"The Man" is a song by American singer Aloe Blacc. First included on his EP Wake Me Up, the song was later released as the second single from his third studio album, 2014's Lift Your Spirit, on Interscope Records. Blacc co-wrote the track with Sam Barsh, Daniel Seeff, and its producer DJ Khalil and Alex Finkin. Additionally, Elton John and Bernie Taupin are credited as songwriters as the song interpolates the lyric "you can tell everybody" from John's 1970 song "Your Song".[1]
The song is Blacc's most successful single as a solo artist to date; it sold 2.5 million copies in the United States as of December 2014,[2] peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, "The Man" topped the charts in the United Kingdom and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden. On January 22, 2014, a remix of "The Man" featuring American rapper Kid Ink was released.
Music videoedit
A lyric video to accompany the release of "The Man" was first released to YouTube on January 10, 2014.[3]
The song's official music video followed on March 3, 2014.[4] The video takes place in the 1960s and 1970s and gives tribute to figures and events significant to African American culture during that era.
Below is a list of tributes to people/events in the music video.
The song was featured in the end credits of the 2014 film Brick Mansions.
This song was also famously used in a video on TikTok that featured NBA player Patrick Beverley celebrating after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022 NBA Play-In.
The song was used extensively at the 2014 NFL Draft, being played 108 times over the course of the three-day event.[6]MLB also used the song for its ads for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game. The ad shows different highlights and celebrations of possible All-Stars for 2014.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^Cantor, Brian (13 January 2014). "Aloe Blacc's "The Man" Sparks Sales, Buzz Over Elton John Homage". Headline Planet. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
^ ab"The Big 9 in 2014: Interscope". HITS Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
^AloeBlaccVEVO (January 10, 2014). "Aloe Blacc – The Man (Official Lyric Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
^AloeBlaccVEVO (March 3, 2014). "Aloe Blacc – The Man (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
^Yuscavage, Chris (December 11, 2013). "Colin Kaepernick's New Beats By Dre Commercial Has Seahawks Fans Super Heated". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
^Glasspiegel, Ryan (11 May 2014). "NFL ESPN Supposedly Played the "I'm the Man" Song 108 Times During NFL Draft". The Big Lead. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201417 into search. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201423 into search. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^"Hitlisten.NU – Aloe Blacc – The Man" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 2014" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
^"Aloe Blacc – The Man". VG-lista. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201418 into search. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201429 into search. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
^"SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
^"South African Airplay Chart Top 10 - April 15, 2014". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.