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"Mirror Man" is a 1982 song by the British synth-pop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK on 12 November 1982 and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with keyboard players Jo Callis and Ian Burden, and produced by Martin Rushent.
| "Mirror Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Human League | ||||
| from the album Fascination! | ||||
| B-side | "You Remind Me of Gold" | |||
| Released | 12 November 1982[1] | |||
| Recorded | Genetic Studios, Reading, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:52 (7") 4:21 (12") | |||
| Label | Virgin, A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Philip Oakey, Jo Callis, Ian Burden | |||
| Producer(s) | Martin Rushent | |||
| The Human League singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
Background
edit"Mirror Man" (originally titled "Can't Get To Sleep At Night"[2]) was the first track written and recorded by the Human League after they returned from their World Tour, conducted in the wake of the enormous international success of their album Dare. "Mirror Man" was conceived and written as a celebration of Oakey and Philip Adrian Wright's love of Motown records. It has been described as electronic northern soul, with Oakey's main verses delivered in deliberate sentences with emphasis on the last word of each sentence. Vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall feature prominently throughout the song but have no lyrics, providing backing vocals of "oohs" and "ahhs". Recording and production was overseen by Martin Rushent, who had produced the band's album Dare.[citation needed]
Speculation about who was the titular 'Mirror Man' was ended in 1988 when, during interviews to promote the band's Greatest Hits album, Oakey revealed that it was about Adam Ant. Oakey had become concerned that Ant was starting to believe his own publicity, and was in danger of losing touch with reality.[citation needed] Oakey had avoided revealing this at the time for fear of offending the song's subject.[3]
The song was released as a single in the UK in November 1982. It was the first new single the band had released since the phenomenal success of "Don't You Want Me" almost a year earlier. The single was tipped by the media to be the band's second Christmas number-one single in the UK, but peaked just short, at number two.[4] The single did however reach number one in Ireland earlier that month and also reached the Top 10 in Canada the following February.[citation needed]
Its release in the US was delayed until May 1983 where it was incorporated into the stop gap EP Fascination!. A&M Records, the band's record company in the US, had refused to release it as a single "unless there was to be an album hot on its heels".[5] The track peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1983.
Cash Box described the song as "a cross between the Four Seasons' chestnut 'Let's Hang On,' and the rock-steady rhythms of the mid-'60s Motown vault."[6]
Promotional video
editThe promotional video for "Mirror Man" was conceived and directed by Brian Duffy[7][8] and was filmed on location at a deserted theatre in London. The basic premise is that Oakey is a ghost of a performer who has died and now inhabits the theatre where he reveals himself to the band who have come to rehearse. The main scenes are of Oakey in a dressing room singing to a mirror, spliced in with footage of the crash and death of John Cobb (whilst attempting to break the world water speed record on Loch Ness on 29 September 1952).
Track listing
edit- 7" (Virgin – VS522)
- "Mirror Man" – 3:48
- "You Remind Me of Gold" – 3:36
- 7" (A&M - AM-2587)
- "Mirror Man" – 3:48
- "Non-Stop" – 4:15
- 12" (Virgin – VS522-12)
- "Mirror Man" – 4:21
- "You Remind Me of Gold" – 3:36
- "You Remind Me of Gold (Instrumental/Dub)" – 3:53
Chart performance
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1982-1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] | 4 |
| Belgium Singles Chart (Vl) | 17 |
| Canadian RPM 50 Singles | 7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 31 |
| French Singles Chart[10] | 84 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 23 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[11] | 10 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 19 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 67 |
References
edit- ^ "League reflects" (PDF). Record Mirror: 9. 6 November 1982. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ "The Human League". Electronics & Music Maker. Glidecastle Publishing Ltd. February 1983. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "It was 35 Years Ago Today: Adam Ant is The Human League's Mirror Man". Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "Artist Chart History - The Human League". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ^ "Sounds 12th August 1978 THE HUMAN LEAGUE". The-black-hit-of-space.dk. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 24 September 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Mirror Man at IMDb
- ^ Human League Greatest Hits Video, 1988, credits
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tout les Titres par Artiste". Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
