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Short Dick Man
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Short Dick Man
| cover = Short_dick_man.jpg
| alt =
| caption = US release under the original title
| type = single
| artist = 20 Fingers featuring Gillette
| album = On the Attack and More 20 Fingers
| released = August 31, 1994
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
* Dance-pop
* hip-hop
* hip house
| length =
* 4:49
* 3:21 (clean version)
| label =
* Zoo Entertainment
* SOS
* Unidisc Music Incorporated
| writer =
* Charlie Babie
* Manny Mohr
| producer = Charlie Babie
| chronology = 20 Fingers
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Lick It
| next_year = 1995
| misc =
}}
"'Short Dick Man'" is a song by American hip house group 20 Fingers featuring rapper Gillette. It was released in August 1994 on Zoo Entertainment and SOS Records as their debut single from their album, 'On the Attack and More'. It also appears on 20 Fingers' second self-titled studio album and on Gillette's debut solo album, 'On the Attack'. The tune was a global success, particularly in Brazil, France and Italy. In France and Italy, this was a number-one hit. It also reached number 3 in Germany, number 4 in Australia, number 6 in Austria and the Wallonia region of Belgium, and number 7 in the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Background
This single, which involves a woman mocking the size of a man's penis, was also released in a toned down version replacing the word "dick" with "short", along with rearranged lyrics (this version was also released under the censored title "'Short short Man'").Elia Habib, 'Muz hit. tubes', p. 313 Co-writer Manfred Mohr told the 'Los Angeles Times' that the point of the song was to attract attention. "We figured there were all these songs by men bashing women and treating women like sex objects. So we decided a song that turned the tables on men might attract some attention." According to the vocalist Sandra Gillette, the point of the song is to "strike back at all the women-bashing songs in pop, especially in rap."[http://articles.latimes.com/1995-02-04/entertainment/ca-27901_1_short-man 'Short, Short Man' Attacks Big, Big Sexism] Some radio stations refused to play the song as it was deemed controversial.
Critical reception
Larry Flick from 'Billboard' described the song as a "goofy dance novelty single", adding that "comical female rants on the shortcomings of a lover are woven into a rigid groove. "Clean" version has daintily been retitled "Short short Man", bleeping out all blunt penis references." 'BuzzFeed' ranked it at number 54 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s" in 2017. David Browne from 'Entertainment Weekly' commented, ""Short Short Man" (also known as "Short D Man"), with a hard, thumping beat and, er, a harder message: "You need some tweezers to put that little thing away?" Gillette taunts. Ouch! If those jibes dont hurt enough, theyre followed by synthesizer bleeps of mocking laughter." Robbie Daw from 'Idolator' said it "became a dance-crossover sensation due, largely, to attention-grabbing lyrics like these: 'That has got to be the smallest dick I have ever seen in my whole life / Get the fuck outta here! He added, "In many ways, the song played at the time like the female response to hits by male artists that objectified women, such as "Rump Shaker" and "Bump N' Grind" and the music-buying masses, er, grabbed on tightly, thanks to slightly-edited (read: cleaned up) version, "Short short Man", being put into heavy rotation." Andy Beevers from 'Music Week' rated it three out of five, adding that "this house track features a fiercely funny verbal assault that leaves little to imagination." He also concluded: "The track is not likely to get any radio play, but has been making up for it with plenty of club exposure." James Hamilton from the magazine's 'RM' Dance Update described it as a "hilarious bitchy comments prodded sparse bouncily jolting" song. Wendi Cermak from 'The Network Forty' wrote that "a throbbing base line that's not bogged down by over-production complements the eloquent - and slightly politically incorrect - vocals." Also Pete Stanton from 'Smash Hits' gave it three out of five, saying: "Annoying beat, strange quirky noises, and the dodgiest lyrics in town. Let's just say it's about some girl complaining about some fella's tidgy widger."
Chart performance
"Short Dick Man" proved to be successful on the charts all over the world, peaking at number 2 on the 'RPM' Dance/Urban Chart in Canada and number 3 on the 'Billboard' Hot Dance Club Play in the United States. In Europe, the single went to number-one
in France and Italy. It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 7. Additionally, "Short Dick Man" was a Top 20 hit in Scotland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, it peaked at number 11 in its second run at the UK Singles Chart, on September 24, 1995. But on the UK Dance Chart, it was a even bigger hit, reaching number 3. In Oceania, the single peaked at number 4 and 7 in Australia and New Zealand. On the US 'Billboard' Hot 100, it reached number 14. It earned a gold record in Germany and the US, with a sale of 250,000 and 500,000 singles, and a silver record
in France, when 125,000 units were sold there.
Music video
A music video was made for "Short Dick Man", directed by Daniel Zirilli. It was uploaded to YouTube in June 2013. By September 2020, the video had more than 12.8 million views.
Cover versions
In 1995, the song has been covered by Machito Ponce and Diamanda Turbin as "Short Dick Man (Ponte A Brincar!)". In 2007, the song was covered by Laurent Wolf, featuring Marilyn David. This 3:35 version is available on several compilations, such as 't 2007''t 2007', track listing and charts [http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?titel=%C9t%E9+2007&cat=a Lescharts.com] (Retrieved September 24, 2008) and 'Contact Play & Dance vol. 4'.'Contact Play & Dance Vol. 4', track listing [http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?titel=Contact+Play+%26+Dance+Vol.+4&cat=a Lescharts.com] (Retrieved September 24, 2008)
Formats and track listings
'CD single'
# "Short Dick Man" (radio mix) 3:16
# "Short Dick Man" (J.J. energy mix radio edit) 3:20
'CD maxi'
# "Short Dick Man" (Radio Mix) 3:21
# "Short Dick Man" (Bass Mix) 4:54
# "Short Dick Man" (Jazzy Mix) 4:51
# "Short Dick Man" (Accapella) 4:23
# "Short Dick Man" (Club Mix) 4:50
# "Short Dick Man" (J.J. Energy Mix) 4:39
# "Short Dick Man" (Insane Mix) 5:07
# "Short Dick Man" (Dub Mix) 2:41
'12" maxi'
# "Short Dick Man" (club mix) 4:48
# "Short Dick Man" (a cappella) 4:17
# "Short Dick Man" (bass mix) 4:51
# "Short Dick Man" (radio edit) 3:16
'CD maxi - Italian remixes'
# "Short Dick Man" (heavy dick version) 10:33
# "Short Dick Man" (aladino remix) 5:04
# "Short Dick Man" (pagany "the sound" remix) 6:10
# "Short Dick Man" (Ti.Pi.Cal. planet remix) 8:33
# "Short Dick Man" (unity 3 bip remix) 6:01
# "Short Dick DJ" (Old Betsy - NoiseLab Crew remix) - 4:29
Personnel
* Written by Charlie Babie and Manfred Mohr
* Vocals by Gillette
* Mastered by Mark Richardson, at Metropolis Mastering, Chicago
* Produced by Charlie Babie
* Mixed by Onofrio Lollino and J.J. Flores
* Published by Tango Rose Music (ASCAP)
* Distributed by ID Records, 1994
Charts and sales
Weekly charts
'20 Fingers version''Machito Ponce version'
1 "Short, Short Man"
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of French number-one hits of 1995
References
Category:1994 debut singles
Category:20 Fingers songs
Category:SNEP Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in Italy
Category:Obscenity controversies in music
Category:1994 songs
Category:Zoo Entertainment (record label) singles
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