I'm Too Sexy


"I'm Too Sexy" is the debut song by British group Right Said Fred. The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "I'm Too Sexy" topped the charts in six countries, including Australia, Ireland, and the United States.

Composition and recording

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".
In the clubs, everyone imitated their "catwalk" dance as seen on the video clip by January 1992.

Release

The single equalled 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' " I Do It for You".
In May 1992, the song was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Selling 'A' Side. "I'm Too Sexy" was the act's first of several hits, particularly in the United Kingdom. They went on to have a number one single on the UK Singles Chart with "Deeply Dippy" in April 1992. In April 2008, the song was rated No. 49 on "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!" by Blender.
In June 2007, the song was voted No. 80 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s. In April 2011, it was voted No. 2 on VH1's 40 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the '90s.
In May 2020, Daily Mirror listed the song at number 34 in their ranking of Top 50 happiest songs ever.

Critical reception

editor Stephen Schnee described "I'm Too Sexy" as a "humorous yet misunderstood swipe at self centered male bodybuilders and models." David Taylor-Wilson from Bay Area Reporter called it "a campy send-up of the fashion world." In November 1991, Larry Flick from Billboard wrote about the song, "Thoroughly fun and goofy ditty recently heated up international dance floors and radio airwaves. Fred cheekily boasts about his physical attributes over a festive pop/house groove, which should have no trouble duplicating its success here." Matt Stopera and Brian Galindo from BuzzFeed put the song at number 90 in their list of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s. They commented, "Yes, this song is cheesy as hell, but it doesn't ever try to be anything other than what it is: a fun, catchy, campy dance song." People Magazine noted it as a "dopey dance tune mocking fashion models and voguers—but it'll keep you moving."

Track listing

;UK CD
  1. "I'm Too Sexy"
  2. "I'm Too Sexy"
  3. "I'm Too Sexy"
  4. "I'm Too Sexy"
;UK 7" / cassette
  1. "I'm Too Sexy"
  2. "I'm Too Sexy"
;UK 12"
  1. "I'm Too Sexy"
  2. "I'm Too Sexy"
  3. "I'm Too Sexy"
;U.S. Single
  1. "I'm Too Sexy"
  2. "I'm Too Sexy"
  3. "I'm Too Sexy"
  4. "I'm Too Sexy"
  5. "I'm Too Sexy"
  6. "I'm Too Sexy"
  7. "I'm Too Sexy"

    Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position

Year-end charts

Chart Rank
Austria 12
New Zealand 31
US Billboard Hot 10013

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Covers and adaptations