"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", also written "Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy", is a song by British singer Rod Stewart from his ninth studio album, Blondes Have More Fun (1978). It was written by Stewart, Carmine Appice, and Duane Hitchings,[3] though it incorporates the melody from the song "Taj Mahal" by Jorge Ben Jor and the string arrangement from the song "(If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It" by Bobby Womack.[4]
The song was released as the first single from Blondes Have More Fun in November 1978. It spent one week atop the UK Singles Chart in December 1978 and four weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1979. Billboard ranked it number four on its Top Singles of 1979 year-end chart.[5] It also topped the charts in Canada for four weeks and in Australia for two weeks.
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."[7] In a 2007 interview, co-writer Duane Hitchings noted that "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was "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."[8]
After Rod Stewart rejected the original arrangement for the song, Appice instead used it for "I Just Fell in Love Again" on Carmen Maki's 1979 album Night Stalker, which he was working on at the same time.[9]
Guitarist Jim Cregan attributed the song's success to the bass guitar line played by Phil Chen, saying "That particular bass pattern, when he played that, the whole song seemed to fall into place. I was doing my Nile Rodgers impersonations."[10]
Music and lyrics
Stewart biographer Sean Egan said of the music that "Stewart and his crew expertly purvey disco's four-on-the-floor drumbeat, clipped guitar approach, and throbbing bass style", adding that the song also contains a "soaring synthriff and a howling sax line."[10]
Egan noted "a strange disconnect between choruses and verses."[10] Egan described the choruses as "vainglorious, juvenile, icky and concerned with physical pleasure" but described the verses as being "unshowy and moving, revolving around a couple's mutual quest to find an intimacy deeper than sex in the heart of the pitiless, big city."[10]
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 number 301 in its 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[11]
Cash Box said it has "a clipping bass line [by Phil Chen], steady kick drum and soaring synthesized strings", as well as "alternately gentle and dashing rhythm guitar work and a commanding sax solo".[12]
Plagiarism
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;[13] the single’s royalties were donated to UNICEF.[14][15] 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.[4] 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 is not copied.[4]
Guitarist Jim Cregan claimed that the song was "inspired in part" by The Rolling Stones' "Miss You".[10]Ian McLagan, who played electric piano on "Miss You" and has also played with Stewart, claimed that "It's a rip-off of 'Miss You'".[10]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
American-Belgian industrial supergroup Revolting Cocks recorded a version of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" for their album Linger Ficken' Good. The song was released as a single in September 1993 with the songs "Sergio Guitar" and "Wrong Sexy Mix" as B-sides. This version includes slightly altered lyrics (the lyric "Give me a dime so I can call my mother" is replaced with "Give me a buck so I can buy a rubber" and "He says, I'm sorry, but I'm out of milk and coffee" is replaced with "He says, I'm sorry, but I'm out of KY Jelly").[60]
Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as "another slice of flashback fever". He noted that "with its recognizable hook, booty-shakin' baseline, guest rap by Ricardo da Force, diva wailings by Kelly Llorenna, and Stewart himself, this updated remake could very well become the surprise radio hit of the summer. Of course, it could also become this month's novelty record."[64] British magazine Music Week rated N-Trance's version four out of five in their review.[65]
On 25 August 2017, Rod Stewart released a remix version, which features a guest appearance from American band DNCE. He sings along with Joe Jonas, the lead singer of the band.[99] The singer and the band performed the song together at 2017 MTV Video Music Awards two days later.[100][101]
In 2021, Appice and Fernando Perdomo released an instrumental rock album, Energy Overload,[111] that includes what Eric Harabadian of Music Connection Magazine describes as a "harmonic and rhythmic renovation" of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".[112]
Parodies
In 1979, Steve Dahl along with his band Teenage Radiation released a parody titled "Do You Think I'm Disco?"
References
^"British single certifications – Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
^Breihan, Tom (15 November 2022). "George McCrae - "Rock Your Baby". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 108.
^"Duane Hitchings – A Country Writer's Rock Roots". Yamaha All Access. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
^ a b cStewart, Rod (2012). Rod: The Autobiography. Internet Archive. New York [N.Y.] : Crown Archetype. ISBN978-0-307-98730-3.
^"Top Singles of the Year" Billboard 22 December 1979: TIA-10
^"The Robesonian - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
^"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.
^Appice, Carmine (29 April 2022). Carmine Appice recalls Carmen Maki's Night Stalker album 1979 カルメン・マキ (video). Australian Rock Show. Retrieved 18 February 2024 – via YouTube.
^ a b c d e fEgan, Sean (2023). Rod Stewart: The Classic Years. Backbeat. pp. 175–176. ISBN9781493068227.
^Rolling Stone (11 December 2003). "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
^"CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 16 December 1978. p. 20. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
^"Brazil's alchemist of funkTropical superstar Jorge Ben Jor brings the funk to Germany". Expatica Germany. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
^"The Number Ones: Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"". Stereogum. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
^"The Time Rod Stewart Accidentally Stole A Jorge Ben Song". Vinyl Me Please. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
^"Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 18 August 1979. p. 41.
^"Australia n°1 Hits - 70's". Worldcharts.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
^"Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
^"Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
^"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.
^"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.
^Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). "Billboard - Google Livres". Billboard. 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"
^ a bSearch for Irish peaks Archived 2 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^Danyel Smith, ed. (31 March 1979). "Hits of the World". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
^"Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 1979" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
^"Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
^"Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy". Top 40 Singles.
^"Rod Stewart – Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy". VG-lista.
^Danyel Smith, ed. (6 October 1979). "Hits of the World". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN84-8048-639-2.
^"Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1979". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Single 1979". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Musicoutfitters.com
^"Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1979" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^"Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
^Anthonissen, Juul (12 May 1979). "From The Music Capitals Of The World - Brussels" (PDF). Billboard. p. 69. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
^"Danish Growth". Billboard. 12 May 1979. p. SC-9. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
^"French single certifications – Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 24 November 2021. Select ROD STEWART and click OK.
^"New Zealand single certifications – Rod Stewart – Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Radioscope. Retrieved 18 September 2025. Type Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? in the "Search:" fieldand press Enter.
^"British single certifications – Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I'm Sexy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
^"Single Releases". Music Week. 4 September 1993. p. 25.
^Eig, Jonathan (16 November 2024). "20 outlandish rock and roll cover songs". AudioPhix. Retrieved 11 October 2025. RevCo put their grinding, industrial rock stamp on Rod Stewart's silly disco hit and set the world right.
^Brannigan, Paul (11 April 2025). "Killing Joke, Ministry, The Mission supergroup Sevendials deliver a deliciously warped mix of camp thrills and tense gothic drama on kaleidoscopic debut album A Crash Course In Catastrophe". Louder. Retrieved 11 October 2025. Back in the early '90s, Edinburgh-born Chris Connelly confused the hell out of fans of Ministry's nihilistic bludgeoning by teaming up with Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker and William Rieflin, as Revolting Cocks, to record industrial-disco covers of Olivia Newton John's "Physical" (on 1990's Beers, Steers + Queers) and Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (on 1993's Linger Ficken' Good ... and Other Barnyard Oddities).
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