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Adrian Belew - Oh Daddy

Music Video | 1989
ArtistAdrian Belew
SongOh Daddy
AlbumMr. Music Head
DirectorAdam Bernstein
GenrePop
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown

Wiki

Synopsis

Adrian Belew performs "Oh Daddy" as a playful father-daughter duet with his 11-year-old daughter, Audie. Set against a stark white background, the video combines straightforward performance footage with animated inserts and appearances by Belew's band. Belew leans into the song's comic tone, adopting exaggerated rock-star mannerisms and wielding an absurd rubber-necked guitar prop. Audie's presence keeps the performance grounded in family humor, matching the track's affectionate satire of Belew's ambitions as a pop-rock star.

Factoids & Trivia

  • "Oh Daddy" appeared on Belew's 1989 album "Mr. Music Head" and became his biggest solo commercial success, reaching No. 5 on the US Modern Rock chart and No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • Belew wrote the song as a humorous father-daughter novelty duet. Its lyrics gently mock his attempts to achieve a major pop hit and his image as a touring rock musician.
  • Audie Belew was 11 when the song and video were made. She had previously appeared with her father on "The Final Rhino," a duet from his 1981 album "Lone Rhino."
  • The unusual rubber-necked guitar had originally been created as a visual prop for Laurie Anderson's film "Home of the Brave." It was made with metal vertebrae inside the rubber neck, making it flexible but unplayable.
  • The "Oh Daddy" video helped the song gain heavy exposure on music television, including MTV and VH1, despite its deliberately silly concept.
  • Belew later recalled that he initially viewed the recording as something fun to do with his daughter rather than a serious album track. An Atlantic Records representative heard it during the sessions and encouraged its inclusion on "Mr. Music Head".

Lyrics

Oh daddy, when you gonna write that big hit?
Oh daddy, when you gonna hit it real big, real big?

Well, now that's a tall request
for such a small little girl
but I'll try, try till I get it just right
'cause I'm gonna make it, maybe even twice

Oh daddy, when you gonna make it to the big time gig?
Oh daddy, when you gonna blow off the lid?

Well, it's like a backstage pass into paradise
there's a long lonely waiting list
...
© Adrian Belew - Oh Daddy. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
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