I'm a Man (Bo Diddley song)
| "I'm a Man" | |
|---|---|
 "I'm a Man" cover |
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| B-side to "Bo Diddley" by Bo Diddley | |
| Released | April 1955[1] |
| Recorded | March 2, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois[2] |
| Genre | Rhythm and blues |
| Length | 2:59 |
| Label | Checker (Cat. no.) |
| Writer | Ellas McDaniel aka Bo Diddley |
| Producer | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Bo Diddley[2] |
"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, including The Yardbirds who had a #17 pop hit in the U.S. in 1965.
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[edit] Bo Diddley song
"I'm a Man" was released as the B-side of "Bo Diddley", his first single in April 1955. The single became a two-sided hit and reached #1 in the Billboard R&B chart. "I'm a Man" was inspired by Muddy Waters' 1954 song "Hoochie Coochie Man", written by Willie Dixon.[3] After Diddley's release, Waters recorded an "answer song" to "I'm a Man" in May 1955, titled "Mannish Boy",[3] a play on words on Bo Diddley's younger age as it related to the primary theme of the song.
Backing Diddley (vocals and guitar) are Billy Boy Arnold (harmonica), Otis Spann (piano), Jerome Green (maracas), Willie Dixon (double bass), and either Frank Kirkland or Clifton James (drums).[2] In a Rolling Stone magazine interview, Bo Diddley recounts that the song took a long time to record because of confusion regarding the timing of the "M...A...N" part.[4] The song is included on several of his compilation albums, including Bo Diddley (1958) and His Best (1997). He also recorded it with Muddy Waters and Little Walter for the 1967 Super Blues album. The song is ranked #369 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
[edit] The Yardbirds versions
| "I'm a Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Yardbirds | ||||
| from the album Having a Rave Up | ||||
| B-side | "Still I'm Sad" | |||
| Released | October 6, 1965 (U.S.) | |||
| Format | 7" 45 rpm | |||
| Recorded |
Chess Records Studios, Chicago September 21–22, 1965 |
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| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 2:37 | |||
| Label | Epic (Cat. no. 5-9857 (U.S.)) | |||
| Writer(s) | Ellas McDaniel aka Bo Diddley | |||
| Producer | Giorgio Gomelsky | |||
| The Yardbirds U.S. Singles chronology | ||||
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English rock band The Yardbirds recorded a live version of "I'm a Man" for their first UK album, Five Live Yardbirds with Eric Clapton in 1964 (later released in the U.S. on the Having a Rave Up album). In 1965 during their first American tour, the Yardbirds, with Jeff Beck recorded a studio version of "I'm a Man". Their versions feature their signature "rave-up" arrangement, when the beat shifts into double time and the instrumentation builds to a crescendo. Beck added a "scratch-picking"[5] technique to produce a percussive effect during the song's instrumental section, which "provides the climax on the studio version of "I'm a Man", perhaps the most famous Yardbirds rave-up of all".[6]
Recording took place at the Chess Studios in Chicago, with additional recording at the Columbia Studios in New York. It was released as single and later included on their 1965 Epic Records album, Having a Rave Up. The Yardbirds' version (with "Still I'm Sad" as its B-side, released by Epic Records in the U.S.) peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.[7] The song was later released in the UK in 1976. Diddley praised their cover as "beautiful"[8] and it has been called "a defining moment for the band".[6]
Another live version, recorded in 1968 with the Jimmy Page line-up was released on the 1971 album Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page.
[edit] Other versions
Numerous artists have recorded "I'm a Man" over the years. The Royal Guardsmen recorded it, as well as Doug Sahm, who performed the song in a San Francisco nightclub in the film, More American Graffiti. The Who recorded the song for their debut album My Generation. A live recording of "I'm a Man" was the B-side of Dr. Feelgood's 1975 single, "Back in the Night", and appeared on their chart-topping 1976 live album, Stupidity. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers performed the song throughout their 2006 North American "Highway Companion" tour. A version from this tour was later featured on The Live Anthology album. In 2008, a schaffel beat version by Black Strobe was included in the film and soundtrack album for Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla.
George Thorogood's song "Bad to the Bone" (for which Diddley appeared in the music video) and AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" also borrow from the guitar riff, melody, and overall structure of "I'm a Man".
An untitled rock variation of the song was featured in the trailer for the two-part French film, Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One. It is commonly mistaken for the version of the song performed by Black Strobe, the difference being that the words "I'm a Man" are replaced with "Highwayman" in the trailer version.
[edit] References
- ^ "Reviews of New R&B Records". Billboard: 46. April 9, 1955. http://books.google.com/books?id=vRkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46&dq=%22Bo+Diddley%22+814&hl=en&ei=o0EOTZz3DpHOngffooWDDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q=%22Bo%20Diddley%22%20814&f=false. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
- ^ a b c (1997) Album notes for His Best by Bo Diddley [CD liner]. United States: Chess Records/MCA Records (CHD-9373).
- ^ a b Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). Encyclopedia of the Blues. University of Arkansas Press. p. 454. ISBN 1557282528.
- ^ Loder, Kurt (February 12, 1987). Bo Diddley: The Rolling Stone Interview. Jann S. Wenner. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20080606011121/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/21023405/bo_diddley_the_rolling_stone_interview/3. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ Santoro, Gene (1991). Beckology (liner notes). Epic/Legacy. p. 18. E3K 48661.
- ^ a b Koda, Cub (2001). Ultimate! (liner notes). Rhino Records. pp. 2, 33. R2 79825.
- ^ The Yardbirds at Allmusic
- ^ "Show 29 - The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!: The U.S.A. is invaded by a wave of long-haired English rockers. [Part 3] : UNT Digital Library". Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. 1969. http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19784/m1/. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
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