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I’m Too Sexy (Tug/Charisma, 1991)

I’m Too Sexy is the debut single by British group Right Said Fred. The single peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, I’m Too Sexy topped the charts in seven countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States.

The idea for the song came about when the Fairbrass brothers were running a gym in London where, according to Richard, there was “lots of narcissism and posing.” One day, he took his shirt off and started singing “I’m too sexy for my shirt” in front of a mirror as a joke. The band originally recorded it as an indie rock song. It was rejected by multiple record companies before they played it to radio plugger Guy Holmes. He was initially unimpressed after playing it on his car stereo, but his passengers latched onto the song’s “I’m a model, you know what I mean” hook and Holmes asked the band if they could rework it as a dance track. DJ TommyD, an acquaintance of Richard Fairbrass, programmed electronics around the original vocal, whilst guitarist Rob Manzoli added a riff borrowed from the Jimi Hendrix song Third Stone from the Sun.

The single equaled the record for the most weeks at number two on the UK Singles Chart without ever topping the chart, staying at number two for six weeks in a row while held back by Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It for You (this equaled the previous record set by Father Abraham’s hit of 1978 The Smurf Song). In May 1992, the song was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Selling ‘A’ Side. In April 2008, I’m Too Sexy was rated #49 on “The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!” by Blender.