A-side "Man Overboard" Format 7" vinyl Genre New wave, rock | Released June 1985 Recorded Sydney
May 1985 | |
B-side "Fish Tank", "Black Crocodiles" | ||
"Man Overboard" is a single by Australian rock/pop group Do-Ré-Mi which was released by Virgin Records in June 1985. The 7" vinyl version has three tracks, which were written by lead vocalist Deborah Conway, drummer Dorland Bray, bass guitarist Helen Carter and guitarist Stephen Philip. "Man Overboard" made its first appearance on the 1982 EP The Waiting Room and was re-worked and released as a single in 1985 to become a surprise top 5 hit. It is the first Australian hit to include lyrics referring to anal humour, penis envy and pubic hair; it also had no chorus. The single version was produced and engineered by Gavin McKillop.
Contents
Background
Do-Ré-Mi had formed in Sydney in 1981 when Deborah Conway (lead vocals) and Dorland Bray (drums, percussion, backing vocals), both previously in Melbourne-based group The Benders, joined Helen Carter (bass, backing vocals) ex-Friction. Stephen Philip (guitar), ex-Thought Criminals, was initially a studio musician for their debut EP, Do-Ré-Mi which released in August 1982. Phillip was asked to join formally with Do-Ré-Mi. They returned to the studio almost immediately and recorded The Waiting Room EP which was released in January 1983. "Man Overboard" had its first appearance on this EP but was later re-worked and released as a single in June 1985 and peaked at #5 on the Australian singles charts. Lyrical content included references to anal humour, penis envy and pubic hair, which was a first for an Australian chart hit. In 2001, Carter recalled the problems Do-Ré-Mi had with their record company over "Man Overboard" for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV series Long Way To The Top.
There was a real hit-maker mentality ... people would say 'It can't be a hit - it doesn't have a chorus... You're talking about pubic hair, oh my God!'
Track listing
All tracks were written by Deborah Conway, Dorland Bray, Helen Carter and Stephen Philip.
- "Man Overboard" - 4:08
- "Fish Tank" - 2:43
- "Black Crocodiles" - 3:12
Personnel
Do-Ré-Mi members
Recording details