"Daddy Cool" is a song recorded by

Boney M. Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk 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 o ...

and included on their debut album ''

Take the Heat off Me ''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 (number 1 in Sweden and Finland, number 2 in Norway), but in the US the album just misse ...

''. It was a 1976 hit and a staple of disco music and became Boney M.'s first hit in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The song was produced and co-written by the group's founder

Frank Farian Frank Farian (born Franz Reuther; 18 July 1941) is a German record producer, musician, singer and songwriter, who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created vo ...

, who also provided the male voice parts on the record. The second Boney M. single, it was released in 1976 and made no major impact at first. After a spectacular performance on the ''

Musikladen ''Der Musikladen'' (german: The Music Shop) was a West German music television programme that ran from 13 December 1972 to 29 November 1984. The show continued the 1960s ''Beat-Club'' under a new name, and in turn was replaced by ''Extratour''. ...

'' TV show in September that year, the single became a hit, topping most

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

charts. It reached number six in the UK charts and number 65 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single also topped the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

charts and reached the Top 20 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It proved to be the band's major European breakthrough.

Background

"Daddy Cool" was a novelty gimmick record with an unusual, percussive intro by producer

doing rhythmic tic-tic-tics and playing on his teeth with a pencil. Farian also sang all male voice parts (

Bobby Farrell Roberto Alfonso Farrell (6 October 1949 – 30 December 2010) was an Aruban dancer and singer. He was the male member of the 1970s pop and disco group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on the island of Ar ...

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 Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pulit ...

and

Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a Jamaican-British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M. Early years Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, Eng ...

: "...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. The bass

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

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 Hansa Records (also known as Hansa, Hansa Musik Produktion or Hansa International) was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany. Profile The label's most successful act commercially was the German-based band Boney M. with mil ...

wanted Boney M.'s cover of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

's "

No Woman, No Cry "No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song was recorded in 1974 and released on the studio album ''Natty Dread''. The live recording of this song from the 1975 album '' Live!'' was released as a single and is ...

" 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".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

1986 anniversary recording

Boney M.'s 10th anniversary was celebrated with a

TV special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

and the album '' The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits''. The original plans of releasing another single ("

Dreadlock Holiday "Dreadlock Holiday" is a reggae song by 10cc. Written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman, it was the lead single from the band's 1978 album, '' Bloody Tourists''. Composition The song was based on real events Eric Stewart and Moody Blues voca ...

") from the group's final album ''

Eye Dance ''Eye Dance'' is the eighth and final studio album by the vocal group Boney M., released in 1985. The cover artwork was symbolic of the state the group was in at that time, as neither the famous "Boney M." logo nor the group members appeared on ...

'' 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).

Releases

7" Single *""Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86)" – (Farian, Reyam, Farian, Bischof) 5:18 / "B.M.A.G.O." (Farian) – 4:10 (

107 994-100, 1986) 12" Single *"Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86)" Special Club Mix – 9:07 / Extended Radio Edit (Not credited on label) – 5:50 / "B.M.A.G.O." – 3:15 (Hansa 607 994-213, 1986)

Boney M. 2000 version

Following the successful

Sash! Sash! (; stylised as SASH!) is a German DJ/production team, fronted by Sascha Lappessen (born 10 June 1970) who works in the recording studio with Ralf Kappmeier, Karl Xander, and Thomas "Alisson" Lüdke. They have sold over 22 million albums w ...

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.

Releases

CD Single #"Daddy Cool '99 (Radio Edit)" – 3:51 #"Daddy Cool '99 (Extended Vocal Club Mix)" – 5:06 #"Daddy Cool '99 (Latino Club Mix)" – 3:33 #"Daddy Cool '99 (Solid Gold Edit)" – 3:45 #"Daddy Cool (Original Mix 1976)" – 3:26 12" Single #"Daddy Cool '99 (Extended Vocal Club Mix)" – 5:06 #"Daddy Cool '99 (Disco Dub Edit)" – 4:26 #"Daddy Cool '99 (Latino Club Mix)" – 3:33 #"Daddy Cool '99 (Solid Gold Edit)" – 3:45

Charts

2001 Remix

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.

Releases

CD Single #"Daddy Cool" (Jewels & Stone Radio Edit) – 3:58 #"Daddy Cool" (Original Mix) – 3:25 #"Daddy Cool" (Jewels & Stone Club Mix) – 5:18

Lizot remix

German DJ duo Lizot released a remix of "Daddy Cool" on 3 December 2021.

Releases

Digital single #"Daddy Cool" – 2:34 Club VIP mix #"Daddy Cool" (Club VIP mix) – 2:50 #"Daddy Cool" (Extended Club VIP mix) – 3:50 #"Daddy Cool" – 2:34 #"Daddy Cool" (Extended mix) – 3:36

Cover versions

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

included a cover version in their 2003 album ''Covers''. The song was covered by Latvian trio

Melo-M Melo-M is a Latvian instrumental cello rock trio consisting of three classically trained cellists: Kārlis Auzāns, Miķelis Dobičins and Jānis Pauls. The name is derived from the word melomania. They are known for their instrumental cover ...

featuring vocals by original Boney M. singer

Maizie Williams Maizie Ursula Williams (born 25 March 1951) is a British model, dancer and singer who became one of the original members of the successful 1970s disco music group Boney M. Though she did not sing on the studio recordings of their songs, she ...

on their 2007 album '' Singalongs''. "Daddy Cool" was used in an advert for

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

, promoting their Zafira GSi. The song was sampled by

Korean hip hop Korean hip hop, also known as K-hip hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of Korean popular music. It is widely considered to have originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and has since become increasingly popular, both in Korea and abroad. While K ...

band

DJ Doc DJ D.O.C. is a South Korean hip-hop trio consisting of members Kim Chang-yeol, Lee Ha-neul and Jung Jae-yong. DJ D.O.C. stands for Dream Of Children. DJ DOC released their first album, ''Sorrow of Superman'', in 1994. During a time when Korean h ...

for their 2000 single "Run to You".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daddy Cool (Boney M. Song) 1976 songs 1976 singles Boney M. songs Songs written by Frank Farian Song recordings produced by Frank Farian Atco Records singles Atlantic Records singles Hansa Records singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in France Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles

Background

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

1986 anniversary recording

Releases

Boney M. 2000 version

Releases

Charts

2001 Remix

Releases

Lizot remix

Releases

Cover versions

See also

References