Mannish Boy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Manish Boy"
Blues
Length2:55
LabelChess
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Muddy Waters singles chronology
"I'm Ready"
(1954)
"Manish Boy"
(1955)
"Sugar Sweet" / "Trouble No More"
(1955)

"Mannish Boy" (or "Manish Boy" as it was first labeled) is a

blues standard written by Muddy Waters, Mel London, and Bo Diddley (with Waters and Diddley being credited under their birth names). First recorded in 1955 by Waters, it serves as an "answer song" to Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man",[1] which was in turn inspired by Waters' and Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man".[2] "Mannish Boy" features a repeating stop-time figure on one chord throughout the song.[3]

Although the song contains sexual boasting, its repetition of "I'm a man, I spell M, A child, N" was understood as political. Waters had recently left the South for Chicago. "Growing up in the South, African-Americans [would] never be referred to as a man – but as 'boy'. In this context, the song [is] an assertion of black manhood."[4]

Recordings and releases

Waters recorded the song in Chicago on May 24, 1955.[3] It is his only recording between January 1953 and June 1957 that did not feature Little Walter on harmonica (who was on tour supporting his then-number one hit "My Babe" and thus unavailable for the recording session) and is one of few studio recordings with Junior Wells.[3] Also accompanying Muddy Waters are Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Fred Below on drums, and an unidentified female chorus.[3]

Waters recorded several versions of "Mannish Boy" during his career. In 1968, he recorded it for the

soundtrack of the same title.[5]

Charts and recognition

The song reached number five during a stay of six weeks in the

UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 51 in 1988.[7]

In 1986, Muddy Waters' original "Mannish Boy" was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame "Classics of Blues Recordings" category.[3] It was also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".[8] "Mannish Boy" is ranked number 425 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[9] The early David Bowie band, the Mannish Boys, took its name from the song.[10]

References

  1. ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 4 - The Tribal Drum: The rise of rhythm and blues. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  2. ^ Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "I'm a Man". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: .
  3. ^ a b c d e Blues Foundation (November 10, 2016). "1986 Hall of Fame Inductees: Manish Boy – Muddy Waters (Chess, 1955)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  4. ^ "Mannish Boy". Muddy Waters Official website. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  5. .
  6. ^ .
  7. ^ "Muddy Waters – Singles". Official Charts. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  8. ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll (Artists W-Z)". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009.
  9. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021)".
    Rollingstone.com
    . September 15, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  10. .