Man Called Sun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Man Called Sun” | ||
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| Song by The Verve | ||
| Album | Verve EP | |
| Released | December 7, 1992 | |
| Recorded | 1992 | |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, Space rock | |
| Length | 5:35 | |
| Label | Hut Recordings | |
| Writer | The Verve | |
| Producer | Paul Schroeder | |
Man Called Sun (also referred to as "A Man Called Sun") is a song by psychedelic/shoegaze band Verve, from their 1992 self-titled EP. It stands as one of the most representative songs of their early phase.
[edit] Lyrics
Like most of the band's other early-1990s songs, the lyrics make many allusions to drugs, particularly hallucinogens.
He lifts you up, he shines
And then he's gone
But you know you need him
More when he's gone
I'm walking with a man called Sun
I think my journey's just begun
Shine, shine, shine, shine...
There is a swirling, chiming guitar part, playing licks reminiscent of the jam session in the second half of the previous track, "Gravity Grave". The song is quite bare, with simple drums and a light use of bass; Ashcroft's vocals are delivered in an urgent whisper. The hypnotic, pulsating bass line rarely changes throughout the song. Heavy usage of reverb and delay color the entire song.
[edit] Role in live performances
The song was consistently played by the band, from the "Gravity Grave Tour" of 1992, all the way to the "Urban Hymns Tour" of 1997/1998. In 1992, when promoting their first single "All in the Mind" in the USA, they played the song on the back of a truck around Manhattan.[citation needed] In fact, it was the oldest of the band's songs (by three years) to have been played on the latter tour. It was normally played within the first few numbers that the band performed at each gig.
[edit] Influence
The name of the song is generally acknowledged to have been the inspiration for the name of fellow 1990's British rock group Mansun, who merely abbreviated the phrase. However, it is said that they originally went by the name Manson, so the Verve connection has been disputed, though their singer took a lot of vocal styling cues from Verve's singer Richard Ashcroft.
