Legal Man Explained

Legal Man
Cover:	Belle & Sebastian - Legal Man.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Belle and Sebastian
B-Side:	"Judy Is a Dick Slap" "Winter Wooskie"
Studio:	CaVa (Glasgow, Scotland)
Length:	2:42
Label:	Jeepster Matador Spunk
Producer:	Tony Doogan Belle and Sebastian
Next Title:	Jonathan David
Next Year:	2001

"Legal Man" is the debut single of Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. The track features Isobel Campbell, Sarah Martin, and Rozanne Suarez (credited as the Maisonettes^[1]) on vocals and Snow Patrol drummer Jonny Quinn on congas. The cover artwork—designed by Andrew Symington—features band members Stevie Jackson and Campbell along with Adrienne Payne and Suarez. Two B-sides were released with the single: "Judy Is a Dick Slap", an instrumental, and "Winter Wooskie", which was the last time bass player Stuart David sang lead vocals before departing the band in 2000.

"Legal Man" was released in May 2000, first in the United States on 16 May, then in the United Kingdom six days later. It reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Norway, number 46 in Sweden, and number 50 in Ireland. In Canada, the track reached number four on Nielsen SoundScan's Canadian Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Campbell.^[2]

B-sides

"Judy Is a Dick Slap" is the first instrumental released by the band while "Winter Wooskie" is the third and final song featuring lead vocals from former bass player Stuart David, who left the band in 2000. All three tracks from the single were later collected on the Push Barman to Open Old Wounds compilation.^[3]

Track listings

All songs were written by Belle and Sebastian.

CD single^[4]

1. "Legal Man"
2. "Judy Is a Dick Slap"
3. "Winter Wooskie"

7-inch single^[5]

A. "Legal Man"

B. "Winter Wooskie"

12-inch single^[6]

A. "Legal Man"

B. "Judy Is a Dick Slap"

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK 7-inch single sleeve and disc notes.^[5]

Studio

• Recorded at CaVa Studios (Glasgow, Scotland)

Personnel

• Belle and Sebastian – writing, production
• The Maisonettes – vocals^[7]
• Rozanne Suarez – vocals, cover star
• Jonny Quinn – congas
• Tony Doogan – production, recording
• Willie Deans – recording assistant

• Ian Grier – recording assistant
• Stevie Jackson – cover star
• Isobel Campbell – cover star
• Adrienne Payne – cover star
• Katrina House – back cover star
• Andrew Symington – cover design

Charts

Chart (2000)!scope="col"

Peak position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[8]	4
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[9]	48

Release history

Region!scope="col"

Date	Format	Label	ID
United States	16 May 2000	CD	Matador	OLE 448-2	^[10]
		7-inch vinyl		OLE 448-7	^[11]
		12-inch vinyl		OLE 448-1	^[12]
United Kingdom	22 May 2000	CD	Jeepster	JPRCDS 018
		7-inch vinyl		JPR7 018
		12-inch vinyl		JPR12 018
Japan	9 August 2000^[13]	CD		VJCP-61041	^[14]
Australia and New Zealand	2000		Spunk	URA023	^[15]
Brazil			Jeepster	T050/424-2	^[16]
Canada		12-inch vinyl	Matador	OLE 448-1

External links

• "Legal Man" at belleandsebastian.com
• "Legal Man" at jeepster.co.uk

Notes and References

1. Book: Whitelaw, Paul. 7 January 2014. Belle and Sebastian: Just a Modern Rock Story. St. Martin's Publishing Group. E-book. 978-1-46686-229-6.
2. Work Pays Off for Belle & Sebastian. Garrity. Brian. Billboard. 112. 21. 13. 20 May 2000. 6 October 2020.
3. Web site: Belle and Sebastian – Push Barman to Open Old Wounds Overview. AllMusic. 27 May 2019.
4. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. UK CD single liner notes. Jeepster Records. JPRCDS 018.
5. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. UK 7-inch single vinyl disc. Jeepster Records. JPR7 018.
6. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Jeepster Records. JPR12 018.
7. Web site: Belle & Sebastian – Sweet Legal!. NME. 22 March 2000. 22 February 2021.
8. Web site: Belle and Sebastian Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs). Billboard. 19 November 2018.
9. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 17. 24. 11. 10 June 2000. 22 January 2020.
10. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. US CD single liner notes. Matador Records. OLE 448-2.
11. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. US 7-inch single sleeve. Matador Records. OLE 448-7.
12. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. US & Canadian 12-inch single vinyl disc. Matador Records. OLE 448-1.
13. Web site: リーガル・マン ベル・アンド・セバスチャン. Legal Man Belle and Sebastian. Oricon. ja. 29 August 2023.
14. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. Japanese CD single liner notes. Jeepster Records. VJCP-61041.
15. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes. Spunk Records. URA023.
16. Legal Man. Belle and Sebastian. 2000. Brazilian CD single liner notes. Jeepster Records. T050/424-2.