Info → Man Next Door
Front cover of a rare European promo CD for Man Next Door.
UK Release: 20th April 1998 (Mezzanine)
Track Duration: 05:55
Formats: CD, Vinyl, MD, Digital.View Discography Entry.
Written By: John Holt
Produced By: Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Neil Davidge
More than likely, Man Next Door is a product mostly of Daddy G’s desire to do a reggae cover. The reggae cover ended up being Jamaican reggae singer’s John Holt’s I’ve Got To Get Away which had originally been recorded in the 1960’s. This song had already previously been covered by the 1970’s post-punk band The Slits (under the new name of Man Next Door), who had already turned the original upbeat reggae number into a more down tempo moody tune, which probably inspired Massive Attack, in their own take of the song, moreso than the original John Holt version.
Massive Attack sought legal action against the Conservative party in September 2000, after the unauthorized usage of Man Next Door at a Tory party conference.
In September 2000, the UK Conservative Party used a snippet of Man Next Door as background music to accompany the entrance of the then party leader William Hague. When Massive Attack were alerted of the use of their own song, which the Conservative party had not asked permission to use, Massive Attack became very indignant not so much with the unauthorised use of their song but on political grounds, as the Conservative party were using it to promote their right wing policies which Massive Attack were not supporters of. Massive Attack threatened legal action against the Conservative party.
It is uncertain exactly what happened afterwards, but it appears that no legal action against the Conservative party ever actually took place.
Man Next Door along with a sampling of a few otherMezzanine-bound tracks were first played during the 1997 tour partly to gauge crowd reactions to these newly demoed songs. It was a constant feature of both the 1997 tour and the 1998/1999 tours. During the 2003 and 2004 tours it was omitted entirely. Man Next Door would make its live appearance after a nearly eight year gap during the North American leg of the 2006 tour.
It’s live arrangement is typically the same as the regular album version with Horace Andy performing live vocals.
Euro Radio Edit – A truncated version of the song for radio playback for European radio stations. It trims off much of the beginning and end of the song. It might possibly have been used to gauge interest of a commercial single release of Man Next Door. Included only on a rare promo CD of Man Next Door.
Man Next Door uses a sample from the song “10.15 Saturday Night” by The Cure. It appears primarily on their 1986 release “Staring At the Sea”. It is credited officially by Massive Attack.
Apart from this aforementioned sample, Man Next Door also uses a sample from the song “When The Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin. It appears primarily on their 1971 release “Led Zeppelin 4″. It is not credited officially by Massive Attack.
Horace Andy on the previously recorded versions of Man Next Door – “The band only knew the Dennis Brown version. I’m singing them the John Holt version”[Mojo Magazine – July 1998]
3D on the unauthorised use of Man Next Door during a Conservative Party conference – “We’re completely fucked off with The Tories. How dare they use us to promote their bullshit” [Q Magazine – October 2000]
Jamaican reggae singer John Holt, whose original “I’ve Got To Get Away” was the basis for Massive Attack’s cover of the song. Visit his Wikipedia entry.
There is a man that live next door. In my neighborhood. In my neighborhood. And he gets me down. He gets in so late at night. Always a fuss and fight. Always a fuss and fight. All through the night… I’ve got to get away from here. This is not a place for me to stay. I’ve got to take my family. And find a quiet place. Hear the pots and pans they fall. Bang against my wall. Bang against my wall. No rest at all… He gets in so late at night. Always a fuss and fight. Always a fuss and fight. All through the night… I’ve got to get away from here. This is not a place for me to stay. I’ve got to take my family. And find a quiet place. There is a man that live next door. In my neighborhood. In my neighborhood. And he gets me down. He gets in so late at night. Always a fuss and fight. Always a fuss and fight. All through the night… Gotta get away from here. Oh I. Oh my my my