Working for the Man (song): Difference between revisions

"Working for the Man"
"Working for the Man"
Single by Mental As Anything
B-side	"Seems Alright to Me (AUえーゆーS) ; Red To Green (Canada)"
Released	November 1983
Genre	Pop, Rock
Length	3:31
Label	Regular Records
Songwriter(s)	Roy Orbison
Producer(s)	Mark Moffatt, Ricky Fataar
Mental As Anything singles chronology
Music video
	"Working For The Man" on YouTube

"Working for the Man"
"Working for the Man"
Single by Roy Orbison
B-side	"Leah"
Published	September 27, 1962 Acuff-Rose Publications, Inc.
Released	September 8, 1962
Recorded	August 14, 1962
Studio	RCA Victor Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Rock and roll
Label	Monument; London;
Songwriter(s)	Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison singles chronology

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"Working for the Man" is a song composed and sung by rock and roll performer Roy Orbison. Released in 1962 as a double A-side with "Leah", it reached number one in Australia, number thirty-three in the US,^[3] and the top 50 in Canada and England.^[4]

Details[edit]

"Working for the Man" and "Leah" were both recorded on August 14, 1962.^[5] It was the first release after the dissolution of Orbison's writing partnership with Joe Melson.^[6] In many releases it was subtitled, "with Bob Moore's Orchestra and Chorus".

"Working for the Man" was inspired by Orbison's time after school. He said, "I was working for El Paso Natural Gas in the daytime, cutting up steel and loading it onto trucks and chopping weeds and painting water towers. Our straw boss was Mr. Rose, and he wouldn’t cut me any slack."^[6] Elsewhere he added, "I worked in the blazing heat, hard, hard labor, and then I’d play at night, come home and some nights be too tired to eat or even to undress. I’d lay down, and I wouldn’t even turn over. I’d wake up in the same spot and hit the oil patch again."^[7] He added, "Most of the songs I've written are based on experiences I recall. It may be some years after a thing has happened to me that I'll think about it and then write a song."^[8]

Reception[edit]

At the time of release, Billboard noted "Working for the Man" was a "fine song" and "a smartly styled work song that reached a powerful climax".^[5] The BBC noted, "Orbison could be playful. The yodelling, gleeful "Working for the Man" is a double-edged paean to hard-nosed capitalism."^[9]

Mental as Anything version[edit]

Australian band Mental as Anything released the song as a non-album single in November 1983. It peaked at number 20 in Australia and 49 in New Zealand.^[11]^[12] It was subsequently added to the North American version of Creatures of Leisure.

Track listings[edit]

Regular Records (RRSP 730
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Working for the Man"	Roy Orbison	3:31
2.	"Seems Alright to Me"	Martin Plaza	3:29

Charts[edit]

Chart (1983/84)	Peak position
Australian (Kent Music Report)^[13]	20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[14]	49

References[edit]

^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1962). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1962 Music July-Dec 3D Ser Vol 16 Pt 5. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
^ ^a ^b ^c Weize, Richard (2001). Orbison 1955-1965 (7-CD Deluxe Box Set) (booklet). Bear Family Records. BCD16423. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 631.
^ David Kent (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940-1969. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 9780646444390.
^ ^a ^b Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison, Wesley Orbison (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography. Center Street. ISBN 978-1478976547.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b Colin Escott (2002). Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music. Psychology Press. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0415937832.
^ Steve Pond (26 January 1989). "Roy Orbison's Triumphs and Tragedies". Rolling Stone.
^ June Harris. "Roy Orbison: Hits Are Great — But I Miss Those (MODEL) Planes". Rock's Backpages.(Subscription required.)
^ Jaime Gill. "Roy Orbison The Monument Singles Collection". BBC.
^ 45cat - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man
^ Australian Music Database - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man
^ David Kent (March 1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Mental as Anything – {{{song}}}". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 December 2021.

This 1980s rock song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1962). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1962 Music July-Dec 3D Ser Vol 16 Pt 5. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.

[Orbison-2] Weize, Richard (2001). Orbison 1955-1965 (7-CD Deluxe Box Set) (booklet). Bear Family Records. BCD16423. Retrieved 2021-10-11.

[3] Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 631.

[4] David Kent (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940-1969. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 9780646444390.

[bio-5] Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison, Wesley Orbison (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography. Center Street. ISBN 978-1478976547.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[roadkill-6] Colin Escott (2002). Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music. Psychology Press. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0415937832.

[7] Steve Pond (26 January 1989). "Roy Orbison's Triumphs and Tragedies". Rolling Stone.

[8] June Harris. "Roy Orbison: Hits Are Great — But I Miss Those (MODEL) Planes". Rock's Backpages.(Subscription required.)

[9] Jaime Gill. "Roy Orbison The Monument Singles Collection". BBC.

[10] 45cat - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man

[11] Australian Music Database - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man

[12] David Kent (March 1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[Kent-13] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[sc_New_Zealand_Mental_as_Anything-14] "Mental as Anything – {{{song}}}". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 5 December 2021.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | cover      =
 | alt        =
-| published  = {{Start date|1962|9|27}} [[Acuff-Rose Music|Acuff-Rose  Publications,  Inc.]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Library of Congress. Copyright Office.|url=http://archive.org/details/catalogofcopyrig3165libr|title=Catalog of Copyright Entries 1962 Music July-Dec 3D Ser Vol 16 Pt 5|date=1962|publisher=U.S. Govt. Print. Off.|others=United States Copyright Office|language=English}}</ref>
+| published  = {{Start date|1962|9|27}} [[Acuff-Rose Music|Acuff-Rose  Publications,  Inc.]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Library of Congress. Copyright Office.|url=https://archive.org/details/catalogofcopyrig3165libr|title=Catalog of Copyright Entries 1962 Music July-Dec 3D Ser Vol 16 Pt 5|date=1962|publisher=U.S. Govt. Print. Off.|others=United States Copyright Office|language=English}}</ref>
 | type       = single
 | artist     = [[Roy Orbison]]
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | released   = September 8, 1962<ref name="Orbison"></ref>
 | recorded   = {{Start date|1962|8|14}}<ref name="Orbison">{{Cite AV media notes |title = Orbison 1955-1965 (7-CD Deluxe Box Set) |last = Weize |first = Richard |url = https://www.bear-family.com/orbison-roy-orbison-1955-1965-7-cd-deluxe-box-set.html |date        = 2001 |access-date = 2021-10-11 |type = booklet |publisher = Bear Family Records|id = BCD16423}}</ref>
+| studio     = [[RCA Studio B|RCA Victor Studio B]], Nashville, Tennessee<ref name="Orbison"></ref>
-| studio     =
 | venue      =
 | genre      = [[Rock and roll]]
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 }}
-"'''Working for the Man'''" is a song composed and sung by [[rock music|rock and roll]] performer [[Roy Orbison]]. Released in 1962 as a double A-side with "Leah", it reached number one in Australia, number thirty-three in the US,<ref>{{cite book |title=  Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=631}}</ref> and the top 50 in Canada and England.<ref>{{cite book | author=David Kent |title=Australian Chart Book 1940-1969 |year=2005 | isbn=9780646444390}}</ref>
+"'''Working for the Man'''" is a song composed and sung by [[rock music|rock and roll]] performer [[Roy Orbison]]. Released in 1962 as a double A-side with "Leah", it reached number one in Australia, number thirty-three in the US,<ref>{{cite book |title=  Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=631}}</ref> and the top 50 in Canada and England.<ref>{{cite book | author=David Kent |title=Australian Chart Book 1940-1969 |year=2005 |publisher=Australian Chart Book | isbn=9780646444390}}</ref>
 ==Details==
 "Working for the Man" and "Leah" were both recorded on August 14, 1962.<ref name="bio" /> It was the first release after the dissolution of Orbison's writing partnership with Joe Melson.<ref name="roadkill"/> In many releases it was subtitled, "with Bob Moore's Orchestra and Chorus".
-"Working for the Man" was inspired by Orbison's time after school. He said, "I was working for El Paso Natural Gas in the daytime, cutting up steel and loading it onto trucks and chopping weeds and painting water towers. Our straw boss was Mr. Rose, and he wouldn’t cut me any slack."<ref name="roadkill">{{cite book | author=Colin Escott |title=Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music | url=https://archive.org/details/roadkillonthreec00esco | url-access=registration |year=2002 |isbn=978-0415937832|pages=[https://archive.org/details/roadkillonthreec00esco/page/32 32]}}</ref> Elsewhere he added, "I worked in the blazing heat, hard, hard labor, and then I’d play at night, come home and some nights be too tired to eat or even to undress. I’d lay down, and I wouldn’t even turn over. I’d wake up in the same spot and hit the oil patch again."<ref>{{cite web| work= [[Rolling Stone]] | title=Roy Orbison's Triumphs and Tragedies|author=Steve Pond | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/roy-orbisons-triumphs-and-tragedies-103421/}}</ref> He added, "Most of the songs I've written are based on experiences I recall. It may be some years after a thing has happened to me that I'll think about it and then write a song."<ref>{{cite web| work= [[Rock's Backpages]] | title=Roy Orbison: Hits Are Great — But I Miss Those (MODEL) Planes|author=June Harris | url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/roy-orbison-hits-are-great--but-i-miss-those-model-planes}}{{subscription required|s}}</ref>
+"Working for the Man" was inspired by Orbison's time after school. He said, "I was working for El Paso Natural Gas in the daytime, cutting up steel and loading it onto trucks and chopping weeds and painting water towers. Our straw boss was Mr. Rose, and he wouldn’t cut me any slack."<ref name="roadkill">{{cite book | author=[[Colin Escott]] |title=Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music | url=https://archive.org/details/roadkillonthreec00esco | url-access=registration |year=2002 |isbn=978-0415937832|pages=[https://archive.org/details/roadkillonthreec00esco/page/32 32]|publisher=Psychology Press }}</ref> Elsewhere he added, "I worked in the blazing heat, hard, hard labor, and then I’d play at night, come home and some nights be too tired to eat or even to undress. I’d lay down, and I wouldn’t even turn over. I’d wake up in the same spot and hit the oil patch again."<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] | title=Roy Orbison's Triumphs and Tragedies|author=Steve Pond | date=26 January 1989| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/roy-orbisons-triumphs-and-tragedies-103421/}}</ref> He added, "Most of the songs I've written are based on experiences I recall. It may be some years after a thing has happened to me that I'll think about it and then write a song."<ref>{{cite web| work= [[Rock's Backpages]] | title=Roy Orbison: Hits Are Great — But I Miss Those (MODEL) Planes|author=June Harris | url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/roy-orbison-hits-are-great--but-i-miss-those-model-planes}}{{subscription required|s}}</ref>
 ==Reception==
-At the time of release, Billboard noted "Working for the Man" was a "fine song" and "a smartly styled work song that reached a powerful climax".<ref name="bio">{{cite book | author=Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison, Wesley Orbison |title=The Authorized Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography |year=2017 | publisher = Center Street|isbn=978-1478976547}}</ref> The [[BBC]] noted, " Orbison could be playful. The yodelling, gleeful "Working for the Man" is a double-edged paean to hard-nosed capitalism."<ref>{{cite web| work= BBC| title=Roy Orbison The Monument Singles Collection|author=Jaime Gill | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pv6m/}}</ref>
+At the time of release, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' noted "Working for the Man" was a "fine song" and "a smartly styled work song that reached a powerful climax".<ref name="bio">{{cite book | author=Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison, Wesley Orbison |title=The Authorized Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography |year=2017 | publisher = Center Street|isbn=978-1478976547}}</ref> The [[BBC]] noted, "Orbison could be playful. The yodelling, gleeful "Working for the Man" is a double-edged paean to hard-nosed [[capitalism]]."<ref>{{cite web| work= BBC| title=Roy Orbison The Monument Singles Collection|author=Jaime Gill | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pv6m/}}</ref>
 ==Mental as Anything version==
 {{Infobox song
 | name       = Working for the Man
@@ Line 59: / Line 58: @@
 }}
-Australian band [[Mental as Anything]] released the song as a non-album single in 1983. It peaked at number 20 in Australia and 49 in New Zealand.<ref>[http://www.australianmusicdatabase.com/recordings/working-for-the-man-by-mental-as-anything Australian Music Database - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man]</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=David Kent |title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 |date=March 1993 | isbn= 0-646-11917-6|page=198}}</ref> It was subsequently added to the North American version of ''[[Creatures of Leisure]]''.
+Australian band [[Mental as Anything]] released the song as a non-album single in November 1983. It peaked at number 20 in Australia and 49 in New Zealand.<ref>[http://www.australianmusicdatabase.com/recordings/working-for-the-man-by-mental-as-anything Australian Music Database - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man]</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=David Kent |title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 |date=March 1993 | isbn= 0-646-11917-6|page=198|publisher=Australian Chart Book }}</ref> It was subsequently added to the North American version of ''[[Creatures of Leisure]]''.
 === Track listings ===
 {{Track listing
-| headline        = AUS single
+| headline        = Regular Records (RRSP 730
 | title1          = Working for the Man
@@ Line 72: / Line 71: @@
 | writer2         = [[Martin Plaza]]
 | length2         = 3:29
-}}
-{{Track listing
-| headline        = Canada single
-| title1          = Working For the Man
-| writer1         = [[Roy Orbison]]
-| length1         = 3:31
-| title2          = Red To Green
-| writer2         = [[Martin Plaza]]
-| length2         = 3:27
 }}
 === Charts ===
-{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
+{| class="wikitable"
-! scope="col" |Chart (1983/84)
+!Chart (1983/84)
-! scope="col" |Peak<br>position
+!Peak<br />position
 |-
-! scope="row" |Australia [[Kent Music Report]]<ref name="Kent">{{cite book |title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970&ndash;1992]] |last=Kent |first=David |authorlink= David Kent (historian) |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives]], NSW |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 }}</ref>
+|Australian ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="Kent">{{cite book |title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970&ndash;1992]] |last=Kent |first=David |authorlink= David Kent (historian) |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives]], NSW |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=198 }}</ref>
-| style="text-align:center;" |20
+|align="center"| 20
 |-
+{{single chart|New Zealand|49|artist=Mental as Anything|title=Working for the Man|access-date=5 December 2021}}
-! scope="row" | [[Recorded Music NZ]]<ref>[https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Mental+As+Anything&titel=Working+For+The+Man&cat=s New Zealand Charts - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man]</ref>
-| style="text-align:center;" |49
 |}

v t e Roy Orbison
Discography
Studio albums	Lonely and Blue (1961) Roy Orbison at the Rock House (1961) Crying (1962) In Dreams (1963) There Is Only One Roy Orbison (1965) Orbisongs (1965) The Orbison Way (1966) The Classic Roy Orbison (1966) Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson (1967) The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) Cry Softly Lonely One (1967) Roy Orbison's Many Moods (1969) Big O (1970) Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way (1970) Roy Orbison Sings (1972) Memphis (1972) Milestones (1973) I'm Still in Love With You (1975) Regeneration (1976) Laminar Flow (1979) In Dreams: The Greatest Hits (1987 – studio re-recordings of earlier hits) Mystery Girl (1989) King of Hearts (1992) One of the Lonely Ones (2015)
Compilations	Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits (1962) More of Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits (1964) Early Orbison (1964) The Great Songs of Roy Orbison (1970) The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison (1972) In Dreams: The Greatest Hits (1987) The Legendary Roy Orbison (1989) 16 Biggest Hits (1999) Greatest Hits Live (2006) The Essential Roy Orbison (2006) A Love So Beautiful (2017) Unchained Melodies (2018)
Collaborations	Class of '55 (1986) Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988)
Soundtrack appearances	Roadie (1980) Blue Velvet (1986) Less than Zero (1987)
Live	A Black & White Night Live (1989)
Singles	"Tryin' to Get to You" "Ooby Dooby" "Go Go Go" "Only the Lonely" "Blue Angel" "Running Scared" "Crying" / "Candy Man" "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" "Working for the Man" "In Dreams" "Blue Bayou" "Pretty Paper" "It's Over" "Oh, Pretty Woman" "Memphis, Tennessee" "You Got It" "She's a Mystery to Me" "I Drove All Night"
Related articles	Traveling Wilburys Roy Orbison/The Beatles Tour Fred Foster In Dreams (musical)
Category

v t e Mental As Anything
Martin Plaza Jacob Cook Martin Cilia Craig Gordon Peter Gray Steve Coburn Wayne de Lisle Reg Mombassa Greedy Smith Peter O'Doherty David Barraclough Murray Cook Mike Caen Robbie Souter Zoltan Budai James Gillard
Studio albums	Get Wet (1979) Espresso Bongo (1980) Cats & Dogs (1981) Creatures of Leisure (1983) Fundamental (1985) Mouth to Mouth (1987) Cyclone Raymond (1989)
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits Volume 1 (1986) Best of (1999) Essential As Anything – 30th Anniversary Edition (2009)
Singles	"The Nips Are Getting Bigger" "Possible Theme for a Future TV Drama Series" "Come Around" "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" "If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?" "Too Many Times" "Berserk Warriors" "Close Again" "Working for the Man" "Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile Off Santa's Face)" "You're So Strong" "Live It Up" "Date with Destiny" "Big Wheel" "Let's Go to Paradise" "He's Just No Good for You" "Don't Tell Me Now" "Rock and Roll Music "Whole Wide World"
Related articles	Discography ARIA Hall of Fame