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Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)

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(Redirected from Blue Collar Man)
"Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
Single by Styx
from the album Pieces of Eight
B-side"Superstars" / "Aku-Aku"
ReleasedSeptember 1978 (US)[1]
Genre
Length4:05 (LP version)
3:37 (single version)
LabelA&M
SongwriterTommy Shaw
Styx singles chronology
"Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)"
(1978)		 "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
(1978)		 "Sing for the Day"
(1978)

"Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the first single from their eighth studio album, Pieces of Eight (1978). Released in 1978, the single came in two 7" vinyl formats: one with the b-side "Superstars" (a track from The Grand Illusion) and a second single with the instrumental album track "Aku-Aku" as the b-side. Some printings of the single were also issued in a translucent blue vinyl, which are now highly sought after collector's items.

Lyrics and music

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Tommy Shaw recalled that a friend of his was laid off from the railroad. "He was having to go stand in line at the unemployment office. It just drove him nuts, because he’s like, ‘I wanna work! I don’t wanna be standing around here, asking for a handout…’ It really bugged him, and that was the inspiration for that song.”[2] As read in a Circus magazine (or the like) of the time, the music was composed by Shaw after hearing the sound of his motor boat engine when it failed to start.[3] He said it sounded like a good riff to a song.

The song is in D natural minor, with moments of D harmonic minor due to the use of the V chord, A major.[4]

Reception

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According to Billboard, it has "riveting high energy guitar licks and a powerful lead vocal."[5] Cash Box said that "rhythm guitar work provides a gritty, rough and tumble bottom which highlights the bright lead guitar passages and the upper register vocals."[6] Record World praised the organ and guitar playing and said that "Styx has specialized in hard rockers with soaring harmony hooks and this single...is in the same groove."[7] Allmusic critic Mike DeGagne said that it best represents "Styx's feisty, straightforward brand of album rock," who called it "an invigorating keyboard and guitar rush -- hard and heavy, yet curved by Tommy Shaw's emphasized vocals."[8] In 2024, Ultimate Classic Rock critic Allison Rapp rated it to be rock music's 14th best work song, with fellow critic Ryan Reed admiring the song's "grit" and Dennis DeYoung's "heavy" organ playing.[9] Louder Sound and Billboard ranked "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" at number five and number eight, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Styx songs.[10][11]

The song reached #21 in the United States in November 1978, and spent two weeks at No. 9 on the Canada RPM Top 100 Singles chart.[12]

Personnel

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Charts

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Music video

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A promo video for this song was filmed by director Bruce Gowers of the band performing on stage at San Diego Sports Arena during soundcheck for the band’s performance there. Videos were also shot for the Pieces of Eight songs "Sing for the Day" and "I'm OK".

[edit]

The song was used in the Season 8 episode of The Middle titled "Trip and Fall". A re-recorded version of the song has been released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game.

Sources

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  1. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 866. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ↑ "How Tommy Shaw's Laid-Off Pal Inspired 'Blue Collar Man'". ultimateclassicrock.com. August 31, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ Dome, Malcolm (February 18, 2022). "The 10 best Styx songs". Classic Rock. Louder Music. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  4. ↑ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.89. ISBN 978-0-300-09239-4.
  5. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 9, 1978. p. 66. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  6. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 9, 1978. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  7. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 9, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  8. ↑ DeGagne, Mike. "Pieces of Eight". Allmusic. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  9. ↑ Rapp, Allison (January 2, 2024). "Top 30 Work Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2026-01-20.
  10. ↑ Dome, Malcolm (February 18, 2022). "The 10 best Styx songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ Graff, Gary (May 15, 2024). "The 10 Best Styx Songs (Critic's Picks)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Styx: Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 0044a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024. [dead link]
  15. ↑ "Styx – Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Styx Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Top 100 1978-11-18". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  18. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 0070a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024. [dead link]
  19. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
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