"Hey Men" | ||||
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Single by Men Without Hats | ||||
from the album The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 1989 | |||
Recorded | 1988, Hudson Studios, Briarcliff Manor, New York | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 5:00 3:39 (single edit) | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ivan and Stefan Doroschuk | |||
Producer(s) | Stefan Doroschuk | |||
Men Without Hats singles chronology | ||||
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"Hey Men" is a song from Canadian new wave/synthpop band Men Without Hats' fourth album, The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century , released as the album's first single in 1989. [1]
The song is based on experiences bandleader Ivan Doroschuk had during his teenage years and is an anti-domestic violence song; the chorus implores men to "stop pushing your women down" and "quit knocking your children around". In later interviews, however, Doroschuk acknowledged that he had received some criticism for the lyrics, because "your women" implied possession rather than partnership. [2]
In early reviews of the album, Mark Lepage of the Montreal Gazette singled the song out for praise as "a round-edged Chuck Berry thing with a winning chorus and a feminist nudge", [3] while Helen Metella of the Edmonton Journal called it a "snappy put-down of a male-dominated globe" and singled it out as one of the high points of the album. [4]
In early December while the song was still in the midst of its chart run, band member Stefan Doroschuk was struck by a car in Montreal, breaking both legs and his hand and forcing the band to postpone its concert tour to support the album. [5]
The song entered the RPM100 singles chart in October 1989, debuting at #72 in the week of October 16. [6] Initially, the song was only modestly successful, and appeared to have stalled out on the charts by December; however, following the École Polytechnique massacre on December 6, the song suddenly jumped into the Top 10 in the week of December 16, 1989 [7] on the basis of increased radio airplay because of its anti-violence stand.
Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. They achieved their greatest popularity in the 1980s with "The Safety Dance", a worldwide top ten hit, and "Pop Goes the World". After a hiatus for most of the 1990s and 2000s, Doroschuk reformed the band in 2010, and released Love in the Age of War (2012). The group, based in Vancouver, has continued to perform, including tour dates announced in support of the release of two studio albums, Men Without Hats Again , in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Ivan Eugene Doroschuk, born 9 October 1957, is an American-born Canadian musician. He is the lead vocalist and founding member of Men Without Hats, best known for the hit song "The Safety Dance".
Rhythm of Youth is the debut studio album by Canadian new wave and synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in April 1982 by Statik Records in Europe and Canada and in 1983 by Backstreet Records in the US. It propelled them to fame with its second single, "The Safety Dance". It was released under the Statik Records label in Canada, distributed by Warner Music Canada where it achieved Platinum status for sales of 100,000 units.
"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the Canadian-American hard rock band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released in 1968 on the album The Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at number three in the US, and staying in the charts for 16 weeks, longer than any other Steppenwolf song.
Pop Goes the World is the third studio album by Canadian new wave and synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released on June 29, 1987, by Mercury Records. It features the single "Pop Goes the World", which reached the Top 20 in Canada and the United States. The album went platinum in Canada.
The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century, often shortened to In the 21st Century, is the fourth studio album by Canadian synth-pop group Men Without Hats, released in 1989. It was the second and last album to be released with the lineup of Ivan Doroschuk (vocals), Stefan Doroschuk (guitar), Marika Tjelios (bass), Heidi Garcia, Richard Samson (drums) and Bruce Murphy (keyboards), which was also the lineup that toured to promote the previous album Pop Goes the World.
Sideways is the fifth studio album by Canadian synthpop group Men Without Hats. Released on 30 April 1991, it featured a new sound based around electric guitars instead of the group's normal use of synthesizers. It was the second album to be recorded at Hudson Studios in New York and produced by bassist Stefan Doroschuk, with Mike Scott as co-producer.
"The Safety Dance" is a song by Canadian new wave/synth-pop band Men Without Hats, released in Canada in 1982 as the second single from Rhythm of Youth. The song was written by lead singer Ivan Doroschuk after he had been ejected from a club for pogo dancing.
Folk of the 80's is an EP released by Canadian synth-pop group Men Without Hats. Recorded in the summer of 1980 at Studio A in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and released later that year, it was their first release.
"Stand" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released as the second single from the album Green in 1989. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming R.E.M.'s second top 10 hit in the United States, and topped both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. The song reached number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and number 16 in Canada. It was placed on R.E.M.'s Warner Bros. Records "best of" album In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 in 2003, as well as the 2011 compilation album Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage.
"Talking in Your Sleep" is a song by American rock band the Romantics. Released in September 1983, It became the band's most successful single in the US, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984, the song would have a release two months later in Australia and New Zealand, a release later that year in Japan, and in January 1984 in the UK, in which both countries it failed to chart. It became a UK hit in August that year for British group Bucks Fizz. The song is in natural minor.
"You Give Love a Bad Name" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the first single from their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child about a woman who has jilted her lover, the song reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on November 29, 1986, and became the band's first number one hit. In 2007, the song reentered the charts at No. 29 after Blake Lewis performed it on American Idol.
"Hold the Line" is a song by American rock band Toto from their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. Written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, the lead vocals on the song were performed by Bobby Kimball.
"I Go to Extremes" is the fourth track on American singer Billy Joel's 11th studio album, Storm Front (1989). It was released as the second single from the album in 1989. It reached the number-six position on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number three on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. The song was also a top-10 hit on both the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Album Rock Tracks charts.
"Rock Me Gently" is a song by Andy Kim, released as a single in 1974.
"Gimme All Your Lovin'" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. It was released as the album's first single in 1983. The single reached No. 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart), and reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart. It ties with the band's 1992 cover of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" as their highest-charting single in the UK. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning.
"Pop Goes the World" is a song by Canadian new wave and synthpop band Men Without Hats. It was released in October 1987 as the lead single from their third studio album of the same name. The song reached No. 1 in Austria, No. 2 in Canada, and No. 3 in South Africa. It was originally written as an electronic instrumental. The song has been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Love in the Age of War, released in 2012, is the seventh studio album by Canadian new wave group Men Without Hats.
Tracy Howe is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter with the band Rational Youth, and previously The Normals and Heaven Seventeen. Howe was a member of Rational Youth from 1981 to 1986 and 1997 to 2002 and 2009–2021.
Three O'Clock Train is a Canadian alternative country band from Montreal, Quebec. Active from 1984 to 1996 in their original incarnation, the band reunited in 2012.