Neanderthal Man

Album: Thinks: School Stinks (1970)
Charted: 2 22
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This primitive track has a pretty basic message, with the same stanza repeated several times:

    I'm a Neanderthal man
    You're a Neanderthal girl
    Let's make Neanderthal love
    In this Neanderthal world


    It's consistent with the caveman theme, as language was still developing.
  • Hotlegs (Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme) was the house band for Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England. The band was named Hotlegs in honor of a secretary at the studio.
  • The band didn't have grand ambitions for this song: they were playing it to test a new drum kit and 4-track recorder at Strawberry Studios when they improvised "Neanderthal Man." Phillips label chief Dick Leahy happened to be around, thought it had potential, and got them to record it on his label. It sold over 2 million copies worldwide and topped the charts in Italy.

    Despite the success of the single, Hotlegs stayed focused on studio work for other artists. In 1972, with the addition of Graham Gouldman, they became 10cc, one of the top UK acts of the '70s.
  • The band made a promotional film for this song that was clearly inspired by the 1966 film One Million Years B.C. A decade later, Godley and Creme became visionary directors in the world of music videos.
  • In 2006, Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman reworked this song into a track called "Son of Man," which tells the story of 10cc:

    They were joined at the heart, joined at the hip
    Working in any old piece of s--t
    For experience and the hell of it
    Fueled by cigarettes and curry
    Hashish, lack of sleep and worry
    Turned out crap they thought was funny
    Because they knew that there were diamonds hidden in the trash


    In 2018, Godley made a video for the song.

Comments: 4

  • Peter from Davenport,flDoes anyone else think that the singer sounds like John Lennon? In fact the whole song kinda reminds me of "Give Peace a Chance".
  • Farrah from Elon, NcThe bizarreness of the song is why I love it!!! Plus, I also love the cool beat.
  • Farrah from Elon, NcThe song was a bit bizarre, but I just love it!!!
  • Dylan from Port Orange, FlI like 10cc, but this has to be one of the most bizarre songs I've ever heard.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.