Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)

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"Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
"Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" cover
Single by The Offspring
from the album Americana
Released 1998
Format CD
Recorded 1998
Genre Pop punk
Length 03:08
Label Columbia
Writer Dexter Holland
Producer Dave Jerden
The Offspring singles chronology
"I Choose"
(1998)
"Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
(1998)
"Why Don't You Get a Job?"
(1999)
Alternate covers
Australian CD single cover
Australian CD single cover

"Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" is a single, released by The Offspring, from their 1998 album Americana. It achieved significant pop and alternative radio play and popularity, peaking at number 53 on the US charts, number 1 on the UK charts and Australian charts. It is arguably The Offspring's most successful song commercially.

Beginning with a sample of the quasi-German nonsense phrase "Gunter glieben glauten globen" from Def Leppard's song "Rock of Ages," chanted as a replacement for the traditional "1, 2, 3, 4" to start the recording, the song ridicules a "wannabe gangsta" (or "wigger") who is immersed in hip-hop culture not because he truly loves it, but because it is trendy, makes him feel tough and makes it seem that he can get all the girls ("and all the girlies say I'm pretty fly - for a white guy").

The song openly mocks the upper class suburban youths who listen to rap music for this reason.

The album discusses unpleasant realities of American life. In this case, consumerism, mixed with conformity, makes many people pretend to be something they are not. It also points out the hypocrisy that most people rebel because they want to be accepted or admired by others.

  1. Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) (3:08)
  2. Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) [The Geek Mix] (3:07)
  3. No Brakes/ All I Want (Live)

  • In Unreal Tournament, there is a hidden area on one of the maps, which showcases a picture of the lead map designer, CliffyB. It has the caption of “Pretty Fly...”. Shooting the picture instantly causes the text to change to "(For a white guy!)".
  • An alternate version of the cover exists where the 'wigger' is in different attire, and the '31' tattoo is on his left arm rather than his right arm, like on the original. There is also an explicit language warning that does not exist on the normal single cover.
Preceded by
"A Little Bit More" by 911
UK Singles Chart number-one single
January 24, 1999 - 30 January
Succeeded by
"U Don't Know Me" by Armand Van Helden & Duane Harden
Preceded by
The Whitlams
No Aphrodisiac
Triple J Hottest 100 #1s
1998
Succeeded by
Powderfinger
These Days
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