"Daddy Cool" | ||||
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Single by Boney M. | ||||
from the album Take the Heat off Me | ||||
B-side | "No Woman, No Cry" | |||
Released | 31 May 1976 | |||
Genre | Disco | |||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Frank Farian | |||
Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Daddy Cool" (TopPop, 1976) on YouTube |
"Daddy Cool" is a song produced and co-written by Frank Farian who had founded the group Boney M. to visually perform to his songs on TV and while touring discos. Farian also provided the male voice parts on the record. The song was included on their debut album Take the Heat off Me . It was a 1976 hit and a staple of disco music and became Boney M.'s first hit in the United Kingdom.
The second Boney M. single, it was released in 1976 and made no major impact at first. After a presentation on the German Musikladen TV show in September that year, the single became a hit, topping several European charts. It reached number six in the UK charts and number 65 in the United States Billboard Hot 100. The single also topped the German charts and reached the Top 20 in Canada. It proved to be the band's major European breakthrough.
"Daddy Cool" was a novelty gimmick record with an unusual, percussive intro by producer Frank Farian doing rhythmic tic-tic-tics and playing on his teeth with a pencil. Farian also sang all male voice parts (Bobby Farrell always danced to full playback). His characteristic deep voice sings: "She's crazy like a fool..." and is answered by the multilayered voices of Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett: "...wild about Daddy Cool". This line has been misheard by listeners as "...what about Daddy Cool", so much so that the band started singing it that way during live performances. [1] The bass riff kicks in and builds to the instrumental theme followed by the repetitive, nursery rhyme-like verse and chorus twice.
The song breaks down into a spoken passage by Farian before it goes back into the bass riff and repeats the verse and chorus for the last time. With its slightly hypnotic, repetitive bassline and strings and likewise repetitive, bright female vocals, the track is highly typical of mid-1970s "Munich disco".
Originally, Hansa Records wanted Boney M.'s cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" as the A-side of the single but Farian - seeing that his own song was the clear winner when testing both tracks in his discothèque in St. Ingbert – managed to persuade the record company to have it his way. In the US, Hungary and Japan (where the single wasn't released until November), the single was backed by the album track "Lovin' or Leavin'". In East Germany the record was released in 1977, backed by their next hit "Sunny".
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [35] | Gold | 75,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [36] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [37] | Gold | 1,000,000 [38] |
Germany (BVMI) [39] | Gold | 800,000 [40] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [41] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [42] Original Release | Silver | 250,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] 2004 Digital Reissue | Gold | 400,000‡ |
Summaries | ||
Benelux [37] | Platinum | |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Daddy Cool - Anniversary Recording '86" | ||||
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Single by Boney M. | ||||
Released | 1986 | |||
Length |
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Label | Hansa Records (FRG) | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Frank Farian | |||
Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
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Boney M.'s 10th anniversary was celebrated with a TV special and the album The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits . The original plans of releasing another single ("Dreadlock Holiday") from the group's final album Eye Dance were cancelled, instead producer Frank Farian recorded a new version of "Daddy Cool" in a special "anniversary recording", featuring rap parts, and new instrumental parts. The single, however, proved to be Boney M.'s worst-selling single, failing to chart anywhere. The B-side "B.M.A.G.O." appeared in a longer version on the 7" than on the 12" single. The 12" single also included an edit version of "Daddy Cool" which was not credited on the cover. The 7" version made its CD debut on The Collection (disc 2, track 1).
7" Single
12" Single
"Daddy Cool '99" | ||||
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Single by Boney M. | ||||
from the album 20th Century Hits | ||||
Released | 1999 | |||
Label | BMG Records (FRG) | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Frank Farian | |||
Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
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Following the successful Sash! and Horny United remixes of "Ma Baker", Frank Farian remixed "Daddy Cool" as a follow-up single. An all-new line-up Boney M. 2000 featuring three young girls and rapper Mobi T. was featured in the video and also announced to front a forthcoming remix album. This decision was not popular with the group's fan base, and Farian subsequently dropped the idea. "Daddy Cool" could not match the success of its predecessor, peaking only at no. 47 in the German charts.
CD Single
12" Single
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [44] | 2 |
Denmark (IFPI) [45] | 9 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [46] | 42 |
France (SNEP) [47] | 16 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [48] | 47 |
Hungary (Mahasz) [49] | 3 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [50] | 19 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [51] | 49 |
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
---|---|
France (SNEP) [47] | 99 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [51] | 94 |
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
France (SNEP) [47] | 138 |
"Daddy Cool 2001" | ||||
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Single by Boney M. | ||||
from the album The Greatest Hits | ||||
Released | 2001 | |||
Label | BMG Records (United Kingdom) | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Frank Farian | |||
Boney M. singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Daddy Cool 2001” on YouTube |
United Kingdom 2001 remix to support the album The Greatest Hits . Remixed by Jewels & Stone, the single peaked at no. 47 in the United Kingdom charts.
CD Single
Chart (2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [52] | 47 |
"Daddy Cool" | |
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Single by Lizot x Boney M. | |
from the album The Magic of Boney M. (Special Remix Edition) | |
Released | 3 December 2021 |
Length | 2:34 |
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Music video | |
"Daddy Cool" on YouTube |
German DJ duo Lizot released a remix of "Daddy Cool" on 3 December 2021. [53]
Digital single [53]
Club VIP mix [53]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Placebo included a cover version in their 2003 album Covers. [56] The song was covered by Latvian trio Melo-M featuring vocals by original Boney M. singer Maizie Williams on their 2007 album Singalongs . [57] "Daddy Cool" was used in an advert for Vauxhall, promoting their Zafira GSi. [58] [59] The song was sampled by Korean hip hop band DJ Doc for their 2000 single "Run to You". [60]
Boney M. are a disco group that specialises in R&B, reggae, disco and funk. The group was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1976 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with differing personnel.
Franz Reuther, known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created vocal groups in which the publicised members merely lip-synced to songs sung by session members. Farian owned the record label MCI and several subsidiaries. Over the course of his career, Farian sold over 850 million records and earned 800 gold and platinum certifications.
"Ma Baker" is a song by disco group Boney M., released as a single in 1977. It was the first single of their second album Love for Sale and their third consecutive chart-topper in Germany.
"Rivers of Babylon" is a Rastafari song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. The Melodians' original version of the song appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, which made it internationally known.
Nightflight to Venus is the third studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M., and was released in June 1978. The album became a major success in continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada, topping most of the album charts during the second half of 1978 and also became their first UK number one album. In Canada, it received a nomination for a 1980 Juno Award in a category 'International Album of the Year'.
"Sunny" is a soul jazz standard written by the American singer and songwriter Bobby Hebb in 1963. It is one of the most performed and recorded popular songs, with hundreds of versions released and its chord progression influencing later songs. BMI rates "Sunny" No. 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century".
Gold – 20 Super Hits is a 1992 greatest hits album by group Boney M. Shortly after record label PolyGram had acquired the rights to the ABBA back catalogue and had issued the multimillion-selling hits package Gold: Greatest Hits, BMG and producer Frank Farian followed suit with Boney M.'s Gold – 20 Super Hits which resulted in their best chart entry in the UK and most other European countries since 1980's The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits.
Take the Heat off Me is the debut album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. The album became a major seller in Europe, specifically in the Nordic countries, but in the U.S. the album just missed the album chart. Tracks include the hits "Daddy Cool", "Sunny" and the debut single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump".
Oceans of Fantasy is the fourth studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. Released in September 1979, Oceans of Fantasy became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features the hits "El Lute / Gotta Go Home" and "I'm Born Again / Bahama Mama".
Love for Sale is the second studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. The album includes the hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". It also includes three covers: "Love for Sale", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", and "Still I'm Sad".
The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits is a greatest hits album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M., issued in 1980, which contained all their biggest hits up until that point, including non-album singles "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" and "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday", album tracks from Take the Heat off Me, Love for Sale, Nightflight to Venus and Oceans of Fantasy as well as their most recent double A-side single release "I See a Boat On the River"/ "My Friend Jack".
The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits also known as 32 Superhits - Non-Stop Digital Remix is a remix album by Boney M. released in 1986.
More Gold – 20 Super Hits Vol. II is a 1993 greatest hits album by Boney M. Producer Frank Farian issued More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II containing the remainder of Boney M.'s best known songs – again most of them appearing in remixed or overdubbed form but credited as the original versions – as well as four new recordings featuring lead singer Liz Mitchell. Two singles were released from the album in Europe, "Ma Baker Remix '93" and "Papa Chico", the latter credited as "Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell" and released in early 1994.
The Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG in the United Kingdom in late 2001.
The Magic of Boney M. is a greatest hits album of recordings by Boney M. released by Sony BMG in October 2006.
The Complete Collection is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG/CMC Records in Denmark in late 2000.
Christmas with Boney M. is a Christmas compilation by Boney M., released on 16 November 2007. It is a reissue of The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs with a reordered tracklist that restores the two songs from the original Christmas Album which were originally excluded, and a 2007 recording by the Daddy Cool Kids as a bonus track. This compilation follows the 2007 re-release of Boney M.'s original studio albums.
"Belfast" is the second single of the Euro disco band Boney M.'s 1977 album Love for Sale. "Belfast" was the first Boney M. single to feature lead vocals by Marcia Barrett and became their 4th consecutive German chart-topper. In the UK Singles Chart it peaked at No. 8. It remained a popular track in the group's live shows over the years and was re-recorded by Marcia Barrett as a solo track on her album Come Into My Life (2005).
"Gotta Go Home" is a 1979 double A-side single by German group Boney M. It was the lead single from their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy (1979) and was the group's eighth and final number-one single in the German charts.
"Kalimba de Luna" is a 1982 single by Italian musician and drummer Tony Esposito. It was written by Esposito with his long-time collaborator Remo Licastro, pianist Giuseppe "Joe" Amoruso, keyboardist Mauro Malavasi and vocalist Gianluigi Di Franco. It was taken from Esposito's album Il grande esploratore. "Kalimba de Luna" was a European success and reached no. 12 in the Austrian chart, no. 6 in the Swiss charts and no. 14 in the Italian charts.