"Tin Man" is a 1974 song by the

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band America. It was written by band member

Dewey Bunnell Lee Merton "Dewey" Bunnell (born 19 January 1952) is a British-American musician, singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as a member of the folk rock band America. Biography Bunnell was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, to an Americ ...

and produced by

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...

, who also plays the piano part on the recorded version. The song was included on the band's album '' Holiday'', also from 1974.

Background

The song's title and some of its lyrics refer to the

Tin Woodman Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book '' ...

from '' The Wizard of Oz''. Songwriter Bunnell was quoted describing the parallel: "My favorite movie, I guess. I always loved it as a kid. Very obscure lyrics. Great grammar - 'Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man.' It's sort of a poetic license." Dan Peek - who describes "Tin Man" as "quintessential Dewey, easy

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with a

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acoustic bed" - states that Bunnell "actually begged us not to record the song. Knowing Dewey it was probably reverse psychology; if it was, Gerry eckleyand I fell for it, insisting it was perfect for the album." Released as the first single from ''Holiday'', "Tin Man" became the band's fourth top-ten hit in the US, spending three weeks at number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1974. Whitburn, Joel (2004). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 26. The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' easy listening chart in October of that year.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications), page 147. In the UK, the song was relegated to the B-side of another album track, "Mad Dog", released in July, but both sides failed to chart.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

A Finnish rendering of "Tin Man" entitled "Toisin käy" was recorded by Finnish band Cascade in 1974. Funk band

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also covered the song on their 1975 debut Action Speaks Louder Than Words. Brazilian singer

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recorded a Portuguese rendering of "Tin Man" entitled "Swing Man" for his 2004 album ''Samba Soul''. The group

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also recorded the song on their album ''Bees + Things + Flowers'' (2006) which features singer

Carleen Anderson Carleen Cassandra Anderson (born May 10, 1957) is an American singer and musician. She is known for her work with the Young Disciples and numerous collaborations. Her distinguished solo career began in 1992. She is the acclaimed composer, writer ...

Evan Olson Evan Scott Olson (born 1967) is an American rock singer and songwriter based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Professionally known since the early 2000s for his work as a songwriter for film and television, Olson received renewed interest in his e ...

released a cover of the song in his 1999 album '' One Room''.

References