I'm A Man (Spencer Davis Group song)
Encyclopedia
"I'm a Man" is a song
written by Spencer Davis Group
singer-songwriter
Steve Winwood
and record producer
Jimmy Miller.
was a fast, Hammond organ
-driven blues rock track released as a single
by the Spencer Davis Group in early 1967, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart
and number 10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
. It was the last hit
single by the band before the brothers Steve and Muff Winwood
left to pursue their own separate careers.
The song is sometimes confused with another SDG hit, "Gimme Some Loving", which has been a hit for various other bands, and was also covered
by Steve Winwood's next band, Traffic
.
"I'm a Man" was included on the band's summer 1967 album
, I'm a Man, as well as being featured on the recent Spencer Davis Group DVD
Gimme Some Lovin' Live 1966. Although the recording is said to be late 1966, this date is in fact controversial. In an article and an interview on the "Living Archives" (Elävä arkisto) website of YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, the producer of the original live recording, Mr. Tapani Karhu, clearly states that the date of the show was 19 March 1967.
(now known as Chicago) recorded a cover version
of "I'm a Man" for their 1969 debut album, The Chicago Transit Authority
. When the band's popularity surged after their second album, "I'm a Man" was released as the B-side
to a re-release of "Questions 67 and 68
". Radio station
s ended up playing both sides, and "I'm a Man" reached #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971.
Chicago's cover is a borderline heavy metal
arrangement
, clocking in at 7 minutes and 40 seconds, and is based around the bluesy guitar playing of Terry Kath
, the virtuoso drumming of Danny Seraphine
and the horn section doubling on auxiliary percussion instruments, such as claves
, cowbell, maracas
and tambourine
. Kath, Peter Cetera
and Robert Lamm
each sing a verse apiece (singing not the lyrics
as written, but as Chicago apparently misunderstood them), preluding an extended drum solo before a return to the second and third verses and choruses that bring the song to a climactic drum roll, and finally leading into a guitar solo to bring the song to a dramatic close. This version remains a fan favourite and is featured on the 1971 four record live album Chicago at Carnegie Hall
and Chicago Live in Japan
which was initially released only in Japan in 1972 and was later released on CD on Chicago Records elsewhere in the 1990s as well as a live recording at the Toronto
Rock and Roll Revival from 1969 . Santana
has also used a small part of this song in the track "Waiting" which appears on their self titled 1969 debut album. In many live performances, Chicago would hand pick a female track athlete from the crowd to run out on to the stage and perform gymnastic moves to accentuate her man-esque body features, particularly the legs.
's lead vocal. Their arrangement segued into Bo Diddley
's song of the same name
.
Former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine
's current band, California Transit Authority (CTA), performed "I'm a Man" at their appearance at the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival in New Jersey. The performance featured extensive drumset and percussion solos. The tune also appears on CTA's first album, "Full Circle," released in 2007.
Marzio Vincenzi, lead and background vocalist originally from Bologna
, Italy
, and Mauro Malavasi
produced
in 1978 a version of "I'm a Man" under the name Macho
which is a classic of disco
music, or as some have classified it, "rosco music", a hybrid between rock and disco genres.
A further disco-flavored version is the one released by keyboardist Keith Emerson
in his soundtrack album of the 1981 film Nighthawks
, featuring him providing unlikely lead vocals. The song underpins a key scene in the movie in a slightly different version which features a longer instrumental coda not included in the original record.
In 1987 the italian producer Gianfranco Bortolotti edited as Club House the maxi-single "I'm a man/Yéké Yéké" remixing both tracks.
Guitarist Roy Z
's band, Tribe of Gypsies
, included a cover of "I'm a Man" on their 1997 (Japanese import only) mini-album, Nothing Lasts Forever
, adding a strong Latin rock flavor to the song.
Los Lonely Boys
recorded a version on their 2008 album Forgiven
.
The Sub recorded a version on their 1970s album Sub - In Concert.
aired a UK television commercial titled "Dog" in late winter 2008 which featured a dog miming singing "I'm a Man". The version used in the advert for the Polo
was a cover version by a young British singer-songwriter, Charlie Winston
. The Noam Murro-directed advert was banned after complaints from the RSPCA and over 750 viewers.
disco version of the song is occasionally featured in the game show
, The Price Is Right
, mostly for reveals of new cars.
The Live365
Internet radio service Radio Vietnam uses excerpts from "I'm a Man" as one of their station I.D.'s.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Spencer Davis Group
Spencer Davis Group
The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England, formed by Spencer Davis with Steve Winwood and his brother Muff Winwood...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Jimmy Miller.
Original version by the Spencer Davis Group
The original recordingSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
was a fast, Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
-driven blues rock track released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by the Spencer Davis Group in early 1967, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and number 10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It was the last hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
single by the band before the brothers Steve and Muff Winwood
Muff Winwood
Mervyn "Muff" Winwood is an English songwriter and record producer, and the older brother of Steve Winwood. Both were formerly members of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff Winwood played bass guitar...
left to pursue their own separate careers.
The song is sometimes confused with another SDG hit, "Gimme Some Loving", which has been a hit for various other bands, and was also covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Steve Winwood's next band, Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
.
"I'm a Man" was included on the band's summer 1967 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, I'm a Man, as well as being featured on the recent Spencer Davis Group DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Gimme Some Lovin' Live 1966. Although the recording is said to be late 1966, this date is in fact controversial. In an article and an interview on the "Living Archives" (Elävä arkisto) website of YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation, the producer of the original live recording, Mr. Tapani Karhu, clearly states that the date of the show was 19 March 1967.
Chicago version
Chicago Transit AuthorityChicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
(now known as Chicago) recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "I'm a Man" for their 1969 debut album, The Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (album)
The Chicago Transit Authority is the eponymous debut album by the Chicago-based rock band The Chicago Transit Authority, who would later be known as Chicago. It was recorded and released in 1969.-History:...
. When the band's popularity surged after their second album, "I'm a Man" was released as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to a re-release of "Questions 67 and 68
Questions 67 and 68
"Questions 67 and 68" is a song written by Robert Lamm for the rock band Chicago and recorded for their debut album The Chicago Transit Authority , with Peter Cetera and Lamm singing lead vocals...
". Radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s ended up playing both sides, and "I'm a Man" reached #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971.
Chicago's cover is a borderline heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, clocking in at 7 minutes and 40 seconds, and is based around the bluesy guitar playing of Terry Kath
Terry Kath
Terry Alan Kath , born in Chicago, Illinois, was the original guitarist and founding member of the rock band Chicago...
, the virtuoso drumming of Danny Seraphine
Danny Seraphine
Daniel Peter "Danny" Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer, best known for being the original drummer and founding member of the rock group Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.-Early life:Danny Seraphine was born in...
and the horn section doubling on auxiliary percussion instruments, such as claves
Claves
Claves are a percussion instrument , consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone), consisting of a pair of short Claves (Anglicized pronunciation: clah-vays, IPA:[ˈklαves]) are a percussion instrument (idiophone),...
, cowbell, maracas
Maracás
Maracás is a town and municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.-References:...
and tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
. Kath, Peter Cetera
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
and Robert Lamm
Robert Lamm
Robert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
each sing a verse apiece (singing not the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
as written, but as Chicago apparently misunderstood them), preluding an extended drum solo before a return to the second and third verses and choruses that bring the song to a climactic drum roll, and finally leading into a guitar solo to bring the song to a dramatic close. This version remains a fan favourite and is featured on the 1971 four record live album Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago at Carnegie Hall
Chicago at Carnegie Hall is the first live album by American band Chicago and was initially released in 1971 as a four LP vinyl box set on Columbia Records. It was also available for a time as two separate 2-record sets....
and Chicago Live in Japan
Live in Japan (Chicago album)
Live in Japan is a 1975 live album by American rock band Chicago. It was recorded over the course of 3 days at the Osaka Festival Hall on the band's tour in support of Chicago V in 1972. The group recorded Japanese-language versions of "Lowdown" and "Questions 67 And 68" to coincide with their...
which was initially released only in Japan in 1972 and was later released on CD on Chicago Records elsewhere in the 1990s as well as a live recording at the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
Rock and Roll Revival from 1969 . Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
has also used a small part of this song in the track "Waiting" which appears on their self titled 1969 debut album. In many live performances, Chicago would hand pick a female track athlete from the crowd to run out on to the stage and perform gymnastic moves to accentuate her man-esque body features, particularly the legs.
Other cover versions
The Serfs album The Early Bird Cafe, Capitol, 1968, featured a percussion-heavy intro (pre-dating Chicago's) and Mike FinniganMike Finnigan
Mike Finnigan is an American keyboard player and vocalist, his specialty being the Hammond Organ.-Career:Finnigan has toured and sessioned for the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Etta James, Sam Moore, Crosby Stills and Nash, Dave Mason, Buddy Guy, Manhattan Transfer, Taj Mahal, Michael...
's lead vocal. Their arrangement segued into Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
's song of the same name
I'm A Man (Bo Diddley song)
"I'm a Man" is a song written and recorded by Bo Diddley in 1955. A moderately slow blues with a stop-time figure, it was inspired by an earlier blues song and became a #1 R&B chart hit. "I'm a Man" has been acknowledged by Rolling Stone magazine and has been recorded by a variety of artists,...
.
Former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine
Danny Seraphine
Daniel Peter "Danny" Seraphine is an American drummer, record producer, theatrical producer and film producer, best known for being the original drummer and founding member of the rock group Chicago, a tenure which lasted from February 1967 to May 1990.-Early life:Danny Seraphine was born in...
's current band, California Transit Authority (CTA), performed "I'm a Man" at their appearance at the 2006 Modern Drummer Festival in New Jersey. The performance featured extensive drumset and percussion solos. The tune also appears on CTA's first album, "Full Circle," released in 2007.
Marzio Vincenzi, lead and background vocalist originally from Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Mauro Malavasi
Mauro Malavasi
Mauro Malavasi is an Italian pianist, songwriter and producer.Malavasi had during the early 70s educated himself at the conservatory of Bologna, Italy in the composition, choir and orchestral disciplines. During those years he also developed his piano to become a masterful piano player...
produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
in 1978 a version of "I'm a Man" under the name Macho
Macho (band)
Macho was an Italian-American disco/R&B studio group. The Guadeloupe born French-Italian businessman Jacques Fred Petrus and Italian musician Mauro Malavasi, formed a joint production company, called Goody Music Production , in the mid-1970s. Their first project, in 1978, was called Macho,...
which is a classic of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music, or as some have classified it, "rosco music", a hybrid between rock and disco genres.
A further disco-flavored version is the one released by keyboardist Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
in his soundtrack album of the 1981 film Nighthawks
Nighthawks (film)
Nighthawks is a 1981 thriller film starring Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, Rutger Hauer, Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta, and Nigel Davenport. It was directed by Bruce Malmuth. The original music score was composed by Keith Emerson.-Storyline:...
, featuring him providing unlikely lead vocals. The song underpins a key scene in the movie in a slightly different version which features a longer instrumental coda not included in the original record.
In 1987 the italian producer Gianfranco Bortolotti edited as Club House the maxi-single "I'm a man/Yéké Yéké" remixing both tracks.
Guitarist Roy Z
Roy Z
Roy Z is a guitarist, songwriter and producer known for his work with Bruce Dickinson , Rob Halford and Judas Priest. He also is the founder of Tribe of Gypsies, a hard rock band with Latin influences.-Biography:...
's band, Tribe of Gypsies
Tribe of Gypsies
Tribe of Gypsies is a San Fernando Valley, California-based Latin rock group, best known for band leader/guitarist Roy Z who has produced, written for, and played with such well known artists as Judas Priest, Rob Halford, and Bruce Dickinson who has used various members of Tribe of Gypsies to...
, included a cover of "I'm a Man" on their 1997 (Japanese import only) mini-album, Nothing Lasts Forever
Nothing Lasts Forever (mini-album)
Nothing Lasts Forever is a 6-song mini-album by San Fernando Valley, California-based Latin Rock band Tribe of Gypsies. It is the second and final release with Dean Ortega on lead vocals....
, adding a strong Latin rock flavor to the song.
Los Lonely Boys
Los Lonely Boys
Los Lonely Boys is a Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown eyed soul, country, and Tejano....
recorded a version on their 2008 album Forgiven
Forgiven (Los Lonely Boys album)
Forgiven was released on July 1, 2008. It is the Los Lonely Boys' fifth album and their third studio set.The album sticks to their fuller sound, which was showcased in their previous album, Sacred, and is primarily blues based.-Track listing:...
.
The Sub recorded a version on their 1970s album Sub - In Concert.
VW Polo advert
VolkswagenVolkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
aired a UK television commercial titled "Dog" in late winter 2008 which featured a dog miming singing "I'm a Man". The version used in the advert for the Polo
Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, coupé and estate variants....
was a cover version by a young British singer-songwriter, Charlie Winston
Charlie Winston
Charlie Winston is an English singer-songwriter.-Music Career:Early Career...
. The Noam Murro-directed advert was banned after complaints from the RSPCA and over 750 viewers.
In other media
An instrumentalInstrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
disco version of the song is occasionally featured in the game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
, mostly for reveals of new cars.
The Live365
Live365
Live365 is an Internet radio network where members can create their own online radio station or listen to other Live365 broadcasters' online stations. As of October 2006, there were about 6,500 active stations, some of which play niche genres seldom heard on AM/FM radio...
Internet radio service Radio Vietnam uses excerpts from "I'm a Man" as one of their station I.D.'s.
External links
- [ Review of "I'm a Man"] by Richie UnterbergerRichie UnterbergerRichie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
at Allmusic