| Blondes (Have More Fun) | |
| Cover: | Blondes (Have More Fun) label.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Rod Stewart |
| Album: | Blondes Have More Fun |
| B-Side: | Best Days of My Life |
| Released: | April 1979 |
| Genre: | Rock and roll |
| Length: | 3:46 |
| Label: | Warner Bros. |
| Producer: | Tom Dowd |
| Prev Title: | Ain't Love a Bitch |
| Prev Year: | 1979 |
| Next Title: | (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
"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.[1] [2] [3] [4] The song was covered by Vince Neil on the Japanese version of his album Exposed.[5]
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".[6] 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."[7] 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.[8] McNulty particularly praise the way the "rich, warm horns" set off the screeching lead guitar and tinkling piano.[8] The Beaver County Times described the song as "a rollicking Chuck Berry-style rocker, complete with honky-tonk piano."[9] CD Review described the song as a "barrelhouse rocker."[10] 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.[11] Rolling Stone critic Janet Maslin described it as one of the three "tolerable" songs on the album.[12] The Ottawa Journal similarly called it the best song on the album.[13] Author Sharon Davis described the song as Stewart's last hit before 1983's "Baby Jane."[14] 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."[15] But critic Mark Brown considered it to be "wonderful."[16] 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."[17]
"Blondes (Have More Fun)" was included on Rod Stewart's live video Live at the L.A. Forum.[18] A live version was also included on the 2014 album .[19] 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.[20]
The music video for the song was on MTV's first day.