Huh huh huh! Huh huh huh! Huh huh huh!!!!
Well, if it isn’t Monday again already! It’s time to kick off the final month of The Nest’s celebration of eco-friendly music that is the Top 30 Cover Songs of All Time countdown. For many of you, today is Labor Day, a day where ironically a lot of people don’t actually do any labor. But I don’t get that privilege, and neither does the countdown’s hostess DJ Scratchy, who will have to do a lot of physical work to uncover the song she’ll be presenting today from the litter box of lost classics. It might be a good idea to put the innocent, young Sponkies outside to play while the track I picked as my fourth greatest cover ever goes on the air. This one’s a little something………. special.
#4. “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” – Revolting Cocks
The year was 1978, and disco was at the very peak of its popularity in the pop music world. Because everyone wanted to grab a piece of disco’s golden duck goose before Bill Veeck would demolish it the following year, many mainstream artists from other genres quickly threw together a song or two with a disco beat to get on board the sell out express. One of the most successful artists to strike gold with their lone disco bullet was Rod Stewart, who wore it well with the #1 hit “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” It seemed like a rhetorical question for all of Rod the Mod’s groupies out there who already had a case of infatuation with the former face of Faces. Some guys have all the luck…
Not this Rod…. but our favorite game show announcer always kept it sexy.
Revolting Cocks was a side project several members of the band Ministry threw together even before they themselves got national recognition in the early days of the Lollapalooza tour. The membership of the band was about as fluid as the cast of a comedy sketch show, and their industrial based music was waaaaaaaaay out of the mainstream. So naturally, they would be the ones who would cover one of the most pussified disco songs of the 70’s, and totally kick its ass.
Their leisure suits must be at the dry cleaners.
The Cocks’ version of “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” was featured on their final album during their initial run, 1993’s “Linger Fickin’ Good.” It’s the video that really makes this crazy cover work…
The world’s worst strip club…
As much as I love me some disco, I never really cared much for Rod Stewart’s questionably spelled original version of this pickup artist song. So the first time this revolting mess hit my ears while listening to the sorely missed Classic Alternative channel on Music Choice, I had to literally stop what I was doing to devote my full attention to it. I love the not so subtle changes the band makes in their version, like having the protagonist talk about rubbers and KY jelly.
“Woof, Woof!” indeed.
Well…… if you somehow survived my official WTF entry in the countdown, be sure to come back next Monday for the third best cover song of all time! And don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
OK, so I came home Friday and M was watching “Beavis & Butthead Do America”, so I was really, really hoping this would be about Love Rollercoaster…except, I don’t think it is fair to compare RHCP to the Ohio Players. Both awesome in their own right.
Wait, that wasn’t the song, was it?
(Rod wore it well? Well played!)
Oh no… Ohio Players all the way on that one. I’m also trying to avoid repeat artists on both the coverer and coveree side of the ledger, so I’ve used my RCHP bullet already…
And Madame Onassis got nothin’ on me…
I was one of that Rod the Mod groupies… and it was my plan to marry Rod once… he sadly never answered my letters… probably to busy with Baby Jane :o( I like this version too and because Rod never answered and I read that he loves his model trains what’s totally uncool, I give the crown and 4 paws from France to The Cocks, ha!
LOL, for some reason I just can’t imagine Rod Stewart being a model train nut! He obviously has poor taste, and his loss is the Cocks gain!
I was shocked…. and that was the moment I was happy that he never answered my letters….
I wouldn’t say revolting, just oddly shaped….
Most cocks are oddly shaped. There was never a phallic hole in that little box of shapes we all had as toddlers…
Hi E.S and sorry you have to work today! I asked the nurse’s aides (STNA’s) and they said it will be double pay while my oldest daughter gets only time and a half today. Thanks for adding a fun link to my post. You also included a great drawing. You are both talented and a good friend.
I happen to like rock stars with bravado. Rod Stewart still has great concerts. The rocker women even have swagger like Blondie and Pat Benatar. . . Disco music makes me smile and not “gag” but I run into many who cannot stand ABBA or the BeeGees!! 🙂
I never mind working holidays, I wouldn’t be doing anything anyway, and most (like all Monday holidays) don’t jive with my W-Th weekends anyway. Mecca does it weird in that everyone (past their probation period) gets an extra day’s pay whether they work the holiday or not. When they are being cheap, we even get an extra day off. I have W-Th-F off this week, so my three day weekend is just delayed. 🙂
I was definitely not into disco when it was The Thing and even less now … yet I really like Saturday Night Fever because I like watching people dance, especially when they are good at it. Go figure, right? I’m sure I’ve heard most or all of these, but I have carefully blanked my mind. Or perhaps my memory circuit rejected all them.
Well, if you like watching people dance, then you will love next week’s video! Many a rug will be cut in the name of squirrely music…
HaHaHaHa!
I knew what I was going to name this post from the moment I created the countdown 6 months ago… 🙂
HaHaHaHA!
Great cover! Great post! Great series! I remember when Rod’s came out (so to speak) and even have the album. I hate disco. This is terrific. Definitely better version. Can’t wait to see the top of the list.
You have touched on something very ironic about most of my top picks for this countdown that I’ll reveal in the #1 post. I thought this choice might get universally panned, so I’m glad to see at least one very enthusiastic comment for The Cocks!
Well, I am glad I watched the video. These Cocks are pretty hard…..core.
Huh huh huh!!!
OMG I LOVE the Revolting Cocks version. That is brilliant. Rod the Bod was never my cup of tea or my idea of sexy. Way back in 1978-79 I dated a guy who used to sing it just to creep me out.
YES! Another vote of approval for The Cocks! I can just picture your guyfriend singing this to you in that annoying half-whisper Rod does at the end of his version… ick!
I can’t imagine Rod Stewart singing this song. Or, maybe I just don’t want to imagine it. I was never a fan of his so I will take your word for it on this cover being better than the original!
OMG, you’ve never heard the original before? You aren’t missing anything, trust me. I think to truly appreciate the genius of The Cocks version, you have to realize just how wretched Rod’s original hit was…
I agree. Rod’s limp version holds nothing against this hard core Cocks version.
Like a fool, I just went to YouTube and watched the original. You’re so right! It does make me appreciate the Revolting Cocks’ version more. And it is just as disturbing to see Rod Stewart thinking he’s sexy as I thought it would be. I just don’t see what my mother-in-law sees in him!
No and no freakin’ way. Gack and gackier. No vote this week, Bill. The delegate from New York abstains.
Duly noticed. The case of Rod v. Cocks shall continue to dangle undecided…
Well, it’s certainly… different. It made me smile! I’ve decided to give the video a miss, just in case I’m appalled and outraged 🙂
Okay, you know me, I couldn’t resist. I went back and watched the video. The lead singer was exactly as I imagined – dressed all in black with dead eyes. Probably. The video was very pixellated. Damn those old videos.
I wanted so bad to use the video version, because not only does the quirky video perfectly go with that song, but there’s an extra layer of keyboards in the video version of the song that make it so much better than the album version! The tape probably came from a Betamax…
Not my thang, sorry.
LOL… we’ll find your thang eventually!