
  5. "I'm Too Sexy" (Catwalk Mix)
  6. "I'm Too Sexy" (Tushapella)
  7. "I'm Too Sexy" (Spanish version)

Chart positions

Covers and adaptations

See also

References

  1. Boggioni, Tom (9 June 2014). "John Oliver asks Right Said Fred to annoy Syria's Assad with 'too awful' song". The Raw Story. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  2. Simpson, Dave (4 April 2017). "How we made Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  3. "Spotlight: Right Said Fred" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 3. 18 January 1992. p. 21. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  4. "The Ivors 1992 > Best Selling 'A' Side". Theivors.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  5. "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!". Blender. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010.
  6. Schnee, Stephen. "Right Said Fred – Up". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  7. Taylor-Wilson, David (2 April 1992). "View from the Top". Bay Area Reporter. 22 (14). p. 26. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  8. "Single Reviews > New and Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. 16 November 1991. p. 81.
  9. "Export of the Year: Right Said Fred" (PDF). Music Week. 26 December 1992. p. 10. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  10. "Dance" (PDF). Music Week. 3 August 1991. p. 8. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  11. Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (11 March 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  12. Clark, Randy; DeVaney, Bryan (21 December 1991). "Music Reviews > Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. Vol. LV no. 19. p. 5. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  13. "Picks and Pans Review: Prime Cuts". People. Vol. 37 no. 5. 10 February 1992. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  14. "The 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013.
  15. "Australian-charts.com – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
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  18. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2043." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  19. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2066." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  20. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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  31. "Right Said Fred – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
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  34. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1991". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
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  43. "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
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  48. "American single certifications – Right Said Fred – I_m Too Sexy". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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