"The Man in Me" is a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

written by American singer-songwriter

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and released as the 10th track on his 1970

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

New Morning New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

''.

Reception and legacy

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' placed the song 84th on a list of the "100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs of All Time". An article accompanying the list noted that it possesses a "raggedly euphoric power" and that "Dylan has rarely sounded as joyful as he does during the 'la la la' intro" while "gospel-tinged backup vocals add to the lyrics’ sense of unguarded intimacy and deliverance in hard times". Nation of Language's Ian Devaney cited it as his favorite Dylan song in a 2021 '' Stereogum'' article, writing, "The main reason this song sticks with me is the three-note descension on the line 'nearly any task' and how endlessly satisfying it is. In a song about finally allowing someone into the part of yourself that you keep from the world, these simple steps feel like an exhalation. The instruments spend most of the song playfully dancing and weaving but these three big notes feel like crashing into a chair and taking a moment to appreciate that you’re capable of being vulnerable and happy".

In other media

The song is featured in the soundtrack to the 1998

Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

film ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistaken ...

''. It plays during the stylized opening title sequence and during the

hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinati ...

sequence after the Dude is punched and his rug stolen. More recently it has been performed live by the film's star,

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...

, at Lebowski Fest, an audience-participation oriented event commemorating the film. The song was featured in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' episode " The Town" during a bowling montage (likely in reference to ''

''. The song was featured in the soundtrack to the 2013 documentary '' The Smash Brothers'', highlighting the career of

Ken Hoang Ken Hoang (born October 10, 1985), also known as SephirothKen or Liquid`Ken, is an American professional ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' player and television personality. Hoang was widely considered the most dominant ''Melee'' player in the world ...

and paying homage to ''The Big Lebowski''. The song was also used in S04E17 of '' How I Met Your Mother''. The song was used in a lighthearted ad series from Rocket Mortgage by

Quicken Loans Rocket Mortgage, LLC (formerly known as Quicken Loans LLC) is a mortgage loan provider. It is headquartered in the One Campus Martius building in the financial district of Downtown Detroit, Michigan. In January 2018, the company became the la ...

. The song is featured in the 2020 movie ''

The Mauritanian ''The Mauritanian'' is a 2021 legal drama film based on the memoir of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held for fourteen years (from 2002 to 2016) without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a United States military pri ...

''. The song appears in season 3, episode 3 of ''

Sex Education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

'' when Eric, Adam, Otis and Ruby go bowling.

Notable covers

In 1971, the song was covered by

Lonnie Mack Lonnie McIntosh (July 18, 1941 – April 21, 2016), known as Lonnie Mack, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was an influential trailblazer of blues rock music and rock guitar soloing. Mack emerged in 1963 with his breakthroug ...

on his album, '' The Hills of Indiana''. That same year, the Persuasions featured the song ''a capella'' on their album, ''Street Corner Symphony'', and regularly in their live performances. In 1975, it was covered by London reggae band Matumbi, with another reggae version recorded by Joe Cocker the following year. The song was also covered by

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...

during sessions for the album that was to become ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. T ...

''. It is available on '' The Vanilla Tapes''. More recently, it was covered by alternative rock group

Say Anything Say Anything may refer to: Film and television * '' Say Anything...'', a 1989 American film by Cameron Crowe * "Say Anything" (''BoJack Horseman''), a television episode Music * Say Anything (band), an American rock band ** ''Say Anything'' (alb ...

; a demo version of the cover features Chris Conley (of

Saves the Day Saves the Day is an American rock band from Princeton, New Jersey, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Conley, guitarist Arun Bali, and bassist Rodrigo Palma. After forming under the name Sefler i ...

) on vocals. The song was sampled heavily in the closing track of

Blarf Blarf (stylized in all caps) was a musical side project by American comedian Eric André. Blarf was originally a band consisting of André and other unnamed bandmates, but it quickly disbanded. In 2019, André revived the name of the band as a so ...

's 2019 album ''Cease & Desist'', "The Me in Me." It has also been covered by

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

David Bazan David Bazan (; born January 22, 1976) is an American indie rock singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona who now resides in Seattle, Washington. Bazan is the lead singer and creative force behind the band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer ...

(who regularly plays it live), Jenoah,

Vandaveer Vandaveer ( Mark Charles Heidinger) is an American, Louisville, KY-based indie-folk musical project, spearheaded by singer-songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger. Vandaveer has released five albums and three EPs since 2007, touring extensively through ...

Buffalo Tom Buffalo Tom is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Sp ...

, and

My Morning Jacket My Morning Jacket is an American rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Koster. The ...

. The song was covered by Emma Swift on her 2020 album '' Blonde on the Tracks''.

Live performances

Dylan played the song 155 times in concert between 1978 and 2011. It is the most frequently performed live song from ''

''.

References

External links

Lyrics
at Dylan's official site * 1970 songs The Clash songs Songs written by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan songs Song recordings produced by Bob Johnston {{1970s-rock-song-stub