Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
| "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
| from the album Blondes Have More Fun | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 10 November 1978 | |||
| Format |
| |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Disco | |||
| Length | 5:31 (album version) 6:29 (12-inch version) | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Tom Dowd | |||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" on YouTube | ||||
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (sic) is a song by British singer Rod Stewart from his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun. It was written by Stewart, Carmine Appice and Duane Hitchings,[1] though it incorporates the melody from the song "Taj Mahal" by Jorge Ben Jor and the string arrangement from the song "Put Something Down On It" by Bobby Womack.[2]
The song featured on Stewart's album Blondes Have More Fun, and was released as a single in November 1978. It spent one week at the top of the British charts in December 1978 and four weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1979. Billboard ranked it number four on its Top Singles of 1979 year-end chart.[3] 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.[4]
Rolling Stone ranked the song at #308 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5]
Contents
1 Background and writing
2 Reception
3 Charts and certifications
3.1 Weekly charts
3.2 All-time charts
3.3 Certifications
4 N-Trance featuring Rod Stewart version
4.1 Charts
4.2 Certifications
5 2017 remix version
5.1 Charts
6 References
Background and writing
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."[6] In a 2007 interview, co-writer Duane Hitchings noted that "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was
.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}
a spoof on guys from the 'cocaine lounge lizards' of the Saturday Night Fever days. We Rock and Roll guys thought we were dead meat when that movie and the Bee Gees came out. The Bee Gees were brilliant musicians and really nice people. No big egos. Rod, in his brilliance, decided to do a spoof on disco. VERY smart man. There is no such thing as a "dumb" super success in the music business.[7]
It has been noted that Stewart created parts of the song through musical plagiarism. A copyright infringement lawsuit by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor claimed the chorus of the song had been derived from his song "Taj Mahal". The case was "settled amicably" according to Jorge Ben Jor, in Ben Jor's favor.[8] Stewart admitted in his 2012 autobiography to "unconscious plagiarism" of the Ben Jor song, which he had heard while attending the Rio Carnival in 1978.[2] He also admitted that he had consciously lifted the song's signature synthesizer riff from the string arrangement on Bobby Womack's "(If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It". Stewart contends that it is legal to lift a line from any song's arrangement as long as the core melody line isn't copied.[2]
Reception
The song was criticised 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. However, the song has since experienced some retrospective acclaim as Rolling Stone placed the song at #308 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5]
Charts and certifications
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chart (1978–79) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] | 1 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] | 8 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] | 3 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[12] | 1 |
| Canada Disco 30 (RPM)[13] | 7 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14] | 1 |
| Finland (Finnish Singles Chart)[15] | 9 |
| France (SNEP)[16] | 2 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[17] | 9 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[18] | 5 |
| Italy (FIMI)[19] | 3 |
| Japan (Oricon)[20] | 12 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] | 4 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] | 2 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[23] | 2 |
Portugal Singles Chart[24] | 1 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[25] | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] | 11 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] | 8 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[28] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[29] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 5 |
| US Billboard National Disco Action Top 40 | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 1 |
All-time charts
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] | 911 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[31] | Gold | 519,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[32] | Gold | 500,000 |
| United States (RIAA)[33] | Platinum | 2,000,000 |
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
N-Trance featuring Rod Stewart version
| "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Single by N-Trance featuring Rod Stewart | ||||
| from the album Happy Hour | ||||
| Released | 13 October 1997 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Genre | Eurodance | |||
| Length | 3:59 | |||
| Label | Sony | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Curds, Whey | |||
N-Trance singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" on YouTube | ||||
In 1997, the song was remixed by English techno-house group N-Trance for their second album Happy Hour and features lyrics from the Millie Jackson version (as performed by vocalist Kelly Llorenna). It was featured in the film A Night at the Roxbury the following year.
Charts
- Weekly charts
| Chart (1997–98) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[34] | 3 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[35] | 9 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[36] | 15 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[37] | 10 |
| Denmark (IFPI)[38] | 7 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[39] | 7 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[40] | 5 |
| France (SNEP)[41] | 33 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[42] | 15 |
| Hungary (Mahasz)[43] | 5 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[18] | 10 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[44] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[45] | 13 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[46] | 23 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[47] | 10 |
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[48] | 6 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[49] | 15 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] | 21 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[51] | 7 |
UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[52] | 30 |
- Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[53] | 43 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[54] | Platinum | 10,000* |
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
2017 remix version
| "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Single by Rod Stewart featuring DNCE | ||||
| Released | 25 August 2017 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Recorded | 2017 | |||
| Genre |
| |||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
DNCE singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2017, Stewart released a remix version featuring American band DNCE.[55] They performed the song at 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.[56][57]
Charts
| Chart (2017-18) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina Anglo (Monitor Latino)[58] | 13 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[59] | 34 |
| Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[60] | 27 |
| Israel (Media Forest)[61] | 1 |
| Japan Airplay (Tokio Hot 100)[62] | 81 |
| Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)[63] | 37 |
| Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[64] | 27 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[65] | 11 |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[66] | 34 |
References
^ "Duane Hitchings – A Country Writer's Rock Roots". Yamaha All Access. Retrieved 14 January 2013..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abc Stewart, Rod. Rod: The Autobiography (2012): 225-226
^ "Top Singles of the Year" Billboard 22 December 1979: TIA-10
^ (AP) "Frost Sets UNICEF Show" The Robesonian 30 November 1978: 1
^ ab "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
^ "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
^ Urban "Wally" Wallstrom (23 March 2007), "Duane Hitchings, The Man Behind the Hits", RockUnited.com, retrieved 18 January 2013
^ Interview with Ben Jor Expatica.com
^ "Australia n°1 Hits - 70's". Worldcharts.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
^ "Ultratop.be – Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
^ "Da ya think I'm sexy? in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ "Da ya think I'm sexy? in Canadian Disco 30 Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ "Da ya think I'm sexy? in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). Billboard - Google Livres. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^ Hung Medien. "Da ya think I'm sexy? in French Chart". Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013. You have to use the index at the top of the page and search "Rod Stewart"
^ "Musicline.de – Rod Stewart Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
^ ab Search for Irish peaks Archived 3 June 2009 at WebCite
^ "The best-selling singles of 1979 in Italy". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 2 June 2013.
13. Da ya think I'm sexy? - Rod Stewart [#3]
^ Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). Billboard 31 march 1979. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rod Stewart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
^ "Charts.nz – Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy". Top 40 Singles.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy". VG-lista.
^ Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). Billboard 6 october 1979. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy". Singles Top 100.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy". Swiss Singles Chart.
^ "1978 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 2nd December 1978". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
^ "Rod Stewart awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
^ "Best of All Time - Singles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
^ "Les Singles en Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
^ "British certifications – Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Da Ya Think I'm Sexy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "American certifications – Rod Stewart – Do Ya Think I'm Sexy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
^ "Australian-charts.com – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
^ "Austriancharts.at – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
^ "Ultratop.be – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
^ "Ultratop.be – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in French). Ultratop 50.
^ Billboard: Hits of the World (20 December 1997)
^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^ "N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart: Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
^ "Lescharts.com – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in French). Les classement single.
^ "Musicline.de – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
^ "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^ "Charts.nz – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Top 40 Singles.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – N-Trance featuring Rod Stewart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – N-Trance – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". VG-lista.
^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Singles Top 100.
^ "Swisscharts.com – N-Trance feat. Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Swiss Singles Chart.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
^ "End of Year Charts 1997". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
^ "New Zealand single certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Mo Money, Mo Problems". Recorded Music NZ.
^ "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? (feat. DNCE)". iTunes. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
^ "VMAs: Kendrick Lamar, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran to Perform". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
^ "Video Music Awards Performers". MTV. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
^ "Top 20 Anglo Argentina – Del 23 al 29 de Octubre, 2017" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
^ "Ultratop.be – Rod Stewart feat. DNCE – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
^ "Rod Stewart ft. DNCE – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
^ "J-Wave: Tokio Hot 100 Chart". Tokio Hot 100. J-Wave. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
(To access the chart date, visit the Tokio Hot 100 Chart and select month 10 and week 2)
^ "Latvijas Top 40". Latvijas Radio. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
^ "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
^ "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
