Mirror Man (song)
Encyclopedia
"Mirror Man" is a Motown-inspired song by the British synthpop
group The Human League
. It was released as a single in the UK on 27 November 1982 and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart
. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey
with keyboard players Jo Callis
and Ian Burden
. The song features a lead vocal by Oakey and female backing vocals by Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall
, analogue synthesizers by Callis, Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden (who also plays bass on the song). Drum machines, sequencing and programming were provided by producer Martin Rushent
.
. "Mirror Man" was conceived and written as a celebration of Philip Oakey and Philip Adrian Wright's love of Motown. It has been described as electronic northern soul
, with Oakey's main verses delivered in deliberate sentences with emphasis on the last word of each sentence. Vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall feature heavily but have no lyrics, providing a backing of operatic "oohs" and "ahhs". Recording and production was overseen by Martin Rushent. It is possible to pick out his style in the sequencing and drum machine layers, ensuring "Mirror Man" would sound as if it had come from Dare.
Speculation about who was the titular 'Mirror Man' was ended in 1988 when, during interviews to promote the band's Greatest Hits album, Oakey revealed that it was about Adam Ant
. Oakey had become concerned that Ant was starting to believe his own publicity, and was in danger of losing touch with reality. Oakey had avoided revealing this at the time for fear of offending the song's subject.
The song was released as a single in the UK in November 1982. It was the first single the band had released since the unexpected phenomenal success of "Don't You Want Me
" almost a year earlier. The single was tipped by the media as their second Christmas number-one single in the UK, but peaked just short, at number two.
Its release in the U.S. was delayed until May 1983 where it was incorporated into the stop gap EP
Fascination!
. A&M Records
had refused to release it as a single "unless there was to be an album hot on its heels". The track peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the fall of 1983.
(whilst attempting to break the world water speed record on Loch Ness on 29 September 1952) is spliced in with Oakey's dressing room scene. Cryptic references are left in shot, including a British Vehicle excise duty
disc with an expiry date of October 1981 which was the release date of Dare.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
group The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
. It was released as a single in the UK on 27 November 1982 and peaked at number two 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 ...
. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey
Philip Oakey is an English composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous English synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
with keyboard players Jo Callis
Jo Callis
Jo Callis is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band, The Rezillos , and post-punk band Boots For Dancing before joining The Human League.-Biography:Callis was educated at the Edinburgh College of Art...
and Ian Burden
Ian Burden
Ian Charles Burden was a keyboard player with the English synthpop band, The Human League, from 1981 up to 1989....
. The song features a lead vocal by Oakey and female backing vocals by Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall
Joanne Catherall is an English singer; best known as one of the two female vocalists of the veteran English synthpop band The Human League.Born and raised in Sheffield, England...
, analogue synthesizers by Callis, Philip Adrian Wright and Ian Burden (who also plays bass on the song). Drum machines, sequencing and programming were provided by producer Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent
Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...
.
Background
"Mirror Man" was the first track written and recorded by the Human League after they returned from their World Tour, conducted in the wake of the enormous international success of their album DareDare (album)
Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...
. "Mirror Man" was conceived and written as a celebration of Philip Oakey and Philip Adrian Wright's love of Motown. It has been described as electronic northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
, with Oakey's main verses delivered in deliberate sentences with emphasis on the last word of each sentence. Vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall feature heavily but have no lyrics, providing a backing of operatic "oohs" and "ahhs". Recording and production was overseen by Martin Rushent. It is possible to pick out his style in the sequencing and drum machine layers, ensuring "Mirror Man" would sound as if it had come from Dare.
Speculation about who was the titular 'Mirror Man' was ended in 1988 when, during interviews to promote the band's Greatest Hits album, Oakey revealed that it was about Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
. Oakey had become concerned that Ant was starting to believe his own publicity, and was in danger of losing touch with reality. Oakey had avoided revealing this at the time for fear of offending the song's subject.
The song was released as a single in the UK in November 1982. It was the first single the band had released since the unexpected phenomenal success of "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
" almost a year earlier. The single was tipped by the media as their second Christmas number-one single in the UK, but peaked just short, at number two.
Its release in the U.S. was delayed until May 1983 where it was incorporated into the stop gap EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Fascination!
Fascination!
Fascination! is an EP released by British synthpop band The Human League in 1983. The EP was issued by Virgin Records as a stop-gap release in between the albums Dare! and Hysteria....
. A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
had refused to release it as a single "unless there was to be an album hot on its heels". The track peaked at number 30 on the 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...
in the fall of 1983.
Promotional video
The promotional video for "Mirror Man" was conceived and directed by Duffy. The basic premise is that Oakey is a ghost of a performer who has died suddenly, and now inhabits a theatre where he reveals himself to a band (Human League) who have come to rehearse. The video is filmed on location at a deserted theatre in London. The main scenes are of Oakey in a dressing room singing to a mirror. Footage of the crash and death of John CobbJohn Cobb (motorist)
John Rhodes Cobb was a British racing motorist. He made money as a director of fur brokers Anning, Chadwick and Kiver and could afford to specialise in large capacity motor-racing...
(whilst attempting to break the world water speed record on Loch Ness on 29 September 1952) is spliced in with Oakey's dressing room scene. Cryptic references are left in shot, including a British Vehicle excise duty
Vehicle excise duty
Vehicle Excise Duty is a vehicle road use tax levied as an excise duty which must be paid for most types of vehicle which are to be used on the public roads in the United Kingdom...
disc with an expiry date of October 1981 which was the release date of Dare.
Chart performances
| Chart | Positions |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 31 |
| French Singles Chart | 84 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 19 |
| 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 ... |
2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |