You Sexy Thing

"You Sexy Thing" is a song by British musical group Hot Chocolate. It was written by lead singer Errol Brown and bass guitarist Tony Wilson, and was produced by Mickie Most. The song was released in October 1975 as the second single from their second album, Hot Chocolate (1975), and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in November 1975, as well as number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 the following February. Billboard ranked it the number-twenty-two song for 1976. It went on to gain notability by being featured in films, such as The Full Monty (1997).

This article is about the song. For the space opera, see You Sexy Thing (book).

"You Sexy Thing"
Artwork for 1987 vinyl single remix release
Single by Hot Chocolate
from the album Hot Chocolate
B-side
  • "A Warm Smile"
  • "Amazing Skin Song"
  • "Call the Police"
ReleasedOctober 1975
Genre
Length
  • 4:04 (album version)
  • 3:34 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mickie Most
Hot Chocolate singles chronology
"A Child's Prayer"
(1975)		 "You Sexy Thing"
(1975)		 "Don't Stop It Now"
(1976)

Overview

The song was originally a B-side. Not yet convinced that the song could be a hit, producer Most put it on the flip-side of the Hot Chocolate single "Blue Night". The song was later remixed by Most, who re-released it as an A-side some months later on his RAK label. The song was a hit and ultimately became the group's best-known song. In the UK the song was poised for the number-one spot, but was beaten to it by "Bohemian Rhapsody", when on 29 November 1975 the Queen single leapfrogged it from number nine.[5]

A 1987 remix by Ben Liebrand hit number 10.[6] The release of the compilation album The Very Best of Hot Chocolate, featuring the Liebrand remix, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart in February 1987. Ten years later, when it was featured in the film The Full Monty, it went to number six.[6] In the film, the male lead Gaz (played by Robert Carlyle) performs a "striptease" to the music of "You Sexy Thing". Another US resurgence in 1999 can be credited to a Burger King television commercial in which the song played while the camera examined a Double Whopper. In addition, it is the only song to enter the UK top ten in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s.[7]

Structure

"You Sexy Thing" is written in the key of F major[8] and has a simple structure, with most of the song alternating between two major chords (F and B♭). It has a chorus-verse form. One of the song's most memorable aspects is its distinctive six note riff which is repeated intermittently throughout, played on a mildly overdriven electric guitar on a high treble setting and with noticeable vibrato. In addition to a traditional rock drum kit, the song uses congas, played through a wah-wah pedal in a style reminiscent of tabla. A number of violins accompany the rhythm section. Brown's vocals are sung in an energetic soul fashion, accentuated by the occasional primal, Joe Cocker-style scream. The 1987 remix added a pizzicato-style brass section to the track.

Media uses

In the 1970s, SCTV Cast member Andrea Martin, playing "Edith Prickley", sang the line "I Believe in Miracles": satirically.

"You Sexy Thing" has also been heard in the 1987 film White of the Eye; 1990s films Reservoir Dogs, Heavyweights, Boogie Nights, Sexo, pudor y lágrimas, Dogma, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, and Bicentennial Man; 2000s films Dude, Where's My Car, Rat Race, About Schmidt, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist; and 2010s film Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.

The song was featured the Season 1 episode of That '70s Show called "Thanksgiving".

The song appeared on the Simpsons episode "Day of the Jackanapes". Krusty the Klown announces a "Chimpendale" dancer doing "the full monkey", at which point Mr. Teeny starts undressing to the song.

The song was featured in the pilot episode of the series Malcolm in the Middle and in the original Tales of the City.

Around the mid to late 2000s a censored version of the song featured in a Branston beans advert.

In 2010, the song was featured in promos for the series Hot in Cleveland on TV Land.[9]

The song is later heard over the closing credits and is also included in the 2013 play version of The Full Monty.

In a season 2 episode of the American version of The Office titled "The Dundies", the song is played as Ryan the Temp is presented with the "Hottest in the Office" award.

It was featured in the Brazilian soap opera O Tempo não Para (2018).

In 2019, an altered version of the song was performed by a youth choir in the sixth episode of Netflix comedy series Dead to Me, with the word "sacred" replacing all uses of the word "sexy".

Track listings

1975 release
  • 7-inch single (Europe, Japan)
  1. "You Sexy Thing" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 4:04
  2. "A Warm Smile" (Harvey Hinsley, Patrick Olive, Tony Connor) – 5:23
  • 7-inch single (1) (North America)
  1. "You Sexy Thing" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 3:30
  2. "Amazing Skin Song" (Errol Brown) – 4:04
  • 7-inch single (2) (North America)
  1. "You Sexy Thing" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 3:30
  2. "Call the Police" (Tony Wilson) – 4:04

1987 re-release (remix by Ben Liebrand)
  • 7-inch single
  1. "You Sexy Thing" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 3:46
  2. "Every 1's a Winner" (Errol Brown) – 4:01
  • 12-inch single (1)
  1. "You Sexy Thing (Extended Replay Mix)" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 7:07
  2. "You Sexy Thing (Sexy Bonus Beats)" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 2:33
  3. "You Sexy Thing (Sexy Instrumental)" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 3:58
  4. "Every 1's a Winner" (Errol Brown) – 4:01
  • 12-inch single (2)
  1. "You Sexy Thing (Extended Replay Mix)" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 7:07
  2. "Megamix" – 9:27
    • "Emma" (E. Brown*, T. Wilson)
    • "So You Win Again" (Russ Ballard)
    • "You Sexy Thing" (E. Brown, T. Wilson)
    • "Every 1's a Winner" (Brown)
    • "You Could've Been a Lady" (Brown)
    • "Heaven Is in the Back Seat of My Cadillac" (Brown)
  3. "Every 1's a Winner" (Errol Brown) – 4:01

1997 re-release
  • CD single
  1. "You Sexy Thing" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 4:02
  2. "You Sexy Thing (Remix)" (Errol Brown, Tony Wilson) – 3:46
  3. "Every 1's a Winner (Groove Mix)" (Errol Brown) – 3:54

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

In 1997, two covers were released at almost the same time as the re-issue of the Hot Chocolate original. One cover was by pop duo T-Shirt, featuring actress Chloé Treend and songwriter Miranda Cooper, while the other version was by English pop/dance act Clock. Both are re-workings with the original music and lyrics but with new additional vocal segments.

T-Shirt version
"You Sexy Thing"
Single by T-Shirt
Released25 August 1997 (1997-08-25)[34]
Length3:59
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Metro
Music video
"You Sexy Thing" on YouTube

Actress Chloé Treend and songwriter Miranda Cooper collaborated under the name T-Shirt to release a cover of "You Sexy Thing" in August 1997. This version reached number 63 in the United Kingdom, number five in New Zealand, and number six in Australia, where it stayed on the chart for 32 weeks. In Australia and New Zealand, it earned platinum certifications. British magazine Music Week rated this version three out of five, writing, "The Hot Chocolate hit gets a Spice Girls-style reworking with chirpy, cocky vocals mixed in with Errol Brown's soulful delivery. A fresh take on a pop classic."[35]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[43] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] Platinum 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Clock version
"U Sexy Thing"
Single by Clock
Released6 October 1997 (1997-10-06)[45]
GenreEurodance
Length3:39
Label
  • Power Station
  • Media
Songwriter(s)
Clock singles chronology
"Oh What a Night"
(1996)		 "U Sexy Thing"
(1997)		 "That's the Way (I Like It)"
(1997)
Music video
"You Sexy Thing" on YouTube

British pop/dance act Clock released a cover of "You Sexy Thing" as "U Sexy Thing" in October 1997. It peaked at number eight in Ireland, number eleven in the United Kingdom and number 100 in Australia. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached its highest position as number 31 in November 1997. A music video was also produced to promote the single, featuring the act performing in a swimming pool.

Critical reception

A reviewer from Music Week rated Clock's version three out of five, adding, "Using what sounds like a sample from the Hot Chocolate version, this xerox cover has all the elements but little of Errol Brown's soul. Still, catchy enough to be a hit."[46] The magazine's Alan Jones" wrote, Clock have ticked up an impressive number of hits over the past four years, and are destined for another with a rather tame remake (...). They stick closely to the original, save for a rather perfunctory rap but the song's quality wins the day."[47]

Charts
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[48] 100
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[49] 31
Ireland (IRMA)[50] 8
Scotland (OCC)[51] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[52] 11

References
  1. "RIP: Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown, of 'You Sexy Thing' fame, dies aged 71". Vanyaland. 6 May 2015.
  2. Slotnik, Daniel E. (7 May 2015). "Errol Brown, 71, Dies; Wrote and Sang Disco Hit 'You Sexy Thing'". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  3. Breihan, Tom (3 January 2020). "The Number Ones: Exile's "Kiss You All Over"". Stereogum. Retrieved 7 July 2023. ...with a guitar riff ripped straight from Hot Chocolate's 1975 pop-soul hit "You Sexy Thing".
  4. Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "This Is How You Dissappear: Bristol, Shoegaze, and a New Psychedelia". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 681. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
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  6. "Hot Chocolate – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  7. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 259/260. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. E, Brown; Chocolate, Hot (27 August 2012). "You Sexy Thing". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  9. "The Official Hot in Cleveland Site starring Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick : Hot in Cleveland". Tvland.com. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  10. "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 11 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  11. "Top 100 Singles: Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1976". Top100singles.blogspot.com.au. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
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  14. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 23 August 2008)
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  17. Steffen Hung. "Hot Chocolate – You Sexy Thing". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
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  23. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 24 May 1987. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
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  26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
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  45. "Reviews – Records Out on October 6, 1997: Singles". Music Week. 27 September 1997. p. 33.
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