"Working for the Man" is a song composed and sung by

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

performer

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

. Released in 1962 as a double A-side with "Leah", it reached number one in Australia, number thirty-three in the US, and the top 50 in Canada and England.

Details

"Working for the Man" and "Leah" were both recorded on August 14, 1962. It was the first release after the dissolution of Orbison's writing partnership with Joe Melson. 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." 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." 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."

Reception

At the time of release, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' noted "Working for the Man" was a "fine song" and "a smartly styled work song that reached a powerful climax". The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

noted, "Orbison could be playful. The yodelling, gleeful "Working for the Man" is a double-edged paean to hard-nosed

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

Mental as Anything version

Australian band

Mental as Anything Mental As Anything was an Australian new wave and pop rock band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999, and recorded all of its charting singles and albums) was Martin Plaza (birth name Martin ...

released the song as a non-album single in November 1983. It peaked at number 20 in Australia and 49 in New Zealand. It was subsequently added to the North American version of ''

Creatures of Leisure ''Creatures of Leisure'' is the fourth studio album released by Australian band, Mental As Anything. It was released in March 1983 and peaked at #8 on the Australian Album charts. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 ...

''.

Track listings

Charts

References

1962 songs Roy Orbison songs Mental As Anything songs Regular Records singles 1983 singles Songs written by Roy Orbison {{1980s-rock-song-stub