Short Dick Man

"Short Dick Man" is a song by American hip house group 20 Fingers featuring rapper Gillette. It was released in August 1994 on Zoo Entertainment/SOS Records as their debut single from their album, On the Attack and More. It also appears on 20 Fingers' second self-titled studio album and on Gillette's debut solo album, On the Attack. The tune was a global success, particularly in Brazil, France and Italy. In France and Italy, this was a number-one hit. It also reached number 3 in Germany, number 4 in Australia, number 6 in Austria and the Wallonia region of Belgium, and number 7 in the Netherlands and New Zealand.

"Short Dick Man"
One of cover arts
Single by 20 Fingers featuring Gillette
from the album On the Attack and More and 20 Fingers
ReleasedAugust 31, 1994
Genre
Length
  • 4:49
  • 3:21 (single edit)
LabelZoo Entertainment/SOS Records/Unidisc Music Incorporated
Songwriter(s)
  • Charlie Babie
  • Manny Mohr
Producer(s)Charlie Babie
20 Fingers singles chronology
"Short Dick Man"
(1994)		 "Lick It"
(1995)
Music video
"Short Dick Man" on YouTube
Gillette singles chronology
"Short Dick Man"
(1994)		 "Mr. Personality"
(1995)

Background

This single, which involves a woman mocking the size of a man's penis, was also released in a toned down version replacing the word "dick" with "short" (the song was also released under the censored title "Short Short Man").[1] Co-writer Manfred Mohr told the Los Angeles Times that the point of the song was to attract attention. "We figured there were all these songs by men bashing women and treating women like sex objects. So we decided a song that turned the tables on men might attract some attention."[2] According to the vocalist Sandra Gillette, the point of the song is to "strike back at all the women-bashing songs in pop, especially in rap." [2] Some radio stations refused to play the song as it was clearly controversial.[3]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "goofy dance novelty single" and added that "comical female rants on the shortcomings of a lover are woven into a rigid groove. "Clean" version has daintily been retitled "Short Short Man," bleeping out all blunt penis references. Remixes range in vibe from house to hip-hop, with Spanish-language and break-beat versions tossed in for good measure."[4] In 2017, BuzzFeed listed the song at number 54 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s".[5] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly noted ""Short Short Man" (also known as "Short D — – Man"), with a hard, thumping beat and, er, a harder message: "You need some tweezers to put that little thing away?" Gillette taunts. Ouch! If those jibes don’t hurt enough, they’re followed by synthesizer bleeps of mocking laughter."[6] Robbie Daw from Idolator said that the song "became a dance-crossover sensation — due, largely, to attention-grabbing lyrics like these: “That has got to be the smallest dick I have ever seen in my whole life / Get the fuck outta here!”". He added, "In many ways, the song played at the time like the female response to hits by male artists that objectified women, such as “Rump Shaker” and “Bump N’ Grind” — and the music-buying masses, er, grabbed on tightly, thanks to slightly-edited (read: cleaned-up) version, “Short Short Man,” being put into heavy rotation."[7] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty wrote that "a throbbing base line that's not bogged down by over-production complements the eloquent - and slightly politically incorrect - vocals."[8]

Chart performance

"Short Dick Man" proved to be successful on the charts all over the world, peaking at number 2 on the RPM Dance/Urban Chart in Canada and number 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in the United States. In Europe, the single went to number-one in France and Italy. It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 7. Additionally, "Short Dick Man" was a Top 20 hit in Scotland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked at number 11 in its second run at the UK Singles Chart, on September 24, 1995.[9] But on the UK Dance Chart, it was a even bigger hit, reaching number 3. In Oceania, the single peaked at number 4 and 7 in Australia and New Zealand. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it reached number 14. It earned a gold record in Germany and the US, with a sale of 250,000 and 500,000 singles, and a silver record in France, when 125,000 units were sold there.

Music video

A music video was made for "Short Dick Man", directed by Daniel Zirilli.[10] In the video, images of Gillette singing "Short Dick Man" on a beach which is dedicated to a man named Alex Suarez Pergis. It was uploaded to YouTube in June 2013. By September 2020, the video had more than 12.8 million views.[11]

Cover versions

In 1995, the song has been covered by Machito Ponce and Diamanda Turbin as "Short Dick Man (¡Ponte A Brincar!)".[12] In 2007, the song was covered by Laurent Wolf, featuring Marilyn David. This 3:35 version is available on several compilations, such as Été 2007[13] and Contact Play & Dance vol. 4.[14]

Formats and track listings

Personnel
  • Written by Charlie Babie and Manfred Mohr
  • Vocals by Gillette
  • Mastered by Mark Richardson, at Metropolis Mastering, Chicago
  • Produced by Charlie Babie
  • Mixed by Onofrio Lollino and J.J. Flores
  • Published by Tango Rose Music (ASCAP)
  • Distributed by ID Records, 1994

Charts and sales

See also
  • List of French number-one hits of 1995

References
  1. Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 313 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  2. 'Short, Short Man' Attacks Big, Big Sexism
  3. Maxwell, Kenneth (2013). A Sexual Odyssey: From Forbidden Fruit to Cybersex. p. 77.
  4. "Single Reviews: New and Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  5. Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  6. "Current radio hits". Entertainment Weekly. January 17, 1995. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  7. Daw, Robbie (November 20, 2014). "The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews With Ace Of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)". Idolator. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  8. "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. June 24, 1994. p. 26. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 24 September 1995 - 30 September 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  10. "Short Short Man (1994) by Gillette". IMVDb.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  11. "Gillette - Short, Short Man (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  12. "Machito Ponce, un exponente del retro". Diario Hoy (in Spanish). 25 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  13. Été 2007, track listing and charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  14. Contact Play & Dance Vol. 4, track listing Lescharts.com (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  15. "Australian-charts.com – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. "Ultratop.be – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. "Ultratop.be – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  19. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2711." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  20. European peak
  21. "Lescharts.com – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in French). Les classement single.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  23. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 48. November 26, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – 20 Fingers" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  25. "Dutchcharts.nl – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  26. "Charts.nz – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man". Top 40 Singles.
  27. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (24 September 1995-30 September 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  28. "Short Dick Man", UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  29. "Short, Short Man", UK Singles Chart (second release) Official Charts Company (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  30. "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (20 November 1994-26 November 1994)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  31. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  32. Billboard allmusic.com (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  33. "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box (January 21, 1995). Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  34. Spanish peak
  35. "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  36. "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1994" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  37. 1995 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  38. 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved 26 December 2008)
  39. 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved September 3, 2008)
  40. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  41. "1995 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  42. 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived 2009-02-14 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
  43. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  44. "Jaarlijsten 1995" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  45. "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  46. "French single certifications – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  47. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (20 Fingers; 'Short Dick Man')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  48. "American single certifications – 20 Fingers featuring Gillette – Short Short Man". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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