Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons song)
| "Walk Like a Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Four Seasons | ||||
| from the album Big Girls Don't Cry And Twelve Others | ||||
| B-side | Lucky Ladybug (from the same album) | |||
| Released | January 1963 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | January 1963 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:17 | |||
| Label | Vee-Jay Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Crewe | |||
| The Four Seasons singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Walk Like a Man" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by The Four Seasons.[1]
The Four Seasons' version
The song features the counterpoint of Nick Massi's bass voice and the falsetto of lead singer Frankie Valli. It was their 3rd #1 hit, initially reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on March 2, 1963, remaining there for three weeks. "Walk Like a Man" also went to number three on the R&B singles chart [2]
During the sessions that produced the hit recording, the fire department received an emergency call from the Abbey Victoria Hotel (the building that housed the Stea-Phillips Recording Studios). As producer Bob Crewe was insisting upon recording the perfect take, smoke and water started to seep into the studio as the group repeated their efforts upon Crewe's insistence: the room directly above the studio was on fire, yet Crewe blocked the studio door and continued recording until a few firemen used their axes on it and pulled Crewe out.[3]
Cover versions of the song have been recorded by other musicians such as the Mary Jane Girls (1986), Divine (1985), Dreamhouse and Jan & Dean (1963) off the album Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin. Plastic Bertrand did a cover version in French, entitled C'est Le Rock 'n' Roll (1978) and Hungarian band Bon Bon also covered the song with the title Sexepilem (1999).
The song "Walk Like a Man" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.[4]
Divine cover
| "Walk Like a Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Divine | ||||
| from the album Maid in England | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Format | CD single, Maxi single | |||
| Genre | Hi-NRG[5] | |||
| Label | Proto Records, Liberation Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio | |||
| Divine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Divine covered "Walk Like a Man" and released it as a single from the album Maid in England in 1985.
Track listing
- "Walk Like a Man" - 3:50
- "Man Talk" - 3:23
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Irish Singles Chart | 23 |
| German Singles Chart[6] | 52 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[7] | 28 |
| UK Singles Chart[8] | 23 |
Cultural References
The song is featured in the opening scene of the 1979 film The Wanderers starring Ken Wahl and Karen Allen
The song is featured prominently in the film Heart and Souls (1993) starring Robert Downey Jr, Elisabeth Shue, Kyra Sedgwick, Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard and Tom Sizemore. The song is heard four times throughout the film and is not only used as a soundtrack theme, but by the characters themselves for plot purposes. The ghosts use the song as a mediator for breakthrough contact with the story's main character.[9]
The song was played during an episode of David E. Kelley's medical drama Chicago Hope when Adam Arkin's character hallucinates from a brain aneurysm.
The song is also part of the film Sleepers (1996), John, Tommy, Michael, Shakes and Carol sing the song at the end of the movie.
This song was used in the 1987 movie of the same title "Walk Like A Man" staring Howie Mandel. The song is heard more than once during the course of the movie and ends with the credits rolling and this song playing.
The song is also features in the soundtrack to 1993's Mrs Doubtfire and is used in a scene where the title character is walking.
An Instrumental version can be heard in "Bar Mitzvah Hustle" a, Season 4 episode American Dad! during the scene where Ethan Cohen is introduced at his Bar Mitzvah.
The song's title was used to name a 2007 episode of the HBO TV series The Sopranos - "Walk Like a Man."
The song is referenced in an episode of Modern Family with Pepper (who is a homosexual male) stating, "I can sing it, but I can't do it."
References
- ↑ The Four Seasons interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 212.
- ↑ Sasfy, Joe. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: 1961-1967, Time-Life Records "The Rock 'N' Roll Era" (1987)
- ↑ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- ↑ Eddy, Chuck (15 January 2012). "The 25 Best "Bad" Cover Songs – 9. Divine "Walk Like A Man" (1985)". Complex. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ↑ Divine - Singles Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ↑ Divine - Discography Swiss Charts Online. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ↑ "Divine". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
- ↑ Video on YouTube
| Preceded by "Hey Paula" by Paul & Paula |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (The Four Seasons version) March 2 – 23, 1963 |
Succeeded by "Our Day Will Come" by Ruby & the Romantics |
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||