1. Aloe Blacc Discography
'The Man'
Single by Aloe Blacc
from the album Lift Your Spirit
ReleasedJanuary 28, 2014
FormatDigital download
Recorded2013
Genre
Length4:16(album version)
3:29 (radio edit)
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
  • Daniel Seeff
Producer(s)DJ Khalil, Dontae Winslow
Aloe Blacc singles chronology
'Wake Me Up'
(2013)		'The Man'
(2014)		'Here Today'
(2014)

'The Man' is a song by American vocalist Aloe Blacc. First included on his EP Wake Me Up, the song was later released as the second single from his third studio album Lift Your Spirit by Interscope Records. Blacc co-wrote the track with Sam Barsh, Daniel Seeff, and its producer DJ Khalil; Elton John and Bernie Taupin received songwriting credits for the song's interpolation of the line 'You can tell everybody' from John's 1970 single 'Your Song'.

The song has become 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,[1] 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.

  • 4Charts

Music video[edit]

Following the major success of his hit with Avicii, “Wake Me Up,” Aloe released this EP. GENIUS Sign Up Sign In Wake Me Up EP (2013) Aloe Blacc Share Facebook Twitter Copy Edit the album bio to add: A sentence or two summing up what makes the. Aloe Blacc (born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III; January 7, 1979) Lyricist, Songwriter, Singer/Vocalist, Actor, Producer and Musician from Orange County, California (USA). Member of Emanon (3) with Exile (6) and also a member of The Black Love Crew. Honorable Mention: 'Work 2 Do' by Blvme featuring Aloe Blacc. Aloe is married to Australian rapper Maya Jupiter.

A lyric video to accompany the release of 'The Man' was first released to YouTube on January 10, 2014.[2]

The song's official music video followed on March 3, 2014.[3] 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.

0:39 Marvin GayeWhat's Going On album cover
0:39-0:54 Violence and racial injustice at the time
0:54-1:12 Civil Rights and Vietnam war protest
1:12-1:45 Louis Armstrong or Clifford Brown
1:45-2:25 Marvin Gaye
2:25-2:57 Muhammad Ali
2:57-3:05 Soul Train
3:19-3:37 Malcolm X
3:37-3:49 Role of African Americans in politics [ Barack Obama ]
3:49---- Martin Luther King, Jr.
3:59---- Selma to Montgomery marches aka 'Bloody Sunday'
4:18---- 1968 Olympics Black Power salute (back, right corner)

In popular culture[edit]

The song was also featured in the end credits of the film Brick Mansions, released in 2014. The film was dedicated to the late actor Paul Walker's memory.

Commercials[edit]

In December 2013, 'The Man' was used as the backdrop for a series of Beats by Dre commercials promoting the company's 'Hear What You Want' campaign, which featured several notable sports personalities, including NFL players Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers, NBA player Kevin Garnett of the Brooklyn Nets, and Chelsea FC football player Cesc Fabregas, wearing Beats headphones to block out the sound of heckling from disgruntled fans.[4]

The song was used extensively at the 2014 NFL Draft, being played 108 times over the course of the three-day event.[5]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.

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (2014)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6]10
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7]19
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8]29
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[9]4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10]46
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11]14
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[12]35
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[13]16
Denmark (Tracklisten)[14]11
Europe (Euro Digital Songs)[15]1
France (SNEP)[16]23
Germany (Official German Charts)[17]22
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[18]33
Hungary (Single Top 40)[19]28
Ireland (IRMA)[20]4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21]10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22]16
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23]5
Norway (VG-lista)[24]11
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[25]10
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[26]1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[27]21
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[28]59
Slovenia (SloTop50)[29]32
South Africa (EMA)[30]8
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31]46
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32]6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[33]40
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[34]1
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[35]1
US Billboard Hot 100[36]8
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[37]4
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[38]20
US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[39]18
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[40]17
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[41]7
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[42]10

Year-end charts[edit]

Chart (2014)Position
Australia (ARIA)[43]65
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[44]23
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[45]78
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[46]81
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[47]39
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[48]37
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[49]53
US Billboard Hot 100[50]48
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[51]13
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[52]47

Certifications[edit]

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[53]Platinum70,000^
Italy (FIMI)[54]Gold15,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[55]Gold7,500*
Sweden (GLF)[56]2× Platinum80,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57]Gold400,000
United States (RIAA)[58]Platinum2,500,000[1]
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[59]2× Platinum5,200,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history[edit]

RegionDateFormatLabel
United States[60][61][62]January 21, 2014Contemporary hit radioInterscope Records
Rhythmic contemporary radio
February 4, 2014Urban adult contemporary radio
United Kingdom[63]March 28, 2014Digital download
United States[64]June 10, 2014Digital download (Draft Day mix)

References[edit]

  1. ^ ab'The Big 9 in 2014: Interscope'. HITS Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  2. ^AloeBlaccVEVO (January 10, 2014). 'Aloe Blacc – The Man (Official Lyric Video)'. YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  3. ^AloeBlaccVEVO (March 3, 2014). 'Aloe Blacc – The Man (Official Music Video)'. YouTube. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  4. ^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.
  5. ^Glasspiegel, Ryan. 'NFL ESPN Supposedly Played the 'I'm the Man' Song 108 Times During NFL Draft'. The Big Lead. The Big Lead. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  6. ^'Australian-charts.com – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  7. ^'Austriancharts.at – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  8. ^'Ultratop.be – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  9. ^'Ultratop.be – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  10. ^'Ultratop.be – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  11. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  12. ^'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.
  13. ^'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.
  14. ^'Hitlisten.NU – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  15. ^'Aloe Blacc – Chart history'Billboard Euro Digital Songs for Aloe Blacc. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  16. ^'Lescharts.com – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  17. ^'Offiziellecharts.de – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  18. ^'Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ' (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  19. ^'Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ' (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  20. ^'Chart Track: Week 14, 2014'. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  21. ^ 'Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 2014' (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  22. ^'Dutchcharts.nl – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  23. ^'Charts.nz – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  24. ^'Norwegiancharts.com – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. VG-lista. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  25. ^'Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video'. Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  26. ^'Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  27. ^'ČNS IFPI' (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201418 into search. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  28. ^'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.
  29. ^'SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart' (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  30. ^'South African Airplay Chart Top 10 - April 15, 2014'. Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  31. ^'Spanishcharts.com – Aloe Blacc – The Man'Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  32. ^'Swedishcharts.com – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  33. ^'Swisscharts.com – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  34. ^'Official Singles Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  35. ^'Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  36. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Hot 100)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  37. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  38. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  39. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  40. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  41. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Pop Songs)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  42. ^'Aloe Blacc Chart History (Rhythmic)'. Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  43. ^'ARIA Top 100 Singles 2014'. ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  44. ^'Jaaroverzichten 2014: Urban' (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  45. ^'2014 Year End Charts – Top Canadian Hot 100'. Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  46. ^'Jaaroverzichten – Single 2014' (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  47. ^'Top Selling Singles of 2014'. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  48. ^'Årslista Singlar – År 2014' (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  49. ^'End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2014'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  50. ^'Hot 100 Songs – Year End 2014'. Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  51. ^'Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2014'. Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  52. ^'Pop Songs – Year-End 2014'. Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  53. ^'ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart - 24/03/2014'. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  54. ^'Italian single certifications – Aloe Blacc – The Man' (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved March 17, 2014. Select '2014' in the 'Anno' drop-down menu. Select 'The Man' in the 'Filtra' field. Select 'Singoli online' under 'Sezione'.
  55. ^'New Zealand single certifications – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  56. ^'Aloe Blacc - The Man' (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  57. ^'British single certifications – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 18, 2014.Select singles in the Format field.Select Gold in the Certification field.Type The Man in the 'Search BPI Awards' field and then press Enter.
  58. ^'American single certifications – Aloe Blacc – The Man'. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 5, 2014.If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
  59. ^'Certificeringer - Aloe Blacc - The Man'. IFPI Denmark. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  60. ^'Top 40/M Future Releases'. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  61. ^'Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases'. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  62. ^'Urban/UAC'. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  63. ^'The Man – Single by Aloe Blacc'. iTunes Store (GB). Apple. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  64. ^'The Man (Draft Day Mix) – Single by Aloe Blacc'. iTunes Store (US). Apple. Retrieved April 10, 2014.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Man_(Aloe_Blacc_song)&oldid=911819375'

How high are the stakes for the four featured songwriters on this week’s episode of Songland? They’re competing for a shot at landing a tune on the soundtrack for Universal’s upcoming The Fast and the Furious spin-off flick Hobbs & Shaw. Aloe Blacc is the artist lending his pipes to the track, and the film’s director, David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool 2), tags along to watch panelists Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean and Shane McAnally in action.

Key to their search: Aloe and David need “something anthemic with swagger.” It’s a tall order, so let’s see who brought it.

First up is Kyle Williams, who’s hoping to strike up a fast and furious bond (I’m here all season, folks) with fellow Oklahomans Ester and Ryan. His tune “I’m Just Getting Started” is a slow-burner with some soul, and feels tailor-made for, say, radio mainstays Imagine Dragons. But the panel collectively feels it needs a bit more oomph to be a Hobbs & Shaw contender. Still, Aloe’s initial reaction is “That’s energy!” So all is not lost for Kyle just yet.

We next meet Afika, whose parents emigrated from Swaziland. Now living in Brooklyn, Afika explains that his song “Chosen” is about facing a mountain of hardship but having the faith to end up on the other side. He’s got the right theme, but the track leans hip hop, and “Wake Me Up” crooner Aloe Blacc is, well, a crooner. Ryan suggests stripping the song back from its noisy instrumentation a bit, while Aloe states that he’d rather sing the lyrics than rap them. The panel members proceed to do their usual deconstruction of the song with a real-time jam session.

Aloe Blacc Discography

Next up is TATE. Only she spells it TVTE with a V, “just because I wanted to switch it up and separate myself.” Totvlly understvndvble. Wilmington, Delaware native TVTE presents her cut “Call For a Hero,” which ticks all the right boxes in the anthemic category and has a lyric -- “the edge always has the best view” -- that impresses Aloe. Naturally, Ryan states that he wants to make some arrangement changes. After Aloe sings a line from the song, Ester tells him to stay in his lower register because “your bottom is nuts.” This prompts Shane to quip, “That seems personal.” Oh, Shane.

The last songwriter on the docket is Steve Fee from Franklin, Tennessee. He brings in a number called “Same Blood” that he says has “a brotherhood kinda theme.” The song is more barebones than the other three showcased tonight, but Shane feels there are ways to improve upon it.

Candyman aloe blacc

Aloe’s got some thinking to do before cutting one of the four contestants. “In these particular scenes of Hobbs & Shaw, we have the conflict of coming home and working with your family against the odds of an adversary,” he says. On top of that, the lyrics have to reflect Aloe himself as an artist. Ultimately, it’s Afika who gets cut loose, as “Chosen” didn’t feel stylistically right for the singer.

Shane McAnally and Steve Fee wind up in the studio together, where Shane says that the lyrics to “Same Blood” need to get a bit deeper. In a “hold my drink” moment, Steve explains that there was a young boy at his church who eventually passed away after struggling with cancer. Steve and the rest of the church rallied behind the boy’s single mother, and all this time later, the songwriter is celebrating five years of marriage with her. Bingo! When Steve brings the completely reworked version of “Same Blood” to Aloe and the panel, it’s got a church choir and a lot more urgency behind it.

Meanwhile, Kyle Williams heads into the studio with Ryan, who notes that it’s really hard to do anthems “that aren’t cheesy.” Ryan’s main solution to this is a simple one: Add some electric guitar to “I’m Just Getting Started.” He also coaxes Kyle to dive into his falsetto on the chorus, a la OneRepubic’s “Apologize” and Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” -- two worldwide smashes Tedder has had his hand in.

This brings us to TVTE’s “Call For a Hero,” which Ester feels has a lot of different pieces that could use some rearranging. And as a writer who’s contributed songs to Rio and Ice Age: Continental Drift, and appeared in two Pitch Perfect movies, the woman knows a few things about soundtracks material. That said, when TVTE finally brings “Call For a Hero” back to the panel, the lyrics are on-point but the instrumentation comes off a bit too busy.

For a bit of last-minute encouragement, Dwayne Johnson FaceTimes in to tell the three hopefuls, “Our music for Hobbs & Shaw is our soul, and it’s the lifeline of the movie.” So no pressure, guys.

Sadly, there can only be one anthem in a big studio, smash-’em-up summer blockbuster, and Aloe chooses Kyle Williams’ “I’m Just Getting Started.” For those of you keeping score, this gives master tunesmith Ryan Tedder his third Songland production win of the season (following Kelsea Ballerini’s “Better Luck Next Time” and Meghan Trainor’s “Hurt Me”).

“Getting Started,” as it’s been shortened to, is up now on iTunes and Spotify.

Comments are closed.