Asshole (song)

This article is about the Denis Leary song. For the song by Eminem, see The Marshall Mathers LP 2. For other songs, see Asshole (disambiguation).

1993 single by Denis Leary

"Asshole"

Single by Denis Leary
from the album  No Cure for Cancer
Released| 1993
Genre| Comedy rock
Length| 4:26
Label| A&M
Songwriter(s)|

* Denis Leary
* Chris Phillips

"Asshole" is a song by American comedian Denis Leary, released as the only single from his album No Cure for Cancer in 1993.

## Song information

[edit]

In a 2008 appearance on The Opie and Anthony Show, comedian Louis CK claimed that Leary stole his "I'm an asshole" routine, which was then expanded upon and turned into a hit song by Leary.[1] On a later episode of the same show, Leary challenged this assertion by claiming that he (Leary) co-wrote the song with Chris Phillips.[2]

## Reception

[edit]

In North America, the music video for "Asshole" received airplay on MTV and MuchMusic in a censored form. In Australia, the song became a hit; it reached No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart,[3] ended 1994 as Australia's 26th most successful single,[4] earned a Platinum sales certification,[4] and was voted No. 1 on the Triple J Hottest 100 poll of 1993.[5] The song also found some success in New Zealand, where it peaked at No. 22 on the RIANZ Singles Chart,[6] and in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1996.[7]

## Later versions

[edit]

On August 3, 2016, Leary appeared on the US talk show The Late Late Show with James Corden, during which he performed an updated version of the song in character as Bill Clinton, in duet with James Corden playing a caricature of US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and criticizing rival candidate Donald Trump. For broadcast, the "-hole" part of the title was bleeped, a fact that is discussed by Leary and Corden during the song.[8]

Leary and Jimmy Fallon performed a version with updated lyrics on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 23, 2025.

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1994–1996)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[3] | 2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] | 22
Scotland (OCC)[9] | 79
UK Singles (OCC)[7] | 58

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1994)  | Position

|

Australia (ARIA)[4] | 26

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[4] | Platinum  | 70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Denis Leary ripped off "I'm An Asshole" from Louis CK". Retrieved Oct 12, 2022 - via www.youtube.com.
2. ^ "Denis Leary responds to Louis CK claiming he stole "I'm An Asshole" from him". Retrieved Oct 12, 2022 - via www.youtube.com.
3. ^ a b "Denis Leary – Asshole". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
4. ^ a b c d "1994 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
5. ^ "Hottest 100 | History | 1993". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
6. ^ a b "Denis Leary – Asshole". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
7. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
8. ^ Ledbetter, Carly (August 5, 2016). "Denis Leary And James Corden Perform New 'I Hate Donald Trump' Anthem as The Clintons". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
9. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 13, 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Triple J Hottest 100 winners

1990s|

* "Asshole" – Denis Leary (1993)
* "Zombie" – The Cranberries (1994)
* "Wonderwall" – Oasis (1995)
* "Buy Me a Pony" – Spiderbait (1996)
* "No Aphrodisiac" – The Whitlams (1997)
* "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" – The Offspring (1998)
* "These Days" – Powderfinger (1998)

2000s|

* "My Happiness" – Powderfinger (2000)
* "Amazing" – Alex Lloyd (2001)
* "No One Knows" – Queens of the Stone Age (2002)
* "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" – Jet (2003)
* "Take Me Out" – Franz Ferdinand (2004)
* "Wish You Well" – Bernard Fanning (2005)
* "One Crowded Hour" – Augie March (2006)
* "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse (2007)
* "Sex on Fire" – Kings of Leon (2008)
* "Little Lion Man" – Mumford & Sons (2009)

2010s|

* "Big Jet Plane" – Angus & Julia Stone (2010)
* "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2011)
* "Thrift Shop " – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz (2012)
* "Riptide" – Vance Joy (2013)
* "Talk Is Cheap" – Chet Faker (2014)
* "Hoops" – The Rubens (2015)
* "Never Be Like You" – Flume featuring Kai (2016)
* "Humble" – Kendrick Lamar (2017)
* "Confidence" – Ocean Alley (2018)
* "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2019)

2020s|

* "Heat Waves" – Glass Animals (2020)
* "Elephant (Like a Version)" – The Wiggles (2021)
* "Say Nothing" – Flume featuring May-a (2022)
* "Paint the Town Red" – Doja Cat (2023)
* "Good Luck, Babe!" – Chappell Roan (2024)

Of All Time|

* "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – Joy Division (1989)
* "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – Joy Division (1990)
* "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Nirvana (1991)
* "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Nirvana (1998)
* "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Nirvana (2009)
* Odyssey Number Five – Powderfinger (20111)
* "Wonderwall" – Oasis (20132)
* "The Less I Know the Better" – Tame Impala (20203)
* "Believe (Like a Version)" – DMA's (20234)

* 1 Australian Albums
* 2 20 Years of the Hottest 100.
* 3 2010s.
* 4 Like a Version.

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