The Bellamy Brothers make a flirtatious remark on their single “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me.” Released in March 1979, David Bellamy wrote the track and recorded it with his younger brother, Homer, for their fourth studio album, The Two and Only. Producer Michael Lloyd took part in the song. Later, it became their second No. 1 entry on the Billboard Hot Country Singles, following their 1976 pop hit “Let Your Love Flow.”
With the hit single, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic explained that ‘The Bellamy Brothers positioned themselves as a mellow country-pop act beginning with the breezy island vibes.’ After topping the charts, it opened a number of definitive The Bellamy Brothers hits until the 90s, including “Sugar Daddy” (1980), “For All the Wrong Reasons” (1982) and “Redneck Girl” (1982).
The song also did well in the international charts, reaching No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 11 in the Dutch Top 40. Spinditty ranked it number one on the 65 Songs With Pick Up Lines to use for flirting.
Meaning Behind the Song
“If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me” is an innuendo inspired by Groucho Marx’s program You Bet Your Life. With David as the songwriter, Howard told Songfacts that the hook was a line Marx often says on his show. “He’d have guests on and different quiz questions and say, ‘If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?’ and shake his cigar and kind of raise his eyebrows.” Later on, it became the title of their single.
For You
A controversy about the song arose when Britney Spears’ 2011 pop single “Hold It Against Me” sounded similar to The Bellamy Brother’s version. David shared a statement with The Salt Lake Tribune, saying they had no personal beef with Britney but professionally, they felt completely ripped off.
However, the Brothers dropped the case when the writers of Spears’ “Hold It Against Me” filed a lawsuit against them for defamation and libel on March 2, 2011. Instead, the pair released an apology statement on August 11, 2011.
Despite it all, The Bellamy Brothers’ suggestive lyrics made the song an enduring country hit. In the hopes of a romantic encounter, the lyrics invite a hypothetical conversation to explore the two parties’ attraction. Its seductive and playful narrative references the idea of an angel and devil for a good girl-bad boy pairing.
If you’re thinking of a pick-up line to start with, listening to The Bellamy Brother’s catchy song “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me” might give you an idea.
