Family Man (Mike Oldfield song) explained

Family Man
Cover:Family Man (Mike Oldfield).jpg
Caption:Artwork for UK, Spain, and Scandinavian vinyl singles
Type:single
Artist:Mike Oldfield
Album:Five Miles Out
B-Side:Mount Teide
Recorded:1981–1982
Studio:Tilehouse Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire
Genre:Progressive rock, pop rock
Label:Virgin
Prev Title:Five Miles Out
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:The Mike Oldfield EP
Next Year:1982

"Family Man" is a pop rock song written by Mike Oldfield, Tim Cross, Rick Fenn, Mike Frye, Morris Pert, and Maggie Reilly. It became a hit song in 1982 for Mike Oldfield with Maggie Reilly as the vocalist. Daryl Hall and John Oates achieved success a year later with their cover version. In 2009, Maggie Reilly recorded another version of the song for her solo studio album Looking Back Moving Forward.

Mike Oldfield version

Background

The song "Family Man" was first recorded and released as a single by musician Mike Oldfield in 1982 on Virgin Records. It was taken from his studio album Five Miles Out, with vocals performed by Maggie Reilly.[1]

In the UK the single was released as a standard black 7-inch vinyl and a 7-inch picture disc featuring a photographic portrait of Oldfield. The single cover depicts a scene where a gentleman in a black suit sitting at a bar, being approached from behind by a woman in a red outfit.

Lyrical content

According to an interview in 1998, Oldfield wrote all of the music for the chorus, and verses were written by the other writers.[2] Tim Cross has also claimed to have written the majority of the lyrics for the song, and cited Rick Fenn as the inspiration of the "family man" mentioned in the song.[3]

The song is about a man who is being solicited by a prostitute and his protestations because he is a "family man." The original version has the woman storming off after his rejection.

Track listing

  1. "Family Man" – 3:45
  2. "Mount Teide" – 4:10

Chart performance

Chart (1982)Peak
position
Canadian Hot 100[4] 29
UK Singles Chart45

Hall & Oates version

Family Man
Cover:Family Man Hall and Oates.jpg
Caption:Picture sleeve of US 12-inch vinyl release
Type:single
Artist:Daryl Hall & John Oates
Album:H2O
Released:30 April 1983
Studio:Electric Lady, New York City
Genre:Synth-rock[5]
Length:3:25 (album version/single version)
5:44 (extended dance mix)
Label:RCA Records
Prev Title:One on One
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:Jingle Bell Rock
Next Year:1983

Background

American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates covered "Family Man" for their studio album H2O, and it reached number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1983. Their version of the song has some altered lyrics, including a line in which the man finally gets the nerve to take up the woman's offer, but she has left, and he screams out the chorus.

Cash Box praised the vocal performance and the guitar solo.[6]

The song appears on the Flash FM radio station of the 2006 video game .

Track listing

  1. "Family Man"
  2. "Maneater"
  3. "Open All Night"

Music video

Three versions of the music video exist. The original, which uses the standard album/single version of the song features Daryl miming the song & John playing guitar in a room full of young children who are playing rambunctiously. The guitar solo features G.E. Smith performing while a group of young girls in sleep attire surround him to watch. Throughout the video, computer-animated lipstick kisses appear on screen and at one point across Daryl's face. There is also a computer-animated male and female figure to illustrate the characters of the song making eyes at each other, as seen on the single cover.

A second version of the video was extended to match the length of the 12" extended rock mix of the song, and features a typical American family viewing the original version of the video on their television while each of their appearances slowly transform into looking like either Daryl or John.

A later version turned up in some places such as the 7 Big Ones music video compilation LaserDisc, which is the extended video re-edited to match the album version of the song. This results in some strange shots as the video begins to be seen through the television of the family in the aforementioned version, yet the family is not shown. When the 7 Big Ones video compilation was released on DVD, the full-length extended version of the video was used.

Chart performance

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Singles . Amadian . 1 March 2009.
  2. Web site: Tubular Bells III press conference . Tubular.net . 5 September 1998 . 13 June 2008.
  3. Web site: Tim Cross Q&A . Tubular.net/Lars Tängmark . November 2007 . 13 June 2008.
  4. Web site: RPM Top 50 Singles - November 20, 1982.
  5. Rock 'n Soul Edition. Hit Parade Music History and Music Trivia. Slate. Molanphy. Chris. January 15, 2022. March 22, 2024.
  6. Reviews. Cash Box. April 30, 1983. 2022-07-18. 8.
  7. December 24, 1983 . Talent Almanac 1984: Top Pop Singles . TA-18 . Billboard . 95 . 52 .