Released May 1972 (1972-05) Length 3:18 Writer(s) Randy Newman | Genre Rock Label Reprise | |
Producer(s) Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman | ||
"You Can Leave Your Hat On" is a song written by Randy Newman and appearing on his 1972 album Sail Away.
Contents
According to an Allmusic review by Mark Deming, the song is "a potent mid-tempo rock tune" and "a witty and willfully perverse bit of erotic absurdity". Newman later admitted the song was, "too low for me to sing it. I can’t rock it too hard, which maybe I should have … or maybe not."
Joe Cocker version
Joe Cocker recorded "You Can Leave Your Hat On" for his 1986 album Cocker. Released as a single, Cocker's version peaked at #35 on Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, and it was featured in the 1986 Adrian Lyne film 9½ Weeks during the striptease scene.
A music video was released which featured footage of the striptease scene from 9½ Weeks and scenes with Cocker and his band performing the song. In some countries, the song itself is considered a striptease anthem, and still being used by strippers.
Personnel
Other cover versions
Etta James covered the song in a 1974 single, published by Chess Records and produced by Gabriel Mekler.
Merl Saunders and Aunt Monk covered it in 1976 on their album "You Can Leave Your Hat On". Here for the first time that specific brass arrangement was used which also Joe Cocker used in his much more successful cover 10 years later.
Tom Jones covered the song for the soundtrack of the 1997 British film The Full Monty and is included in the subsequent 2013 play of the same name.
American country music singer Ty Herndon covered the song on his 1999 album, Steam. Herndon's version reached #72 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart from unsolicited airplay and was included on his 2002 compilation, This Is Ty Herndon: Greatest Hits.
Others artists to cover the song include Jerry Garcia Band, Michael Grimm, Bill Wyman and Three Dog Night.