"Daddy Cool" is a song produced and co-written by

Frank Farian Franz Reuther (18 July 1941 – 23 January 2024), known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequent ...

who had founded the group

Boney M. Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary song ...

to visually perform to his songs on TV and while touring discos. Farian also provided the male voice parts on the record. The song was 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 U.S. the album just miss ...

''. 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The second Boney M. single, it was released in 1976 and made no major impact at first. After a presentation on the German ''

Musikladen ''Der Musikladen'' () 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''. History Around 90 ep ...

'' TV show in September that year, the single became a hit, topping several European charts. It reached number six in the UK charts and number 65 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single also topped the German charts and reached the Top 20 in Canada. It proved to be the band's major European breakthrough. The song is sung by

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

supporters in adulation for their manager

Danny Röhl Danny Röhl (born 28 April 1989) is a German football coach and former player who is manager of EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. Playing career Born in Zwickau, Röhl played as a defender for clubs including FSV Zwickau, FC Sachsen ...

. In place of the lyric 'Daddy, Daddy Cool' the supporters passionately sing "Danny, Danny Röhl'. Danny Röhl has spoken of his, thankfulness and confirmed that the first time he heard it sung that it gave him

goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror novels written by American author R. L. Stine. The protagonists in these stories are teens or pre-teens who find themselves in frightening circumstances, often involving the supernatural, the p ...

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

fans have also taken to chanting wrestler names in tune to the chorus after chants were heard during a European tour in early 2025; chants of "Cody, Cody Rhodes" and "Roman, Roman Reigns are frequently heard at WWE events.

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, visual performer, singer and DJ. He was a member of the 1970s and 1980s R&B group Boney M. Biography Birth and early life Farrell was born and raised on ...

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 Elizabeth Rebecca Pemberton-Mitchell (born 12 July 1952) is a British singer, best known as one of the original singers of the 1970s disco and reggae band Boney M. Mitchell now lives in Reading, UK. Early life Mitchell was born in the paris ...

and

Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a 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, England in ...

: "...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 short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

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 based in Berlin, Germany founded in 1962. History In the early 1960s, brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel, grandchildren of Will Meisel, who was th ...

wanted Boney M.'s cover of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's "

No Woman, No Cry "No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song performed 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 ...

" 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 St. Ingbert (; sometimes spelled in full as Sankt Ingbert; or ''Dimbert'') is a town in the Saarpfalz district in Saarland, Germany with a population of 34,971 (2021). It is situated approximately 10 km north-east of Saarbrücken and 10&nb ...

– 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 en ...

and the album ''

The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits ''The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits'' also known as ''32 Superhits - Non-Stop Digital Remix'' is a remix album by Boney M. released in 1986. In 1981 producer Frank Farian created a thirteen-minute medley in the style of Stars on 45 called "6 ...

''. 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''. It was a number one hit in several countries. Composition The song was based on re ...

") 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 ...

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 The Greatest Hits may refer to: * ''The Greatest Hits'' (3 Doors Down album), 2012 * ''The Greatest Hits'' (Amii Stewart 2005), 2005 * ''The Greatest Hits'' (Australian Crawl album), 2014 * ''The Greatest Hits'' (Baby Bird album), 1997 * ''The ...

''. 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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Placebo A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...

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

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

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 an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

, promoting their Zafira GSi, as well as in a

Venmo Venmo is an American mobile payment service founded in 2009 and owned by PayPal since 2013. Venmo is aimed at users who wish to split their bills. Account holders can transfer funds to others via a mobile phone app; both the sender and receiver ...

ad in 2024. The song was sampled by

Korean hip hop Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South 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 South Korea and ...

band DJ Doc for their 2000 single "Run to You".

Raghav Sachar Raghav Sachar (born 24 July 1981, in India) is an Indian singer, composer and film scorer. Early life and career Sachar was born to father, R. K. Sachar, and mother, Usha Sachar in Calcutta. He is the youngest of three children. He started p ...

recreated the song for the 2009 Hindi film of the same name as its title theme.

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

See also

References