BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982
“Mirror Man” is a 1982 song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK on 8 November 1982 and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with keyboard players Jo Callis and Ian Burden, and produced by Martin Rushent.
“Mirror Man” was the first track written and recorded by the Human League after they returned from their World Tour, conducted in the wake of the enormous international success of their album Dare. “Mirror Man” was conceived and written as a celebration of Oakey and Wright’s love of Motown records. It has been described as electronic northern soul, with Oakey’s main verses delivered in deliberate sentences with emphasis on the last word of each sentence. Vocalists Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall feature prominently throughout the song but have no lyrics, providing backing vocals of “oohs” and “ahhs”. Recording and production was overseen by Martin Rushent, who had produced the band’s album Dare.
Speculation about who was the titular ‘Mirror Man’ was ended in 1988 when, during interviews to promote the band’s Greatest Hits album, Oakey revealed that it was about Adam Ant. Oakey had become concerned that Ant was starting to believe his own publicity, and was in danger of losing touch with reality. Oakey had avoided revealing this at the time for fear of offending the song’s subject. The song could be viewed as a reference to the 1971 Japanese TV series Mirrorman.
The song was released as a single in the UK in November 1982. It was the first new single the band had released since the phenomenal success of “Don’t You Want Me” almost a year earlier. The single was tipped by the media as their second Christmas number-one single in the UK, but peaked just short, at number two. The single did however reach number one in Ireland earlier that month and also reached the Top 10 in Canada the following February.
Its release in the U.S. was delayed until May 1983 where it was incorporated into the stop gap EP Fascination!. A&M Records, the band’s record company in the US, had refused to release it as a single “unless there was to be an album hot on its heels”. The track peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1983.
SIDE A:
Mirror Man (Extended Version) 4:22
SIDE B:
You Remind Me Of Gold 3:38
You Remind Me Of Gold (Instrumental) 3:54
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Mirror Man | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #30 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Virgin – VS522-12
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: UK
Released: 08 Nov 1982
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Photography By – Rob*, Simon Fowler (2)
Producer –The Human League, Martin Rushent
Written-By – Burden* (tracks: A), Callis* (tracks: A), Oakey*
NOTES:
1982 Virgin Records Ltd.
Find the 12″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
