# Daddy Cool (Boney M. song)
"Daddy Cool" is a 1976 disco song by the Euro-Caribbean group [Boney M.](https://www.edgepedia.org/boney-m), written by [Frank Farian](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-farian) and George Reyam and produced by Farian. Released as the group's second single and included as the opening track on the album *Take The Heat Off Me*, it became Boney M.'s breakthrough hit, reaching number 1 in Germany and number 6 in the United Kingdom.[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/) • [2](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/boney-m-daddy-cool/) • [3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-14.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writers / producer | Frank Farian and George Reyam; produced by Frank Farian[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/) |
| Album | Track 1 on *Take The Heat Off Me* (1976), duration 3:27[4](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/657230-daddy-cool/) |
| UK release | 7-inch on Atlantic (K 10827), 8 October 1976, with "No Woman No Cry" as the B-side[5](https://www.45cat.com/artist/boney-m) |
| UK chart | Peak position 6; first charted 18 December 1976; 12 weeks on the chart[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/boney-m-daddy-cool/) |
| Germany | Number 1 in 1976, the year of Boney M.'s breakthrough[3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-14.pdf) |
| Vocals | Male vocals, including the lead, sung by producer Frank Farian; Bobby Farrell, the group's only male member, appeared to sing in videos[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/) |
| South Africa | Boney M.'s first hit there: peak 2, 19 weeks on the chart, Gallo label[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/) |
## Recording and vocals
Frank Farian, the German producer who created Boney M., wrote and produced the group's songs and sang lead vocals on some of its biggest hits.[6](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2026/10/20/boney-m-the-strange-but-true-story-of-the-daddy-cool-disco-divas/) On "Daddy Cool" he supplied the male vocals himself, while [Bobby Farrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-farrell), from Aruba and the only man in the performing quartet, appeared to be singing in videos for the song.[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/) A Spanish-language profile of Farrell states plainly that the male voice heard on "Daddy Cool" belonged to Farian, the project's producer and composer.[7](https://los40.com/2025/12/30/rasputin-la-pista-de-baile-y-un-final-en-san-petersburgo-el-extrano-destino-de-bobby-farrell-boney-m/) The female members of the group, [Liz Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/liz-mitchell) and [Marcia Barrett](https://www.edgepedia.org/marcia-barrett) from Jamaica and Maizie Williams from Montserrat, gave the quartet its singing lineup of Caribbean-heritage performers.[6](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2026/10/20/boney-m-the-strange-but-true-story-of-the-daddy-cool-disco-divas/)
**A-side decision.** Farian's German record company wanted Boney M.'s cover of [Bob Marley](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-marley)'s "No Woman No Cry" as the A-side, but Farian persuaded them to make it the B-side after seeing the response to the two tracks in a disco in St Ingbert in Germany.[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/)
## Release and chart performance
The single was issued in the United Kingdom on 8 October 1976 as a 7-inch on Atlantic, catalog number K 10827, with "No Woman No Cry" on the B-side.[5](https://www.45cat.com/artist/boney-m) The Official Charts Company lists the same label and catalog number for its chart entry.[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/boney-m-daddy-cool/)
**Television breakthrough.** Boney M. debuted "Daddy Cool" on German television on Saturday, 18 September 1976, in episode 28 of *Musikladen*, a music program produced by Radio Bremen and directed by Michael Leckebusch.[8](https://boneym.es/40-years-ago-daddy-cool/) The appearance sent "Daddy Cool" and the album *Take The Heat Off Me* flying off the shelves in Germany, with similar repercussions across Europe after the group's debut on the UK's *Top of the Pops*, leading to worldwide exposure and the group's first major success.[9](https://www.boneymbookings.com/history) In Germany the single reached number 1, marking 1976 as the year of Boney M.'s breakthrough.[3](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-14.pdf)
In the United Kingdom the song first charted on 18 December 1976, entered at number 49, and climbed to its peak of number 6 on 5 February 1977, spending 12 weeks in the Top 100, four of them in the Top 10.[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/boney-m-daddy-cool/) In South Africa it was Boney M.'s first hit, released there on the Gallo label: it peaked at number 2, spent 19 weeks on the chart, and accumulated 277 Top 20 points.[1](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/)
## Legacy
"Daddy Cool" remained one of Boney M.'s hit songs alongside "Rivers of Babylon", "Sunny", and "[Rasputin](https://www.edgepedia.org/rasputin-song)".[10](https://bernaertsmusic.business/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BM-2016.0839.MSH_.pdf) Farian revisited the song with the offshoot project Boney M. 2000: "Daddy Cool '99" reached number 31 in Germany, and "Daddy Cool 2001" reached number 33 in December 2001.[11](https://chart-history.net/wp-content/uploads/arch-boney-m.pdf)
**Stage musical.** In 2006 Farian staged a musical in London titled *Daddy Cool*, built around his old hits and also containing songs from other Farian productions such as [No Mercy](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-mercy), Milli Vanilli, and [La Bouche](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-bouche).[12](https://newsv2.orf.at/stories/2033743/) The song has also had a long afterlife in advertising; today it can be a challenge to sit through an ad break without encountering the 1976 song, now used in commercials for banks, detergents, and soft drinks.[6](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2026/10/20/boney-m-the-strange-but-true-story-of-the-daddy-cool-disco-divas/)
## References
1. [DADDY COOL – BONEY M, SA Singles Charts](https://sacharts.wordpress.com/tag/boney-m/)
2. [DADDY COOL – BONEY M, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/boney-m-daddy-cool/)
3. [Frank Farian Celebrates 25 Years, Music & Media (1994)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-05-14.pdf)
4. [Daddy Cool – Boney M., Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/657230-daddy-cool/)
5. [Boney M 7" Singles Discography, 45cat](https://www.45cat.com/artist/boney-m)
6. [The strange but true story of the Daddy Cool disco divas, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2026/10/20/boney-m-the-strange-but-true-story-of-the-daddy-cool-disco-divas/)
7. [El extraño destino de Bobby Farrell (Boney M), Los40](https://los40.com/2025/12/30/rasputin-la-pista-de-baile-y-un-final-en-san-petersburgo-el-extrano-destino-de-bobby-farrell-boney-m/)
8. [40 years ago... Daddy Cool, BoneyM.es](https://boneym.es/40-years-ago-daddy-cool/)
9. [History, Boney M Bookings](https://www.boneymbookings.com/history)
10. [The BONEY M. Mega Mix, Bernaerts Music](https://bernaertsmusic.business/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BM-2016.0839.MSH_.pdf)
11. [Boney M. singles chart history (PDF), chart-history.net](https://chart-history.net/wp-content/uploads/arch-boney-m.pdf)
12. [Castingtruppe mit langer Haltbarkeit, ORF.at](https://newsv2.orf.at/stories/2033743/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Discographies and musical catalogues › Production and songwriter credit lists › Songs recorded by lists › Songs recorded by bands and groups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license