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We hope you enjoyed last week's look back at some of the early posts on my "Great Songs of the '70s" blog as we celebrated our third anniversary!
Now let's get back to the songs we have yet to cover...
Rod Stewart was always on the lookout for new ideas and trends in popular music. In 1978, disco was HUGE, but Rod wanted no part of it--until the Rolling Stones came out with with their rock/disco hybrid: "Miss You."
It struck him that a hard-edged dance song like "Miss You" might work if he spoofed the "Saturday Night Fever/Studio 54" crowd and the "hedonistic lifestyle" that went with it. (Note: Rod had nothing against the Bee Gees or their music. He thought they were quite talented, as well nice guys.)
Rod's drummer, Carmine Appice, took on the challenge of writing the song, and with help from Rod and songwriter Duane Hitchings, came up with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," which, after several takes and a bunch of synth overdubs, turned out to be a "Great Song of 1978," even though it was misunderstood by just about everyone.
For example: The song was sung in the third person, but most people thought Rod was singing about himself. Rod realized this almost immediately, and went with it...dressing in disco clothes, wearing jewelry, and really playing it up in concert.
Oddly, nearly everyone fell for it, especially music critics and Rod's fan base, who either loved the song--or screamed that Rod had "sold out!"
Rod took all this in and was quite amused, especially when "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" became a HUGE worldwide hit, reaching the Top 12 in EIGHTEEN countries, while topping the charts in Australia, Spain, Portugal, The UK and Canada! In the US, it spent four weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, and also topped the Disco Chart. In addition, it peaked at #5 on Billboard's Soul Chart."
It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best POP Performance-Male," and later on, the song was ranked at #308 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the "Top 500 Songs of All Time."
Unfortunately, A copyright infringement lawsuit by Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor claimed the chorus had been derived from HIS song "Taj Mahal." It was so obvious, Rod had to agree, but claimed it was purely accidental. In a show of class, however, he settled the dispute by agreeing to send all proceeds to UNICEF.
So all's well that ends well.
Joking or not, Rod Stewart gave us a disco masterpiece that turned out to be a "Great Song of 1978!"
"Do Ya Think I'm Sexy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hphwfq1wLJs
"Miss You:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKVXSo9ROpg
"Taj Mahal" by Jorge Ben Jor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8AuG1W59ig
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