“I’m Too Sexy” was Right Said Fred’s debut self-released single. It reached #1 in five countries (including the US) and the top 20 in seven more (#2 in the UK).

Its origin lies in bassist Richard Fairbrass one day seeing a reflection of himself in a mirror and thinking he was too “skinny and round-shouldered”. This inspired him to join a gym that he and fellow bandmate (and brother) Fred would eventually manage together.

Years later, while looping a bass line on “a very, very hot day in a very, very non-air conditioned basement studio” of a friend, Robert suddenly improvised a lyric:

…right out of the blue – I can’t tell you where it came from – I started singing ‘I’m too sexy for my shirt’ and we all fell about laughing.

At first, Fred thought the song was too ‘frivolous’, but Richard and guitarist Rob Manzoli convinced him to ‘crank on’ with it, turning it into a tongue-in-cheek dance song about people at the gym:

If you work in a gymnasium or health club or a dance studio, you see so much posing and so much attitude going on. We took the opportunity of using that as raw material to work the song around.

Record labels and DJs rejected the song, and their booking agent even dropped them after hearing it. When a song plugger heard the song, he shut it off too – but then the two girls in the car with him began singing it, so he had a change of mind and told the band he wanted it reworked as a club song. Right Said Fred compromised with him and spent their own money to have it reworked by producer Tommy D as a pop song. Still unable to get a record deal, they released the song on their own.

After it aired on Radio 1 UK, the station was inundated with calls about the group. The song quickly reached #2 in the summer of 1991 – kept out of the top spot by the 16-week-long reign of Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”. An American DJ from Miami heard the song while abroad and began playing it at his station, leading to the song’s spread across the US until it hit #1 in February 1992. It was the 4th biggest UK hit of 1991 and the 13th biggest US hit of 1992.

“I’m Too Sexy” includes an uncleared sample of Jimi Hendrix “Third Stone From the Sun”, but his estate only asked for writing credit and a charitable donation.

Over the next ten years, Right Said Fred scored six more UK top 40s, but no others in the US – earning them the label of one-hit wonder there.