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"If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me"
1979 single cover
Single by The Bellamy Brothers
from the album The Two and Only
B-side	"Make Me Over"
Released	March 1979
Recorded	1978
Genre	Country, country pop, soft rock
Length	3:14
Label	Warner Bros./Curb 8790
Songwriter(s)	David Bellamy
Producer(s)	Michael Lloyd
The Bellamy Brothers singles chronology
"Lovin' On" (1978) "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" (1979) "You Ain't Just Whistlin' Dixie" (1979)

"If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" is a song written by David Bellamy, and recorded by American country music duo The Bellamy Brothers. It was released in March 1979 as the second single from the album The Two and Only. The song became their first number 1 hit on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart and their second number one overall, after their 1976 pop hit "Let Your Love Flow". The title as shown on the original single was "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me", but on the album and subsequent releases, the title is shown as "... Had ...".

Background

"If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body ..." derived its double entendre title from a Groucho Marx line. Songwriter David Bellamy told country music journalist Tom Roland that he regularly watched Marx's program, You Bet Your Life, where Marx sometimes used the quote while interviewing an attractive female contestant, then shake his cigar and raise his eyebrows to elicit a reaction. The comment stuck in Bellamy's head as a possible hook line for a song.

The song earned its first success in Northern Ireland, becoming a big hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 3, before becoming a top 40 hit in the United States where it peaked at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In a 2003 issue, Country Weekly magazine named it the number 1 country pick-up line of all time.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Re-recording

On their 2005 album Angels & Outlaws, Vol. 1, the Bellamy Brothers re-recorded this song with Dolly Parton. This rendition peaked at number 60 on the country charts, giving the Bellamy Brothers their first chart entry since "Not" in 1994.

Britney Spears controversy

In 2011, the Brothers criticized pop singer Britney Spears's song "Hold It Against Me" for sounding similar to "If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me". In a statement, David Bellamy said "professionally, well, in all honesty, we feel completely ripped off. Where's the originality?" The Bellamy Brothers' attorney Christopher E. Schmidt stated that " becomes somewhat uncanny if you simply double the beat of the Bellamy Brothers' song and match it up with Britney's version" and pointed out that it was not the first time that songwriters Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald were accused of copyright infringement. On March 2, 2011, Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Bonnie McKee, and Mathieu "Billboard" Jomphe, all of whom wrote "Hold It Against Me", filed a lawsuit against the Bellamy Brothers for defamation and libel because of the accusations, but the Brothers apologized and the case was dismissed on August 11, 2011. The Brothers released a statement that said, "The Bellamy Brothers apologise to Dr. Luke and Max Martin for the Bellamys' public statements and any false impressions suggested by the statements on their website that Dr. Luke and Max Martin copy the works of others."

In media

The song was performed karaoke-style by groom Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi) during his wedding reception in season 2, episode 6 of Last Tango in Halifax (aired 3 August 2014).

References

1. "10 Sexy Soft-Rock Hits Of The 70s". Ilikeyouroldstuff.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
2. The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)), p. 233-234.
3. Roland.
4. "Bellamy brothers are coming ... so don't hold that song against them". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
5. ^ "Kent Music Report No 288 – 31 December 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1979". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 10 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
6. "If i said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
7. "The Bellamy Brothers Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
8. "The Bellamy Brothers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
9. Staff, The Salt Lake Tribune (January 11, 2011). "Is Britney Spears ripping off the Bellamy Brothers with new single?". The Salt Lake Tribune. MediaNews Group. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
10. Staff, The Salt Lake Tribune (February 22, 2011). "Bellamy Brothers still considering legal action against Britney Spears". The Salt Lake Tribune. MediaNews Group. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
11. Christman, Ed (March 4, 2011). "Britney Spears' 'HIAM': Do Bellamy Brothers Have an Infringement Case?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
12. Staff, Contactmusic (September 4, 2011). "Luke - Defamation Lawsuit Over Spears Single Dropped". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved September 4, 2011.

• 1979 songs
• 1979 singles
• The Bellamy Brothers songs
• Warner Records singles
• Curb Records singles
• Songs written by David Bellamy (singer)