"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"
Standard artwork
Single by the Offspring
from the album Americana
B-side
ReleasedNovember 9, 1998 (1998-11-09)
Genre
Length3:07
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dave Jerden
The Offspring singles chronology
"I Choose"
(1997)		 "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"
(1998)		 "Why Don't You Get a Job?"
(1999)
Music video
"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" on YouTube

"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" is a song by American rock band the Offspring. It is the fourth track from the band's fifth studio album, Americana (1998), and was released as its first single in November 1998. The song peaked at number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was successful internationally, reaching number one in 10 countries, including Australia, where it stayed at number one for six weeks and was certified quadruple platinum.

The song appears as the seventh track on the Offspring's 2005 Greatest Hits album. It was parodied by Weird Al Yankovic in "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi".

Composition and lyrics

Beginning with a sample of the pseudo-German nonsense phrase "Gunter glieben glauchen globen" from Def Leppard's 1983 song "Rock of Ages", chanted as a replacement for the traditional "1, 2, 3, 4" to start the recording, the song ridicules a "wannabe gangsta" who is immersed in hip-hop culture, not because he truly loves or understands it but because it is trendy, makes him feel tough ("Friends say he's tryin' too hard, and he's not quite hip/But in his own mind, he's the, he's the dopest trip") and because he believes it attracts women ("and all the girlies say I'm pretty fly, for a white guy"). The “Give it to me baby” verse was done by voice actress Nika Futterman.[5]

As summed up by Dexter Holland, the people described in the lyrics "are from, like, Omaha, Nebraska, regular white-bread boys, but who act like they're from Compton. It's so fake and obvious that they're trying to have an identity."[6] Holland detailed that he meets many teenagers like those in his native Orange County, "going to the mall, where they buy FUBU, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ice Cube's latest record."[7] Given rap culture is the starting point, Holland clarified that it was not an attack on African-Americans, but "poseurs of any kind",[8] but without wanting "to be preachy about it... We're getting amusement out of it more than anything else."[9] When asked about the musical similarities with the Offspring's previous hit "Come Out and Play", Holland said he expected comparisons but added that the band attempted to "take it further than ‘Come Out and Play’", with a particular focus on more percussion.[10]

Critical reception

Daily Record commented that on "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", the band "has obviously been inspired by early-Beastie Boys and Run DMC songs."[11] In Australia, it was ranked at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 1998.[12]

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by McG, begins with the "white guy" and some girls singing the opening lines, and Offspring guitarist Noodles walking on the pavement with his guitar, playing the introductory riff. The "white guy" drives through town in his lowrider and tries to act cool in front of African-Americans, playing with his car's hydraulic system and interrupting a break dance session to dance himself. He is then carried by a group of girls to a pool party and thrown into the pool. He jumps out of the pool and finds some bikini clad dancers in front of him. These scenes are cut with the band playing. The video ends with the "white guy" returning home and scaring his little sister, who is wearing a fairy costume, because of his dishevelled appearance.

According to Dexter Holland, the band wanted Seth Green to play the "white guy" but he was unavailable. After seeing an audition tape with "five unknowns", they settled on Israeli actor Guy Cohen,[13] who went on to cameo in the "Why Don't You Get a Job?" video and occasionally appear at Offspring concerts.[8]

DVD appearances

The music video also appears on the Complete Music Video Collection DVD. It was released in 2005. The DVD also contains a storyboard version of the video, in which the storyboard plays over top of the music video.

Track listings

US 7-inch single and UK cassette single[14][15][16]

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"3:08
2."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Geek mix)3:01

Australian CD single[17]

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" 
2."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Geek mix) 
3."No Brakes" 

European CD single[18]

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (album version)3:08
2."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Geek mix)3:07

UK CD1[19]

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"3:08
2."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Baka Boyz remix)3:01
3."No Brakes"2:02

UK CD2[20]

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"3:08
2."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Geek mix)3:01
3."All I Want" (live)2:02

Italian 12-inch single[21]

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)"3:08
2."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Geek mix)3:07
3."Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (The Baka Boys remix)3:01
4."All I Want" (live)2:02

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[69] 4× Platinum 280,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[70] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[71] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[72] Silver 125,000*
Germany (BVMI)[73] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[74] Gold 25,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[75] Gold 50,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[76] 2× Platinum  
Sweden (GLF)[77] 3× Platinum 90,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[78] Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[79] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 6, 1998 Columbia [80]
Europe November 9, 1998 CD [32]
United States November 17, 1998 Contemporary hit radio [81]
United Kingdom January 18, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 [82]

Legacy

References

  1. ↑ Blabbermouth (September 23, 2019). "KISS, IRON MAIDEN And SYSTEM OF A DOWN To Headline 2020 Edition Of U.K.'s DOWNLOAD Festival". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ Williams, Mike (January 25, 2019). "In defence of 'Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)'". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  3. ↑ "88 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1998". SPIN. October 25, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  4. ↑ "a deep dive into the music video for pretty fly for a white guy".
  5. ↑ "A Deep Dive into the Music Video for Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) by the Offspring". June 29, 2019.
  6. ↑ Brunner, Rob (December 1, 1998). "You Gotta Keep 'Em Alienated". Spin. p. 64 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Dexter Holland's Americana Tour
  8. 1 2 Norris, Chris (March 1, 1999). "White Punks on Dope". Spin. p. 88 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (January 31, 1999). "How to Survive in Suburbia". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Boehm, Mike (November 17, 1998). "The 'Americana' Dream : Post-Hoopla, the Offspring Settles Into Normal Music-Making". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ↑ "Chart Slot". Daily Record. February 12, 1999. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
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  13. ↑ Bell, Carrie (March 20, 1999). "The Modern Age". Billboard. p. 75 – via Google Books.
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  15. ↑ Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) (UK cassette single sleeve). The Offspring. Columbia Records. 1998. 666880 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  17. ↑ Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) (Australian CD single liner notes). The Offspring. Columbia Records. 1998. 666631.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ↑ Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) (European CD single liner notes). The Offspring. Columbia Records. 1998. COL 666332 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ↑ Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) (UK CD1 liner notes). The Offspring. Columbia Records. 1998. 666880 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ↑ Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) (UK CD2 liner notes). The Offspring. Columbia Records. 1998. 666880 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) (Italian 12-inch single sleeve). The Offspring. Columbia Records. 1998. COL 667119 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  25. ↑ "The Offspring – Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (in French). Ultratop 50.
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  27. ↑ Billboard - Google Books. Books.google.ca (February 27, 1999). Retrieved on April 1, 2014.
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  35. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)". Irish Singles Chart.
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  42. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
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  44. ↑ "The Offspring Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
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  74. ↑ "Italian single certifications – The Offspring – Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 9, 2021. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
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