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Man of the World (song)

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"Man of the World"
1969 Germany issue
Single by Fleetwood Mac
B-side"Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite"
ReleasedApril 1969
RecordedJanuary 1969
GenreRock
Length2:36
LabelImmediate
Songwriter(s)Peter Green
Producer(s)Mike Vernon
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Albatross"
(1968) 		"Man of the World"
(1969) 		"Oh Well"
(1969)

"Man of the World" is a song recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1969, and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green.[1] After the group signed to Immediate Records that year, the label collapsed shortly after the single's release. As such, "Man of the World" is the only Fleetwood Mac single under the Immediate Records label.[2]

"Man of the World" first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1969, subsequently appearing on the band's Greatest Hits album in 1971. The song was later featured on the 1992 boxed set 25 Years – The Chain, and on the 2002 compilation albums The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac and The Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. A slightly different version of the song was included on the 1998 compilation The Vaudeville Years. In 2019, the band played the song live for the first time in 50 years during the Australian leg of their An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour.[3]

Composition

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"Man of the World" was recorded in January 1969 during a break in the band's touring schedule.[4] The band was in New York during their second American tour when they began work on the song.[5] Green wrote the song when he was at an emotional low point, saying that "It was how I felt at the time. It's me at my saddest."[4] "Man of the World" was the final Fleetwood Mac song with Mike Vernon serving as producer. Vernon remembered that Danny Kirwan had "considerable input" in the creation of "Man of the World" and that he and Green worked out guitar harmonies together.[5]

Mick Fleetwood commented about Green's then mental health state, "It's a very prophetic song. When he made those songs, we had no idea that he was suffering internally as much as he was. But if you listen to the words, it's crucifyingly obvious what was going on. But a beautiful song. A poignant song."[6]

Release

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"Man of the World" was released in the UK on 4 April 1969. The single's sales were initially modest, so Clifford Davis, who served as Fleetwood Mac's manager at the time, engaged in payola to ensure that the song became commercially successful. Davis said "It was a big hit. I made sure of that. I spent a lot of money making sure it was played on the right programmes and you can read into that however you like.[5]The single peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 2 on 7 June 1969, spending a total of 14 weeks on the listing.[7]

The song was not released in the US until 1976, when DJM Records released it as a single with "Best Girl in the World" as its B-side. "Best Girl in the World" was pulled from the non-US version of Kirwan's album Second Chapter, released in 1976.[8] Record World said of the release that "an exquisite pattern of guitars re-establishes the early trademark."[9] The 1976 UK re-release of "Man of the World" had the title track of Second Chapter as the B-side.[10]

Original B-side ("Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite")

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The B-side of the original "Man of the World" single was "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite", credited to Earl Vince and the Valiants – in reality Fleetwood Mac performing under a different name.[1] The song was composed and sung by Jeremy Spencer,[1] the only member of the band who did not appear on the A-side. The song was later covered by the UK punk band The Rezillos on their debut album, Can't Stand the Rezillos[11] and later featured on Jackass: The Music, Vol. 1.[12]

Sampling and other uses

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"Man of the World" was used by Ian Broudie as the basis – melody and the final lyric line – for an album track, "I Wish I Was in Love", on The Lightning Seeds' album Tilt (1999).[13] The track is credited accordingly as co-written by Peter Green.[14]

Green also re-recorded the song as an instrumental with the Peter Green Splinter Group, as a hidden track for their 1999 release, Destiny Road.[15]

Midge Ure recorded a version for his album 10 in 2008.[16]

Personnel

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Chart positions

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Chart (1969) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 12
Norway (VG-lista)[19] 2
South Africa (EMA)[20] 11
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 2
West Germany (GfK)[23] 23

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Fleetwood Mac - Man Of The World (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. April 1969. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  2. ^ Liner notes for the CD The Vaudeville Years of Fleetwood Mac, 1968–1970, "Jet" Martin Celmins, Trojan Records, 2002.
  3. ^ Greene, Andy (12 August 2019). "Watch Fleetwood Mac Play 'Man of the World' for First Time in 50 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b Blake, Mark (2024). "Man of the World: Fleetwood Mac's Saddest Song". The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac. New York: Pegasus Books. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-1-63936-732-0.
  5. ^ a b c Celmins, Martin (1995). Peter Green: The Biography (1st ed.). Chessington, Surrey: Castle Communications. pp. 80–84. ISBN 1-898141-134 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Greene, Andy (25 July 2020). "Flashback: Fleetwood Mac Play a Gut-Wrenching 'Man of the World' in 1969". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  7. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 205. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. ^ "Danny Kirwan 7" Singles". 15 December 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-12-15.
  9. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 7 February 1976. p. 14. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Fleetwood Mac 7" Singles L - R". April 5, 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-04-05.
  11. ^ "Can't Stand the Rezillos - The Rezillos | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Jackass The Movie • The Official Soundtrack (2002, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Tilt - The Lightning Seeds | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  14. ^ "I Wish I Was in Love - The Lightning Seeds | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  15. ^ "Peter Green Splinter Group - Destiny Road". Discogs.com. 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  16. ^ Jon O'Brien (2008-09-29). ""10" - Midge Ure | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  17. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Man of the World". Irish Singles Chart.
  18. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  19. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World". VG-lista.
  20. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending {{{date}}}". Entertainment Monitoring Africa.
  21. ^ "Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World". Singles Top 100.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Fleetwood Mac"
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