Short Dick Man

"Short Dick Man" (also known as "Short, Short Man") is a song by American hip house group 20 Fingers featuring rapper Gillette. It was released in August 1994 on Zoo Entertainment and SOS Records as their debut single from their album, On the Attack and More (1994). The song also appears on 20 Fingers' second self-titled studio album and on Gillette's debut solo album, On the Attack. The tune was a global success, particularly in Brazil, France and Italy. In France and Italy, this was a number-one hit. It also reached number three in Germany, number four in Australia, number six in Austria and the Wallonia region of Belgium, and number seven in the Netherlands and New Zealand. Its music video was directed by Daniel Zirilli.

"Short Dick Man"
US release under the original title
Single by 20 Fingers featuring Gillette
from the album On the Attack and More and 20 Fingers
ReleasedAugust 31, 1994 (1994-08-31)
Genre
Length
  • 4:49
  • 3:21 (clean version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Charlie Babie
  • Manny Mohr
Producer(s)Charlie Babie
20 Fingers singles chronology
"Short Dick Man"
(1994)		 "Lick It"
(1995)
Music video
"Short Dick Man (Radio Mix)" on YouTube
Gillette singles chronology
"Short Dick Man"
(1994)		 "Mr. Personality"
(1995)
Alternative cover
US release under the censored title "Short short Man"

Background

This single, which involves women mocking the size of a man's penis, was also released in a toned down version replacing the word "dick" with "short", along with rearranged lyrics (this version was also released under the censored title "Short Short Man").[1] Co-writer Manfred Mohr told the Los Angeles Times that the point of the song was to attract attention. "We figured there were all these songs by men bashing women and treating women like sex objects. So we decided a song that turned the tables on men might attract some attention."[2] According to the vocalist Sandra Gillette, the point of the song is to "strike back at all the women-bashing songs in pop, especially in rap."[2] Some radio stations refused to play the song as it was deemed controversial.[3]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "goofy dance novelty single", adding that "comical female rants on the shortcomings of a lover are woven into a rigid groove. 'Clean' version has daintily been retitled 'Short short Man', bleeping out all blunt penis references."[4] BuzzFeed ranked it at number 54 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s" in 2017.[5] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly commented, "'Short Short Man' (also known as 'Short D — – Man'), with a hard, thumping beat and, er, a harder message: 'You need some tweezers to put that little thing away?' Gillette taunts. Ouch! If those jibes don't hurt enough, they're followed by synthesizer bleeps of mocking laughter."[6]

Robbie Daw from Idolator said it "became a dance-crossover sensation — due, largely, to attention-grabbing lyrics like these: 'That has got to be the smallest dick I have ever seen in my whole life / Get the fuck outta here!'" He added, "In many ways, the song played at the time like the female response to hits by male artists that objectified women, such as 'Rump Shaker' and 'Bump N' Grind' — and the music-buying masses, er, grabbed on tightly, thanks to slightly-edited (read: cleaned up) version, 'Short short Man', being put into heavy rotation."[7] Andy Beevers from Music Week rated it three out of five, adding that "this house track features a fiercely funny verbal assault that leaves little to imagination." He also concluded: "The track is not likely to get any radio play, but has been making up for it with plenty of club exposure."[8]

James Hamilton from their RM Dance Update described it as a "hilarious bitchy comments prodded sparse bouncily jolting" song.[9] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty wrote that "a throbbing base line that's not bogged down by over-production complements the eloquent - and slightly politically incorrect - vocals."[10] Also Pete Stanton from Smash Hits gave it three out of five, saying, "Annoying beat, strange quirky noises, and the dodgiest lyrics in town. Let's just say it's about some girl complaining about some fella's tidgy widger."[11]

Chart performance

"Short Dick Man" proved to be successful on the charts all over the world, peaking at number two on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada and number three on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States. In Europe, the single went to number-one in both France and Italy. It entered the top 10 also in Austria (6), Belgium (6), Germany (3) and the Netherlands (7), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number seven. Additionally, "Short Dick Man" was a top 20 hit in Scotland (14) and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked at number eleven in its second run at the UK Singles Chart, on September 24, 1995.[12] But on the UK Dance Chart, it was a even bigger hit, reaching number three. In Oceania, the single charted at number four and seven in Australia and New Zealand. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it reached number 14, while on the Canadian The Record singles chart, it reached number six.

"Short Dick Man" earned a gold record in Germany and the US, with a sale of 250,000 and 500,000 singles, and a silver record in France, when 125,000 units were sold there.

Music video

A music video was made for "Short Dick Man", directed by Daniel Zirilli.[13]

Cover versions

In 1995, the song was covered by Machito Ponce and Diamanda Turbin as "Short Dick Man (¡Ponte A Brincar!)".[14] In 2007, the song was covered by Laurent Wolf, featuring Marilyn David. This 3:35 version is available on several compilations, such as Été 2007[15] and Contact Play & Dance vol. 4.[16]

Formats and track listings

Personnel
  • Written by Charlie Babie and Manfred Mohr
  • Vocals by Gillette
  • Mastered by Mark Richardson, at Metropolis Mastering, Chicago
  • Produced by Charlie Babie
  • Mixed by Onofrio Lollino and J.J. Flores
  • Published by Tango Rose Music (ASCAP)
  • Distributed by ID Records, 1994

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[54] Gold 35,000^
France (SNEP)[55] Silver 125,000*
Germany (BVMI)[56] Gold 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[57]
for Short, Short Man 		Gold 500,000^

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

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Germany August 31, 1994 CD ZYX Music [26]
United Kingdom November 14, 1994
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Multiply [58]

See also

References
  1. Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 313 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  2. 'Short, Short Man' Attacks Big, Big Sexism
  3. Maxwell, Kenneth (2013). A Sexual Odyssey: From Forbidden Fruit to Cybersex. p. 77.
  4. Flick, Larry (August 27, 1994). "Single Reviews: New and Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  5. Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  6. Browne, David (January 17, 1995). "Current radio hits". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  7. Daw, Robbie (November 20, 2014). "The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews With Ace Of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)". Idolator. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  8. Beevers, Andy (November 12, 1994). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 15. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  9. Hamilton, James (November 19, 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  10. Cermak, Wendi (June 24, 1994). "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 26. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  11. Stanton, Pete (November 9, 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 24 September 1995 - 30 September 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  13. "Short Short Man (1994) by Gillette". IMVDb.com. November 30, 2001. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  14. "Machito Ponce, un exponente del retro". Diario Hoy (in Spanish). February 25, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  15. Été 2007, track listing and charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  16. Contact Play & Dance Vol. 4, track listing Lescharts.com (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  17. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  18. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  19. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  21. "Hits of the World: Canada" (PDF). Billboard. April 22, 1995. p. 66. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  22. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2711." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  23. European peak
  24. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. January 28, 1995. p. 25. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  25. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man" (in French). Les classement single.
  26. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  27. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (1.4. '95 – 7.4. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). April 1, 1995. p. 24. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  28. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 48. November 26, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  29. "Nederlandse Top 40 – 20 Fingers feat. Gillette" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  30. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  31. "20 Fingers feat. Gillette – Short Dick Man". Top 40 Singles.
  32. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (24 September 1995-30 September 1995)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  33. "Short Dick Man", UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  34. "Short, Short Man", UK Singles Chart (second release) Official Charts Company (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  35. "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (20 November 1994-26 November 1994)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  36. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  37. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). November 19, 1994. p. 6. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  38. Billboard AllMusic.com (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
  39. "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVIII, no. 19. January 21, 1995. p. 10. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  40. Spanish peak
  41. "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  42. "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1994" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  43. "The RM Club Chart of the Year" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). December 24, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  44. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 113.
  45. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1995" (in German). Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  46. "Jaaroverzichten 1995" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  47. "Rapports annuels 1995" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  48. "RPM Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1995". RPM. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  49. "1995 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 51/52. December 23, 1995. p. 14. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  50. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1995" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  51. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1995" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  52. "Jaarlijsten 1995" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  53. "Billboard Top 100 – 1995". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  54. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  55. "French single certifications – 20 Fingers – Short Dick Man" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  56. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (20 Fingers; 'Short Dick Man')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  57. "American single certifications – 20 Fingers featuring Gillette – Short Short Man". Recording Industry Association of America.
  58. "Single Releases". Music Week. November 12, 1994. p. 23.
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