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Blondes (Have More Fun)

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For the Rod Stewart album of the same name, see Blondes Have More Fun.

"Blondes (Have More Fun)"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Blondes Have More Fun
B-side"Best Days of My Life"
Released20 April 1979[1]
GenreRock and roll
Length3:46
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Jim Cregan, Rod Stewart
Producer(s)Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"Ain't Love a Bitch"
(1979) 		"Blondes (Have More Fun)"
(1979) 		"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right"
(1980)
Music video
"Blondes (Have More Fun)" on YouTube

"Blondes (Have More Fun)" is a song written by Rod Stewart and Jim Cregan that was originally released as the title track of Stewart's 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun. In some countries it was released as the third single off the album, following "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Ain't Love a Bitch". It only reached the Top 70 in the UK, topping out at #63 but reached #23 in Ireland.[2][3][4][5] The song was covered by Vince Neil on the Japanese version of his album Exposed.[6]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the song as being a "winning track" in the same mold as "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and "Ain't Love a Bitch".[7] Circus writer David Fricke suggested that the "stocky, swaggering sound" that Stewart's band achieves on the song "proves Stewart has not forgotten how to rock."[8] Henry McNulty of the Hartford Courant considered it to be "the most worthwhile song" on the album, describing it as a "straightforward rocker" on which Stewart seems to be having fun.[9] McNulty particularly praise the way the "rich, warm horns" set off the screeching lead guitar and tinkling piano.[9] The Beaver County Times described the song as "a rollicking Chuck Berry-style rocker, complete with honky-tonk piano."[10] CD Review described the song as a "barrelhouse rocker."[11] The Albany Herald wrote that the "hardrocking" song is one of the highlights among the songs of "up and down love affairs" on the Blondes Have More Fun album.[12] Rolling Stone critic Janet Maslin described it as one of the three "tolerable" songs on the album.[13] The Ottawa Journal similarly called it the best song on the album.[14] Author Sharon Davis described the song as Stewart's last hit before 1983's "Baby Jane."[15] Critic Dave Tianen rated the song as Stewart's 4th worst (two notches better than 2nd place "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy,") saying that it "would almost be beneath RuPaul."[16] But critic Mark Brown considered it to be "wonderful."[17] Classic Rock History critic Tony Scavieli ranked it as Stewart's 8th greatest song of the 1970s, stating that it "certified that Rod Stewart’s foray into disco [on "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"] was just a small moment in time and that the album was not all disco."[18] Jason Anderson called it a "decent blues boogie", praising the "greasy guitar licks, barrelhouse piano and Phil Kenzie's raunchy sax."[19]

"Blondes (Have More Fun)" was included on Rod Stewart's live video Live at the L.A. Forum.[20] A live version was also included on the 2014 album Live 1976-1998: Tonight's the Night.[21] Graham Hicks of the Edmonton Journal felt the live version was preferable to the studio version, calling the live version a "rhythm and blues number" and stating that this proved that the "production" was responsible for the blandness of the studio version.[22]

The music video for the song was on MTV's first day.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 48.
  2. ^ Davis, S. (2012). Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies. Random House. ISBN 9781780574103.
  3. ^ "The Official Charts - Rod Stewart". The Official Charts. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  4. ^ "The Irish Charts - All There Is To Know". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  5. ^ "The Irish Charts - All There Is To Know". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  6. ^ Erlewine, S.T. "Exposed: Japan Bonus Tracks". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  7. ^ Erlewine, S.T. "Blondes Have More Fun". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  8. ^ Fricke, David (23 January 1979). "This Blond Has More Fun". Circus. pp. 22–25.
  9. ^ a b McNulty, Henry (21 January 1979). "Rod Lusts, Money Moans". Hartford Courant. p. 5G. Retrieved 12 July 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Culture Corner". Beaver County Times. 8 April 1979. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  11. ^ . Vol. 8, no. 1–6. CD Review. 1991. p. xliii. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ United Press International (31 January 1979). "Rockers Modify Attitude Towards Disco". The Albany Herald. p. 11.
  13. ^ Maslin, J. (8 February 1979). "Blondes Have More Fun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Stagnant Talent". Ottawa Journal. 15 September 1978. p. 25. Retrieved 31 March 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Davis, Sharon (2012). 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. Random House. ISBN 9781780574110.
  16. ^ Tianen, D. (27 March 1996). "Stewart's Gems still Shine, But Legacy Is Unfilled Promise". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. p. 6E. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  17. ^ Brown, M. (1 October 1993). "Rod Stewart Still Wears It Well at 48". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. p. 23. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  18. ^ Scavieli, Tony (27 July 2018). "Top 10 Rod Stewart Songs From The 1970's". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  19. ^ Anderson, Jason (2024). "The Ultimate Music Guide: Rod Stewart & the Faces". Uncut. Kelsey Media. p. 87.
  20. ^ "Live at the L.A. Forum". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  21. ^ Erlewine, S.T. "Live 1976-1998: Tonight's the Night". Allmusic. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  22. ^ Hicks, Graham (14 April 1979). "Stewart Born to Rock". Edmonton Journal. p. B6. Retrieved 12 July 2019 – via newspapers.com.
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