The Glory of Man

Album: Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Minutemen bassist, Mike Watt, wrote this song. The lyrics, though complex and abstract, reveal Watt's apparent desire to travel back in time "using cynicism, the time monitor, the space measurer."

    Watt told L.A. Record that this song was inspired by the Irish author, Jim Joyce and his 1922 novel, Ulysses: "That was the big thing in my mind right then. It had a big impact on me. It made me wonder so much about the world. Those days, when I wrote songs from that book, it was a big celebration! The glory of man! Now it's more like, the glory hole of man!"
  • Watt still performs this song live with his multiple post-Minutemen side-projects, including fIREHOSE and The Missingmen.
  • This song, one of Minutemen's longest, combines elements of funk and punk. Double Nickels on the Dime, Minutemen's third studio album, is renowned for its expansive sound palette. It is widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of the 1980s. In our interview with Watt, he reflected on the record with great pride: "Double Nickels... is probably the best record I've ever played on. I didn't realize it while we were making it. The way we were thinking was hills and valleys. People that are around for a while, the journey's full of valleys. That was definitely a hill, we thought. That was a peak of ours. And now looking back even more so."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

The End Of The Rock Era

The End Of The Rock EraSong Writing

There are no more rock stars - the last one died in 1994.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.