Sharp Dressed Man-ZZ Top

October 2, 2024SongOf The Day

ZZ Top – Sharp Dressed Man (Official Music Video)

“Sharp Dressed Man” is a song from ZZ Top’s 1983 signature album, Eliminator. The song is famous for its recognizable chorus, guitar riff, and unique music video that received massive airplay on MTV.

This is one of the band’s first songs to use a synthesizer and has been used in a variety of media platforms since its release.

Fun Facts:

The song was inspired after Billy Gibbons saw the name “Sharp-Eyed Man” listed in a movie’s credits.
A few years after its release, bass player Dusty Hill shed insight on just who qualifies as a sharp dressed man. “If you’re on a motorcycle, really sharp leather is great. If you’re a punk rocker, you can get sharp that way. You can be sharp or not sharp in any mode. It’s all in your head. If you feel sharp, you be sharp.”
A beer company secretly paid Warner Records Inc. for a video product placement, but MTV could only air the video once the director removed the shots.
“Sharp Dressed Man” is the third track on ZZ Top’s album, Eliminator.
Video Director Tim Newman won Best Direction in a Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA).
“Sharp Dressed Man” received a VMA nomination for Best Group Video, while Editor Sim Sadler got a nomination for Best Editing in a Video in 1984. However, it didn’t win the award categories.
The song is featured in the video game Guitar Hero (2005) and briefly in the Beavis and Butt-Head episode “Radio Sweethearts.”
Rockstar Nickelback covered “Sharp Dressed Man” as a tribute at the 2007’s VH1 Rock Honors.
Guitar World ranked the guitar solo at #43 of the 100 Best Guitar Solos.
The song was used as the theme song for Duck Dynasty from 2012-2017.
The music video features a trio of women driving in the Eliminator car. As they drive up to the valet parking, they grant the male parking valet keys to the vehicle, remaking him as a star.