Rod Stewart’s ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ Inspired a Kiss Hit
Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” remains one of the most famous disco songs by a classic rock musician. Interestingly, the tune was inspired by a Rolling Stones song. After “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” became a hit, it inspired a Kiss song. Kiss’ song doesn’t sound too much like “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?,” regardless of the band’s intentions.
Another classic rock star helped write Rod Stewart’s ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’
Carmine Appice was a member of the band Vanilla Fudge who went on to co-write Stewart’s singles “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “Young Turks.” During a 2023 interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine, Appice said recalled how “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” came together. He also said the tune inspired one f the songwriters from Kiss to go disco.
“Rod Stewart was a great guy,” he recalled. “He said, ‘I want a song like ‘Miss You’ by the Stones.’ I went home, and I had a keyboard and drum machine, so I put together some chords. A friend of mine, Duane Hitchings, had a studio, so I went there, and we put down a really cool version of ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’
“We brought it to Rod and recorded it,” he added. “He said that it needed a little more of this and this, so we changed it a bit, went back and got the version that came out. Who knew it was going to be so huge? We didn’t know.”
How ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ led to Kiss’ ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You’
Of course, it’s hard for a monster hit like “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” not to inspire imitators. “Duane liked to hang out with Paul Stanley at the time. Paul heard ‘Sexy’ went to No. 1, and he goes, ‘We need a song like that,'” Appice said. “So he wrote, ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You.’ It had the same disco beat and same tempo. That’s how it goes if you’re a musician.”
Appice said that Stanley’s actions were mundane. In his opinion, no musician has everything figured out. Instead, artists draw inspiration from other songs they have heard. That’s true of everyone. Listening to Kiss, it’s easy to hear nods to other classic rock bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Paul Stanley said Rod Stewart inspired another Kiss song
Stanley’s memories might differ from Appice’s. In his 2014 book Face the Music: A Life Exposed, Stanley said that “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” was inspired by the music he heard at Studio 54 without mentioning any song in particular. He cited Stewart as the influence behind Kiss’ “Hard Luck Woman,” but not “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”
On top of that, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” aren’t all that similar. Both are disco songs, but “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” is a hard-rock disco fusion. Meanwhile, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” is a disco track through and through. “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” gets a lot more attention today, possibly because its musical hybridity makes it a lot more interesting than “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” ever was.
Love or hate Stewart’s turn toward dance music, it inspired a killer Kiss song.
