Right Said Fred
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Right Said Fred | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Website | http://www.rightsaidfred.com |
| Members | |
| Richard Fairbrass Fred Fairbrass Mark Hollins |
|
Right Said Fred is the name of a British pop band, which was founded in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass from East Grinstead, as well as their close friend Mark Hollins. The group is named after a novelty song of the same name which was a hit for Bernard Cribbins in 1962.
In 1991 released their single, "I'm Too Sexy", which was released by the Gut Reaction firm on an especially-created record label called Tug. The song, a tongue-in-cheek dance song sung from the point of view of a vain male fashion model, became a huge hit in the United Kingdom, spending six weeks at number two behind Bryan Adams' blockbuster "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You". The song also went to number one on the charts in the United States and went on to become a hit around the world. The song's instrumental break is based on the chorus of the 1974 instrumental hit "Dance with the Devil" by Cozy Powell which itself is based on "Third Stone from the Sun" by Jimi Hendrix.
Their second single, "Don't Talk Just Kiss", which featured soul diva Jocelyn Brown, was released for the Christmas market and made number three in the UK charts. In 1992 they released their third single, "Deeply Dippy." Although it was their lowest-selling single to date, it was also up against weaker opposition and therefore became their only UK No. 1 single to date. The success of the singles resulted in their debut album Up. In 1993 they released their second album, Sex and Travel, as well as contributing the regular Comic Relief single, "Stick It Out" in February of that year. Their third album was called Smashing!.
After failing to attract substantial interest in the UK, Right Said Fred went to Germany in order to work with Alex Christensen's U96 and released a single called "You're My Mate" and an album titled Fredhead in 2002, which both became successful in Germany (at number five on the German Top 100 and gold status), Switzerland and Austria. "You're My Mate" was also used as the official anthem of the South African national rugby union team in 2002, and remained in the German Top 100 for 23 weeks, while the album Fredhead reached number two. "You're My Mate" achieved gold status in South Africa and reached the Top 20 in the UK. The second single, "Mojive," was less successful sales-wise, although it has become a cult record among the three million or so members who attend the MOJIVE dance events after which the song was titled. "Fredhead" was co-written and produced by Clyde Ward who is a US-based successful producer/songwriter and who was drafted in as a replacement for Rob Manzoli. The band remains a duo though Clyde Ward is referred to as the third Fred.
The next album, Stand UP, also reached gold status and the single of the same name reached number one in Japan. The song, written by Clyde Ward and the Fairbrass brothers, has been adopted by sports teams around the world as their main theme.
Contents |
[edit] Heavenly Records
In 1992 Heavenly Records released an EP that featured the label's acts covering Right Said Fred songs for charity.
The artists and songs involved on The Fred EP were as follows:
- The Rockingbirds - "Deeply Dippy"
- Flowered Up - "Don't Talk Just Kiss"
- Saint Etienne - "I'm Too Sexy"
The Saint Etienne version of "I'm Too Sexy" had different lyrics from the original, managing to reference both Right Said Fred and Jeff Barrett, the founder of Heavenly Records, in the same sentence.
[edit] References in popular culture
In the 1993 Only Fools & Horses episode, "Fatal Extraction," there is a scene where the character Delboy is in a casino and turns his head to see a young woman with a revealing top. He tells Rodney that "for a minute I thought Right Said Fred had walked in" (referring to the fact her breasts are like the singer's bald heads).
In 1994, the song "Wonderman" was used by Sega Europe in a specific music video to promote the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in Europe.
In 2001, the band was parodied on a Saturday Night Live episode, with host Conan O'Brien as a member of the band, speaking before a Congressional Committee on the subject of Napster.
In a Series 1 episode of Phoenix Nights, a criminal Right Said Fred tribute act called "Right Said Frank" are hired as replacements for the regular band, Les Alanos.
In early 2007, Daz, a UK washing powder brand, featured the band's members and music in a TV advertisement involving the play on words: "'White' Said Fred". Following this, their first single was remixed and reissued as "I'm Too Sexy 07."
A line in The Hold Steady song "Knuckles" contains the line "I've been trying to get people to call me Freddy Knuckles, but people keep calling me Right Said Fred".
In 2007, Joe Budden, a rapper from New Jersey said in his song titled DJ Green Lantern Freestyle, "Fuck hoes, I'm too Right Said Fred for 'em".
In a March 2006 episode of EastEnders, a character played by Christopher Hehir and credited as "The Joker" sang "I'm Too Sexy" to Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden) in a toilet of an Essex roadside cafe. Phil responded by punching the joker and knocking him out.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- I'm Too Sexy (1992)
- Up (1992) #1 UK, #46 USA
- Sex & Travel (1993) #35 UK
- Smashing! (1996)
- Fredhead (2001)
- Stand Up (2002)
- For Sale (2006)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | UK Chart Position | US Chart Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "I'm Too Sexy" | 2 | 1 | |
| 1991 | "Don't Talk Just Kiss" | 3 | 76 | |
| 1992 | "Deeply Dippy" | 1 | – | |
| 1992 | "Those Simple Things" / "Daydream" | 29 | – | |
| 1993 | "Stick It Out" | 4 | – | |
| 1993 | "Bumped" | 32 | – | |
| 1993 | "Hands Up (4 Lovers)" | 60 | – | |
| 1994 | "Wonderman" | 55 | – | |
| 2001 | "You're My Mate" | 18 | – | |
| 2002 | "We Are the Champs" | – | – | |
| 2007 | "I'm Too Sexy 2007" | 56 | – |
