Right Said Fred have said at least one thing wrong. On July 22nd they warmly acknowledged a writing credit on Beyoncé‘s July 29th album, Renaissance, but in a new interview with the Sun, the duo appeared to have retracted that sentiment, calling her “arrogant” and claiming that she didn’t ask permission for using the melody to their hit, “I’m Too Sexy.”
The saga began even before the release of Renaissance, which used part of the hook of “I’m Too Sexy” on “Alien Superstar.” The official Twitter account for the brothers tweeted, “It’s nice to get writing credit on the new Beyoncé album.” The account also hit the like button on responses to their tweet offering congratulations.
But when speaking to the Sun, Chris and Fred Fairchild sang a different tune. “Normally the artist approaches us,” they said, “but Beyoncé didn’t because she is such an arrogant person she just had probably thought ‘come and get me’ so we heard about it after the fact when you did. But everyone else, Drake and Taylor Swift, they came to us.”
They added, “To use our melody they need our permission so they send us the demo and we approve it and if so we get a co-write credit. With this Beyoncé thing there are 22 writers, it’s ridiculous, so we would get about 40p. The reason that is happening we think is because there is so little money now in the actual sales people like friends, golfing partners, engineers, bookers, and the guy who brings the coke, they all want a cut.”
“We can’t stop it. There is nothing we can do. It is shit,” they continued. “You are going to get into a conversation with someone who has a lot more presence and power and money than we do. And that won’t go well. It’s best to let it go. If you’re not careful you spend your life looking back. We keep looking forward the whole time.”
A representative for Beyoncé called the words “erroneous and incredibly disparaging.” In a statement to the Guardian, they said, “Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album.”
The statement added, “For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilized… this accusation is fake.”
The furor comes amid a kind of Right Said Fred resurgence. Over the last five years, “I’m Too Sexy” was also interpolated in Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” and Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy.” Unfortunately, Right Said Fred have used that platform to direct their followers to Neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
As for Beyoncé, she’s reportedly getting ready to hit the road for a 2023 tour.
It’s nice to get a writing credit on the new ‘Beyonce’ album. ‘Renaissance’ Credits: Drake, A. G. Cook, Syd, Right Said Fred, & More #Beyonce https://t.co/vnjFftkMLk
— Right Said Fred (@TheFreds) July 22, 2022