"Cosby Sweater" is a song by

Australian hip hop Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music which i ...

group,

Hilltop Hoods Hilltop Hoods is an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the "larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert) a ...

. It was released as the third single from the group's seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Walking Under Stars ''Walking Under Stars'' is the seventh studio album by Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods, released on 8 August 2014. At the J Awards of 2014, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year. Background Prior to the release of ...

'' (2014). In Australia, "Cosby Sweater" peaked at No. 4 on the Australian

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

Singles Chart, becoming Hilltop Hoods' highest-charting single to date and their third top ten hit overall. The song was rated number three in

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

's Hottest 100 2014. The song's accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released on 3 October 2014 via the Australian

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

Reference to popular culture

The track's distinctive riff heavily samples the

Wimple Winch Wimple Winch was an English psychedelic pop musical ensemble, band that evolved from the group, Just Four Men. Originally a Merseybeat act, their individualized sound was personalized by their intricate vocal harmonies and exploratory lyrics. ...

track "Save My Soul". The "Cosby Sweater" is a reference to the colourful and unusual sweaters

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

used to wear on TV - in particular, such a sweater worn in a press photo by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

, AKA Biggie Smalls. In the title and art direction, the Hilltop Hoods confuse the Bill Cosby sweaters designed by Koos Van Den Akker and worn by Cosby on his show

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...

with the similarly expressive

Coogi Coogi is an Australian fashion brand known for colorful knitwear. Founded in 1969 as "Cuggi" in Toorak, Australia, the label was renamed in 1987. In addition to clothing, the company's 1992 international trademark filing registered the brand fo ...

sweater worn by The Notorious B.I.G. Later, with the sexual assault allegations involving Cosby the group have since stated that they regret naming the song after him and commented: ''“To be honest we regret name checking Bill Cosby. Like some of you we’ve only recently become aware of the allegations against him. If he’s guilty of those allegations he can go jump in a fkn lake. A deep icy lake.”''. The song also references actor

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

, television host

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

, singers

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

and

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

, chess prodigy

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

and the elevator fight between rapper

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

’s sister,

Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, performance artist, and actress. Expressing an interest in music from an early age, Knowles had several temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, wh ...

(''“slap a rapper like Solange Knowles”'').

Track listing

Charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control APRA Award winners Hilltop Hoods songs 2014 songs Songs written by Suffa Songs written by MC Pressure