"Supermodel (You Better Work)" is a song by American

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

singer and

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race ...

. It was released in November 1993 as the third single (but first major label single) from his debut album, '' Supermodel of the World'' (1993). The song was a dance club anthem that, though particularly popular within the gay

handbag house Diva house or handbag house is an anthemic subgenre of house music that became most popular in gay clubs during the second half of the 1990s. ''The Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture'' defines handbag house as having "prominent female ...

scene, found mainstream success. The song consists of RuPaul giving advice to a young black supermodel, and briefly several other models, largely consisting of "sashay, shantay!", "work, turn to the left", "work, now turn to the right", and "you better work". The

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for the song, featuring RuPaul in various outfits cavorting around town, became a staple on MTV. Singer Kurt Cobain of

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...

cited the song as one of his favorites of 1993, and the two were photographed together at the

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...

s that year. "Supermodel" was a modest hit on the pop charts in both the US (number 45) and the UK (number 39). It also reached number two on the US dance chart. This song is RuPaul's highest charting pop hit in the US to date. The song features spoken word snippets by actress

LaWanda Page LaWanda Page (born Alberta Peal; October 19, 1920September 14, 2002) was an American actress, comedian, and dancer whose career spanned six decades. Crowned "The Queen of Comedy" or "The Black Queen of Comedy", Page melded blue humor, signifyin' ...

, who went on to appear in several music videos by RuPaul. The single is most commonly found on compact disc coupled with " House of Love", which would go on to become a single itself in some markets. Various 12-inch vinyl releases were also pressed, including a limited edition

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone record, gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics ...

in the United Kingdom. It was also covered by Taylor Dayne for the '' The Lizzie McGuire Movie'' soundtrack. ''

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. ...

'' ranked "Supermodel (You Better Work)" number 42 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s" in 2017. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' featured it in their lists of "50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride" in 2018 and "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s" in 2022.

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

noted, "When he tears into "Supermodel (You Better Work)" and other overtly '70s-influenced dance-floor gems,

shows himself to be a sweaty, emotional belter who projects a lot more

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

and honest emotion than most of the cookie-cutter artists dominating '90s urban-contemporary radio."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

club and drag personality returns to the recording world with a festive twirler that aims to lengthen the life of the voguing phenomenon. RuPaul sashays like a seasoned diva over frothy synths and NRG-etic

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

beats." In 2018, Jim Farber from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' described it as a "pivotal single/lifestyle slogan", adding that it "became an instant club classic, italicized by a plethora of snap-ready tag lines, including "you better work", "I have one thing to say", and "Sashay/Shantay!" each repeated with intensifying attitude." Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' declared it as "a seventies-style disco workout containing every hysterical cliche of that era, from soaring violins to sonorous groans from Ru. 'See your picture everywhere - a million derriere', Ru observes in a roar recalling the late, great

Divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

. Absolutely fabulous." In his UK chart commentary,

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air a ...

viewed it as "an unremarkable dance/pop tribute to the world of the supermodels sung by the larger than life Rupaul, drag queen extraordinaire." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "Camp as it is, the musical backing is of course in a stylish '70s disco mode. Give Supermodel (You Better Work) and Miss Lady DJ a try, it's for all sexes." Andy Beevers from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' deemed it a "wonderfully OTT tribute to the stars of the catwalk". Rupert Howe from '' Select'' noted its "catwalk cattiness". Mark Frith from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' gave it four out of five, adding, "It's a great

hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and th ...

dance romp which celebrates the world of the supermodel from the most super of all models. Wonderful."

Chart performance

In the United States, the song peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 45 and the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...

chart at number two. It sold nearly 500,000 copies there. It was not only a hit in the US, it reached number four on the Canadian '' RPM'' Dance/Urban chart and number 39 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Music video

The accompanying

for "Supermodel (You Better Work)" was directed by Randy Barbato. The music video premiered in 1993 on MTV and was an unexpected success, as grunge (such as

) and gangsta rap were popular at the time. It tells the story of a little black girl (played by

) in the Brewster projects of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, who is spotted by an "Ebony Fashion Fair" talent scout who grows up to become a successful model and is given the title '' Supermodel of the World''. The song features

who has several lines in the song, but does not appear in the music video despite appearances in other RuPaul music videos. The music video is a tribute to

's early childhood and his career in both the gay community and mainstream culture. The phrase "Supermodel You Better Work" was coined by RuPaul in the 90's. It was nominated for "Best Dance Video" at the

1993 MTV Video Music Awards The 1993 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 2, 1993, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1992, to June 15, 1993. The show was hosted by Christian Slater at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. This would be Kurt Coba ...

and won an award in the category for "Best Music Video" on the 1993 WMC International Dance Music Awards. The music video for "Supermodel (You Better Work)" was published on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

in September 2018. It has amassed more than 3,8 million views as of September 2021.

Impact and legacy

'' listed "Supermodel (You Better Work)" at number 42 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s" in 2017. Matt Stopera and Brian Galindo stated that this is "the song that brought RuPaul mainstream success." ''

'' featured it in their list of "50 Songs That Define the Last 50 Years of LGBTQ+ Pride" in 2018. In 2022, ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' ranked it number 23 in their list of "The 50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long", while ''Pitchfork'' placed it at number 222 in their list of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s".

Track listing

(varies from country to country; this reflects the United States CD single, which sold the most copies) # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Ready to Wear Mix) # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (7" Mix) # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Couture Mix) # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (La Wanda in Your Face) # " House of Love" (7" Radio Version) # "House of Love" (12" Version) # "House of Love" (Dub)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

2006 version

In 2006, RuPaul re-recorded the track with an 80's freestyle inspired backing track and released it as the leadoff single from his album ''ReWorked''. This version reached number 21 on the US dance chart.

Track listing

* US nine track maxi-single # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (El Lay Toya Jam) – 3:55 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Craig C. Havenhurst Vocal) – 9:29 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (There, U Just Got Rocked Mix) – 4:08 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Popular Mix) – 4:02 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Clean El Lay Toya Jam) – 3:55 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Craig C. Encino Edit) – 3:54 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Stockholm Mix) – 4:38 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Craig C. Neverland Dub) – 9:25 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Jackopella) – 3:45 * AUS CD No. 1 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (El Lay Toya Jam) – 3:55 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Craig C. Neverland Instrumental) – 9:27 # "Coming Out of Hiding" (Trance Gender Mix) – 3:25 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Stockholm Mix) – 4:40 * AUS CD No. 2 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (Craig C. Encino Edit) – 3:55 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Popular Mix) – 4:03 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Matheos' Dancin' Belly Mix) – 4:25 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Stockholm Edit) – 4:05* # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Popular Extended Club Mix) – 10:21 # "My Love Sees No Color" (Electrolight Stockholm Extended Club Mix) – 11:04 # "Supermodel (You Better Work)" (El Lay Toya Acappella) – 3:56 * (Re)Mix is only a dub/edit

References

{{Authority control 1992 debut singles RuPaul songs Songs written by Jimmy Harry LGBT-related songs Songs written by Larry Tee 1992 songs Tommy Boy Records singles