Working for the Man (song)

"Working for the Man"
"Working for the Man"
Single by Mental As Anything
B-side	"Seems Alright to Me (AUS) ; Red To Green (Canada)"
Released	November 1983
Genre	Pop, Rock
Length	3:31
Label	Regular Records
Songwriter(s)	Roy Orbison
Producer(s)	Mark Moffatt, Ricky Fataar
Mental As Anything singles chronology
Music video
	"Working For The Man" on YouTube

"Working for the Man"
"Working for the Man"
Single by Roy Orbison
Released	September 1962
Recorded	14 August 1962
Genre	Rock and roll
Label	Monument; London;
Songwriter(s)	Roy Orbison

"Working for the Man" is a song composed and sung by rock and roll performer Roy Orbison. Released in 1962 as a double A-side with "Leah", it reached number one in Australia, number thirty-three in the US,^[1] and the top 50 in Canada and England.^[2]

Details[]

"Working for the Man" and "Leah" were both recorded on August 14, 1962.^[3] It was the first release after the dissolution of Orbison's writing partnership with Joe Melson.^[4] In many releases it was subtitled, "with Bob Moore's Orchestra and Chorus".

"Working for the Man" was inspired by Orbison's time after school. He said, "I was working for El Paso Natural Gas in the daytime, cutting up steel and loading it onto trucks and chopping weeds and painting water towers. Our straw boss was Mr. Rose, and he wouldn’t cut me any slack."^[4] Elsewhere he added, "I worked in the blazing heat, hard, hard labor, and then I’d play at night, come home and some nights be too tired to eat or even to undress. I’d lay down, and I wouldn’t even turn over. I’d wake up in the same spot and hit the oil patch again."^[5] He added, "Most of the songs I've written are based on experiences I recall. It may be some years after a thing has happened to me that I'll think about it and then write a song."^[6]

Reception[]

At the time of release, Billboard noted "Working for the Man" was a "fine song" and "a smartly styled work song that reached a powerful climax".^[3] The BBC noted, " Orbison could be playful. The yodelling, gleeful "Working for the Man" is a double-edged paean to hard-nosed capitalism."^[7]

Mental as Anything version[]

Australian band Mental as Anything released the song as a non-album single in 1983. It peaked at number 20 in Australia and 49 in New Zealand.^[9]^[10] It was subsequently added to the North American version of Creatures of Leisure.

Track listings[]

AUS single
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Working for the Man"	Roy Orbison	3:31
2.	"Seems Alright to Me"	Martin Plaza	3:29

Canada single
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Working For the Man"	Roy Orbison	3:31
2.	"Red To Green"	Martin Plaza	3:27

Charts[]

Chart (1983/84)	Peak position
Australia Kent Music Report^[11]	20
Recorded Music NZ^[12]	49

References[]

^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 631.
^ David Kent (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940-1969. ISBN 9780646444390.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison, Wesley Orbison (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography. Center Street. ISBN 978-1478976547.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Colin Escott (2002). Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0415937832.
^ Steve Pond. "Roy Orbison's Triumphs and Tragedies". Rolling Stone.
^ June Harris. "Roy Orbison: Hits Are Great — But I Miss Those (MODEL) Planes". Rock's Backpages.(Subscription required.)
^ Jaime Gill. "Roy Orbison The Monument Singles Collection". BBC.
^ 45cat - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man
^ Australian Music Database - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man
^ David Kent (March 1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ New Zealand Charts - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man

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[1] Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 631.

[2] David Kent (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940-1969. ISBN 9780646444390.

[bio-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison, Wesley Orbison (2017). The Authorized Roy Orbison: The Authorized Biography. Center Street. ISBN 978-1478976547.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[roadkill-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Colin Escott (2002). Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0415937832.

[5] Steve Pond. "Roy Orbison's Triumphs and Tragedies". Rolling Stone.

[6] June Harris. "Roy Orbison: Hits Are Great — But I Miss Those (MODEL) Planes". Rock's Backpages.(Subscription required.)

[7] Jaime Gill. "Roy Orbison The Monument Singles Collection". BBC.

[8] 45cat - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man

[9] Australian Music Database - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man

[10] David Kent (March 1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. p. 198. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[Kent-11] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[12] New Zealand Charts - Mental As Anything - Working For The Man

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show v t Roy Orbison
Discography
Studio albums	Lonely and Blue (1961) Roy Orbison at the Rock House (1961) Crying (1962) In Dreams (1963) There Is Only One Roy Orbison (1965) Orbisongs (1965) The Orbison Way (1966) The Classic Roy Orbison (1966) Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson (1967) The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) Cry Softly Lonely One (1967) Roy Orbison's Many Moods (1969) Big O (1970) Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way (1970) Roy Orbison Sings (1972) Memphis (1972) Milestones (1973) I'm Still In Love With You (1975) Regeneration (1976) Laminar Flow (1979) In Dreams: The Greatest Hits (1987 – studio re-recordings of earlier hits) Mystery Girl (1989) King of Hearts (1992) One of the Lonely Ones (2015)
Compilations	Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits (1962) More of Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits (1964) Early Orbison (1964) The Great Songs of Roy Orbison (1970) The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison (1972) In Dreams: The Greatest Hits (1987) The Legendary Roy Orbison (1989) 16 Biggest Hits (1999) Greatest Hits Live (2006) The Essential Roy Orbison (2006) A Love So Beautiful (2017)
Collaborations	Class of '55 (1986) Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988)
Soundtrack appearances	Roadie (1980) Blue Velvet (1986) Less Than Zero (1987)
Live	A Black & White Night Live (1989)
Singles	"Tryin' to Get to You" "Ooby Dooby" "Go Go Go" "Only the Lonely" "Running Scared" "Crying" "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" "Working for the Man" "In Dreams" "Blue Bayou" "Pretty Paper" "It's Over" "Oh, Pretty Woman" "Memphis, Tennessee" "You Got It" "She's a Mystery to Me" "I Drove All Night"
Related articles	Traveling Wilburys Roy Orbison/The Beatles Tour Fred Foster
Category

show v t Mental As Anything
Martin Plaza Jacob Cook Martin Cilia Craig Gordon Peter Gray Steve Coburn Wayne de Lisle Reg Mombassa Greedy Smith Peter O'Doherty David Barraclough Murray Cook Mike Caen Robbie Souter Zoltan Budai James Gillard
Studio albums	Get Wet (1979) Espresso Bongo (1980) Cats & Dogs (1981) Creatures of Leisure (1983) Fundamental (1985) Mouth to Mouth (1987) Cyclone Raymond (1989) Liar Liar Pants on Fire (1995) Garàge (1998) Beetroot Stains (2000) Road Case (2002) Plucked (2005) Tents Up (2009)
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits Volume 1 (1986) Best of (1999) Essential As Anything – 30th Anniversary Edition (2009)
Singles	"The Nips Are Getting Bigger" "Possible Theme for a Future TV Drama Series" "Come Around" "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" "If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?" "Too Many Times" "Working for the Man" "Apocalypso (Wiping the Smile Off Santa's Face)" "Live It Up" "He's Just No Good for You" "Whole Wide World"