Mannish Boy

"Mannish Boy" (or "Manish Boy" as it was first labeled) is a blues standard written by Muddy Waters, Mel London, and Bo Diddley (with Waters and Diddley being credited under their birth names). First recorded in 1955 by Waters, it serves as an "answer song" to Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man",^[1] which was in turn inspired by Waters' and Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man".^[2] "Mannish Boy" features a repeating stop-time figure on one chord throughout the song.^[3]

"Manish Boy"
Single by Muddy Waters
B-side	"Young Fashioned Ways"
Released	June 1955 (1955-06)
Recorded	Chicago, May 24, 1955
Genre	Blues
Length	2:55
Label	Chess
Songwriter(s)	McKinley Morganfield a.k.a. Muddy Waters Mel London Ellas McDaniel a.k.a. Bo Diddley
Producer(s)	Leonard Chess Phil Chess
Muddy Waters singles chronology
"I'm Ready" (1954) "Manish Boy" (1955) "Sugar Sweet" / "Trouble No More" (1955)

Although the song contains sexual boasting, its repetition of "I'm a man, I spell M, A child, N" was understood as political. Waters had recently left the South for Chicago. "Growing up in the South, Black Americans [would] never be referred to as a man – but as 'boy'. In this context, the song [is] an assertion of black manhood."^[4]

Recordings and releases

Waters recorded the song in Chicago on May 24, 1955.^[3] It is his only recording between January 1953 and June 1957 that did not feature Little Walter on harmonica (who was on tour supporting his then-number one hit "My Babe" and thus unavailable for the recording session) and is one of few studio recordings with Junior Wells.^[3] Also accompanying Muddy Waters are Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Fred Below on drums, and an unidentified female chorus.^[3]

Waters recorded several versions of "Mannish Boy" during his career. In 1968, he recorded it for the Electric Mud album in Marshall Chess' attempt to attract the rock market. After he left Chess, he recorded it for the 1977 Hard Again album which was produced by Johnny Winter. A live version with Winter appears on Muddy "Mississippi" Waters - Live (1979). Waters also performed it at the Band's farewell concert The Last Waltz, and the performance is included in the documentary film of the concert as well as on the film's soundtrack of the same title.^[5]

Charts and recognition

The song reached number five during a stay of six weeks in the Billboard R&B chart.^[6] The song was Muddy Waters' only chart appearance on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 51 in 1988.^[7]

In 1986, Muddy Waters' original "Mannish Boy" was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame "Classics of Blues Recordings" category.^[3] It was also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".^[8] "Mannish Boy" is ranked number 425 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".^[9] The early David Bowie band, the Mannish Boys, took its name from the song.^[10]

References

1. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 4 - The Tribal Drum: The rise of rhythm and blues. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
2. Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). "I'm a Man". Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 454. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
3. Blues Foundation (November 10, 2016). "1986 Hall of Fame Inductees: Manish Boy – Muddy Waters (Chess, 1955)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
4. "Mannish Boy". Muddy Waters Official website. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
5. Robert Palmer (1981). Deep Blues. Penguin Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-14-006223-6.
6. Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 453. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
7. "Muddy Waters – Singles". Official Charts. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
8. "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll (Artists W-Z)". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009.
9. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021)". Rollingstone.com. September 15, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
10. Howe, Zoë (2013). "Introduction: The Music Scene of the late 1950s and early 1960s". The British Beat Explosion Rock 'n' Roll Island. Aurora Metro Books. eBook. ISBN 978-1-906582-52-4.