Man of the World (song)

"Man of the World" is a song recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1969, and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green.[1] Having 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 song under the Immediate label.[2] "Man of the World" first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1969, subsequently appearing on the Greatest Hits album in 1971. It 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]

"Man of the World"
1969 Germany issue
Single by Fleetwood Mac
B-side"Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked in Tonite"
Released3 April 1969 (1969-04-03)
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)

Composition and chart performance

"Man of the World" is a song about a man who has everything he wants, except the companion he craves. It is in the key of D major, and ends on a D major sixth chord.

The single's peak position in the UK Singles Chart was No. 2 on 7 June 1969, spending a total of 14 weeks on the listing.[4] It entered the Dutch Top 40 on 26 April 1969 and peaked at No. 12. It also reached the top five in Norway and Ireland.

It was not released in the USA 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.[5] The 1976 UK re-release of "Man of the World" had the title track of Second Chapter as the B-side.[6] It has been also re-released in many countries as a 'Golden Oldies' single. The song was also issued in Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain on Immediate Records; Lebanon and Malaysia on Stateside Records and Yugoslavia on Jugoton.

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

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 and later featured on Jackass: The Music, Vol. 1.

Other uses

"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. The track is accordingly credited as co-written by Peter Green.[7]

Green rerecorded it with the Peter Green Splinter Group for their 1999 release, Destiny Road.

A cover of the song was used in a drunk-driving advertisement for a DOE campaign in 2000 and 2002.

Midge Ure recorded a version for his album "10" in 2008.[8]

Personnel

Chart positions
Chart (1969) Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 12
Norway (VG-lista)[12] 2
South Africa (EMA)[13] 11
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 12
UK Singles Chart[4] 2
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References
  1. "Fleetwood Mac - Man Of The World (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 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; Greene, Andy (2019-08-12). "Watch Fleetwood Mac Play 'Man of the World' for First Time in 50 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 205. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. "I Wish I Was in Love - The Lightning Seeds | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  8. Jon O'Brien (2008-09-29). ""10" - Midge Ure | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  9. "Musicline.de – Fleetwood Mac Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Man of the World". Irish Singles Chart.
  11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World". VG-lista.
  13. "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending {{{date}}}". Entertainment Monitoring Africa.
  14. "Swedishcharts.com – Fleetwood Mac – Man of the World". Singles Top 100.
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