Günther

Günther, whose given name is actually Günther Pleasureman, emerged in 2004 as a mullet-sporting Swedish performer intent on positioning himself as "the international ambassador of champagne, glamour, sex, and respect." His debut club smash, the playful and suggestive "Ding Dong Song," reached the top of the Swedish charts that same year on the strength of its memorable refrain and a provocative clip spotlighting his backing vocalists, the Sunshine Girls. By the following year the track’s tongue-in-cheek appeal had crossed much of Europe, where Franz Ferdinand could be caught delivering an acoustic rendition on Dutch radio. European dance floors simultaneously embraced the subsequent releases “Teeny Weeny String Bikini” and “Touch Me,” the latter a version of Samantha Fox’s club staple that featured the “page-three girl” herself supplying backing vocals. Pleasureman reached stores in both physical CD and digital formats across Europe before the close of 2005, though American listeners initially had access only to the download edition. Rhino issued a physical U.S. pressing in 2006 that included the previously unavailable bonus track “Like Fire Tonight.”