Who's your daddy?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Who's your daddy?" is a slang expression that takes the form of a rhetorical question. Use of the phrase implies a boastful claim of physical or sexual dominance over the intended listener. Comedians suggest that the phrase is frequently spoken by men in a Freudian outburst during sexual intercourse.
[edit] Origins
The phrase itself stands out as a noteworthy lyric from the 1968 song Time of the Season by The Zombies: "What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?"
Widespread provocative use of the phrase began as early as the late 1980's [1], largely due to its frequent use in sexually suggestive skits broadcast by a popular syndicated radio shock jock known as "The Greaseman".
A particular catalyst for widespread use of the phrase was the 1990 film Kindergarten Cop [2]. In the film, the line "Who is my daddy?" [3] was spoken by actor (and modern masculine archetype) Arnold Schwarzenegger. The clip was promptly audio sampled by The Greaseman, the Jerky Boys, and others, for use in humorous, typically homoerotic radio skits. The expression was further popularized in a well known 1991 comedy routine by Dennis Miller.
[edit] Modern popular culture references
- 2002 - The phrase was the name of a popular song by country music artist Toby Keith.
- 2004 - The phrase arose during the later stages of the 2004 Major League Baseball season. In September, the Boston Red Sox baseball team played two series against their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. After a particularly bad outing, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez made the following quote: "I tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy ... I can't find a way to beat them at this point." This sound bite became fodder for New York's fans, who from that point forward in the season would chant "Who's your daddy!" loudly at every opportunity when Martínez pitched. As the postseason began and the Red Sox and Yankees found themselves facing each other in the 2004 ALCS, "Who's your daddy" became a veritable mantra of the Yankees' fans. Major League Baseball even produced t-shirts using the slogan, much to the chagrin of Red Sox Nation. However, the Red Sox staged one of the most famous and improbable comebacks in sports history, winning the best-of-7 ALCS after being down 3-0. During this time, many Red Sox fans took to chanting the phrase as a way of mocking the Yankees and their fans. Some t-shirts commemorating the Red Sox' comeback pennant victory featured the phrase "Who's Your Daddy Now?".
- 2005 - In a memorable moment from the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith [4], Angelina Jolie speaks the phrase after taking down adversary Brad Pitt.
- 2005 - The phrase was the name of a reality television program on the Fox Network. In the show, grown children who had been raised without their fathers had to determine which man on the panel was their progenitor.
