I'm Too Sexy

"I'm Too Sexy"
Single by Right Said Fred
from the album Up
Released 15 July 1991 (United Kingdom)
Format
Recorded 1991
Genre Dance-pop[1]
Length 2:50
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) TommyD
Right Said Fred singles chronology
  • "I'm Too Sexy"
  • (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)

"I'm Too Sexy" is the début song by English group Right Said Fred. The single reached number two in the United Kingdom, and number one in the United States.

In the United Kingdom, the song equalled the record for the most weeks at number two without ever topping the chart, staying at number two for six weeks in a row while being famously held off the summit by Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (this equalled the previous record set by Father Abraham's 1978 hit "The Smurf Song").

The band is considered a one-hit wonder in the United States, their only other charting United States single peaking at No. 76. However, "I'm Too Sexy" was just the act's first of several hits on the British charts, and they would have a United Kingdom number one in early 1992 with "Deeply Dippy".

In April 2008, the song was rated No. 49 on "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!" by Blender.[2] In June 2007, the song was listed as No. 80 on the VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.[3] In April 2011, it was ranked No. 2 on VH1's 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 90s. In September 2010, the song was ranked at No. 8 on AOL Radio's list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, with Matthew Wilkening advising the reader: "Next time the Brits try to knock our culture, just ask them where [Right Said Fred] had four Top 30 singles in one year."[4]

Content

"I'm Too Sexy" is sung from the point of view of a histrionic-narcissistic fashion model. The song's lyrics express (over-) confidence that his personal level of sexiness makes him too sexy for numerous things, most notably his shirt ("so sexy it hurts"). The list also includes "my love (love's going to leave me)", "Milan, New York, and Japan", "your party (no way I'm disco dancing)", "my car (too sexy by far)", "my hat (what d'you think about that?)", "my cat (poor pussy... poor pussycat)", and the song itself: "...and I'm too sexy for this song", at which point the song abruptly ends.

In popular culture

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

Weekly charts

Chart (1991–92) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 3
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[11] 3
Canada (RPM 10 Dance)[12] 1
Canada (RPM 100 Hit Tracks)[13] 2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 15
Germany (Media Control Charts)[15] 14
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[20] 2
Poland (LP3)[21] 30
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 8
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[23] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[24] 4
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[24] 1
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[24] 28
US Cash Box[25] 4
Chart (2007) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 56

Year-end charts

Chart (1991) Position
Australia (ARIA)[27] 13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[28] 28
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[29] 4
Chart (1992) Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[30] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 13

Decade-end charts

Chart (1990–99) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 79

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[33] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[34] Gold 25,000x
Canada (Music Canada)[35] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Gold 400,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"The Fly" by U2		 Australian number-one single
10 November 1991 – 24 November 1991 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Black or White" by Michael Jackson
Preceded by
"Das Boot" by U96		 Austrian number-one single
5 April 1992 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Das Boot" by U96
Preceded by
"Don't Cry" by Guns N' Roses		 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
3 October 1991 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams
Preceded by
"Black or White" by Michael Jackson		 New Zealand number-one single
19 January 1992 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Live and Let Die" by Guns N' Roses
Canadian RPM Dance number-one single (first run)
8 February 1992 – 15 February 1992 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Pride (In the Name of Love)" by Clivillés and Cole
Preceded by
"Pride (In the Name of Love)" by Clivillés and Cole		 Canadian RPM Dance number-one single (second run)
7 March 1992 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Justified & Ancient" by The KLF
Preceded by
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by George Michael and Elton John		 US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
8 February 1992 – 22 February 1992 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"To Be with You" by Mr. Big

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. ↑ "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!". Blender.
  3. ↑ Ali, Rahsheeda. "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Wilkening, Matthew (11 September 2010). "100 Worst Songs Ever -- Part Five of Five". AOL Radio. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  5. ↑ Fawthrop, Peter. "Alvin & the Chipmunks – Club Chipmunk: The Dance Mixes". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (3 May 2013). "Exclusive: Right Said Fred record 'I'm Too Smurfy' for Global Smurfs Day – video". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: iTunes, Assad, and Right Said Fred (HBO)". HBO/YouTube. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 2 november 1991" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "Dance/Urban – Volume 55, No. 7, February 08 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 55, No. 10, February 29, 1992". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  14. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  15. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I'm Too Sexy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Right Said Fred - I m Too Sexy search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". VG-lista. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "I'M TOO SEXY – Right Said Fred" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  22. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1991-08-17" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 "Right Said Fred – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  25. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending FEBRUARY 22, 1992 at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 October 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Right Said Fred: Artist Chart History" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1991". ARIA Charts. ARIA. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  28. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Chart Archive – 1990s Singles". everyHit.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  30. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1992" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1992". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  32. ↑ "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 111 (52): 20. 25 December 1999. ISSN 0006-2510.
  33. ↑ "Australian Fun Countdowns – Accreditation Awards". Australian Fun Countdowns. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  34. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Right Said Fred in the field Interpret. Enter I'm Too Sexy in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  35. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". Music Canada.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – Right Said Fred – I'm Too Sexy". British Phonographic Industry. Enter I'm Too Sexy in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  37. ↑ "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

External links