Summer always seems to be the season for fun and frivolous singles. This summer is no exception. Tommy Boy recording act Fannypack is off to an early start with its tongue-in-cheek single “Cameltoe.”
Best-described as an ode to the “frontal wedgie,” “Cameltoe” serves as the lead single to the group’s debut effort, “So Stylistic,” released July 8.
Tommy Boy Records founder and president Tom Silverman says that “Cameltoe” was an obvious choice for a first single.
“When we got the first six or seven tracks, it was one of them,” Silverman says. “When we were playing them for people, ‘Cameltoe’ was the track that people immediately responded to.”
While “Cameltoe” stood out for Silverman, it wasn’t the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based quintet’s first choice for the single.
“It wasn’t even our favorite song on the album,” Fannypack’s Cat says. “In fact, it’s one of our least favorite songs.
“We got extremely lucky that we immediately got some attention,” bandmate Fancy adds. “We didn’t want to use ‘Cameltoe’ as the first single, but apparently we were wrong.”
While Cat, Fancy and the other members of the group — Belinda, Jessibel and Matt — may not have chosen “Cameltoe” as their introduction to the music industry, it certainly has provided results, with substantial radio airplay and audience reaction.
If its job was to add Fannypack into the pop lexicon, the single certainly has succeeded. While “Cameltoe” was a successful radio single, the single’s novelty has some programmers questioning Fannypack’s staying power. But the novelty factor was not lost on Silverman, either.
“It wasn’t just a concern about the single pigeonholing them as a novelty act,” Silverman says. “Because they’re so young, they might also be perceived as a kiddie act. The group isn’t just the three girls. It’s also Matt and Fancy, the producers and the brains behind the group. These guys have been on the scene. They’re both DJs, and they’re totally aware.
The group was recently featured on MTV’s “The Wrap” and “Total Request Live,” debuting the video for “Cameltoe” on the latter. Directed by Kurt St. Thomas and db animation, the video is half animated and half live action.
The group also understands the pitfall of being a one-hit wonder but is confident it will avoid that fate.
“We’ll have more hits,” Belinda says. “We have a lot of tricks up our sleeves with this album.”
“I hope it’s our only hit,” Fancy jokingly disagrees, “because I’m getting tired.”
Excerpted from the June 28, 2003, issue of Billboard. The full original text of the article is available in the Billboard.com Premium Services section.
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