| "Half a Boy and Half a Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Nick Lowe | ||||
| from the album Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit | ||||
| B-side | "Awesome" | |||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | F-Beat | |||
| Songwriter | Nick Lowe | |||
| Producers | Nick Lowe, Colin Fairley, Paul Riley | |||
| Nick Lowe singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Half a Boy and Half a Man" on YouTube | ||||
"Half a Boy and Half a Man" is a 1984 song written by Nick Lowe. It was first included in his 1984 album Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit.[1] The song was then released as the lead single from the album.[2][3]
The song was his most successful since "Cruel to Be Kind."[4] It debuted at No. 77, and peaked at No. 53 on the UK singles chart,[5] and it reached No. 66 in Australia.[6] The single also peaked at number 110 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.[7][8] A music video was made for the song.[9]
Critical reception
Cash Box writes that the song "is typical Nick: straight ahead, no-nonsense rock’n’roll slippin’ and a slidin’ around a set of pointedly sardonic lyrics."[2] AllMusic's Stewart Mason calls the song a "breathless opener to an ultimately disappointing album," and that "Half a Boy and Half a Man" is "arguably the best thing Nick Lowe wrote in the '80s."[10] Music Week described the song as "High energy, country-tinged rock 'n' roll with a fast pumping bass and Wurlitzer organ playing the main melody."[11]
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 66 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 53 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[7] | 110 |
Notable cover versions
- Queen Ida covered the song on her 1985 live album Caught in the Act, the song was recorded in San Francisco, California.[12]
- George Thorogood and the Destroyers covered the song for their 1999 album Half a Boy/Half a Man.[13][14] A live version of the song was also released on their live album Live in '99, recorded on June 6, 1999 at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri[15]
- Los Straitjackets covered the song on their 2017 album What's So Funny About Peace Love and Los Straitjackets. The album contains only Nick Lowe covers. Their version is entirely instrumental.[16]
References
- ↑ "Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit - Nick Lowe | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- 1 2 "Feature Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. June 23, 1984. p. 7 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ "Points West" (PDF). Cash Box. June 30, 1984. p. 8 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ Sexton, Paul (June 16, 1984). "Lowe Life" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 26 – via World Radio History.
- 1 2 "HALF A BOY HALF A MAN - NICK LOWE | Official Charts". Official Charts.
- 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 309. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- 1 2 "Bubbling Under The Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. August 4, 1984. p. 60 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ "US Hot 100 Bubbling Under". Top40weekly. 13 May 2017.
- ↑ "Video Music Programming" (PDF). Billboard. July 21, 1984. p. 26 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ Mason, Stewart. "Half a Boy and Half a Man Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic.
- ↑ Smith, Jerry (May 26, 1984). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ Nastos, Michael G. "Caught in the Act - Queen Ida & Her Zydeco Band | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Half a Boy/Half a Man - George Thorogood & the Destroyers | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ Thelen, Christopher. "George Thorogood And The Destroyers | Daily Vault". Daily Vault.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Live in '99 - George Thorogood & the Destroyers | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ Deming, Mark. "What's So Funny About Peace Love and Los Straitjackets - Los Straitjackets | AllMusic". AllMusic.