This wonderfully translucent song by Zimmy has become inseparable from The Big Lebowsky in the minds of modern audiences. Both the film and the track are standout works of art that complement each other so well, forever intertwined in the annals of movie-music history. Dylan’s bouncy and buoyant voice with the laid-back rhythm set the perfect tone for the film’s opening sequence, instantly immersing us in this offbeat world. The song also complements The Dude’s temperament for being capable of both vulnerable and happy.
Poor Donny’s strike at the end of the introduction credits scene (see below) in which today’s featured track appears goes unnoticed by both the Dude and Walter. But when Jesus makes a strike soon thereafter everyone takes note. Put simply – ‘Nobody f&/ks with the Jesus‘…That creep can roll, man.
His vocals in the early 70s especially on the New Morning record were so great; so raw and full of emotion. Also the instrumentals sound so crisp and clear. I think this era including the near universally panned Self Portrait (1970) record which proceeded New Morning’s release by 4 months and Colombia Records 1973 contractual release record Dylan (also known as Fool Such as I) are considered blips in Dylan’s cannon although they really shouldn’t be since there is some really good stuff here.
So you had Dylan’s mid 60’s cited ‘mercurial sound’ on Blonde on Blonde and then the mid-1970’s comeback to form records Blood on the Tracks and Desire also acclaimed amongst his best work. But between those crescendo periods especially the early 1970’s – there is a glaring omission of Dylan musical appreciation for the most part.
The following was extracted and abridged from the Wikipedia reference:
The Man in Me was released as the 10th track on his 1970 album New Morning. Rolling Stone placed the song 84th on a list of the “100 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs of All Time“. An article accompanying the list noted that it possesses a “raggedly euphoric power” and that “Dylan has rarely sounded as joyful as he does during the ‘la la la’ intro” while “gospel-tinged backup vocals add to the lyrics’ sense of unguarded intimacy…’
The man in me will do nearly any task
And as for compensation, there’s little he would ask
Take a woman like you
To get through to the man in me
Storm clouds are raging all around my door
I think to myself I might not take it anymore
Take a woman like your kind
To find the man in me
But, oh, what a wonderful feeling
Just to know that you are near
Sets my heart a-reeling
From my toes up to my ears
The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from bein’ seen
But that’s just because he doesn’t want to turn into some machine
Took a woman like you
To get through to the man in me
References:
1. The Man in Me – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I know of the movie “The Big Lebowsky” but haven’t actually watched it. While I’m no longer much into movies, it sounds like a film I should see. As to Dylan, I really like his vocals on “The Man In Me.” It’s also a pretty decent song with a warm sound.
I’m guilty as charged in that I’ve listened to music from Dylan’s albums that preceded and followed “New Morning.” Since I have a funny feeling I would really dig “New Morning,” I hope to carve out some time soon to check out this album.
I gathered you weren’t a movie fan. If you don’t mind me asking – can I ask why?
Oh, I couldn’t recommend more highly ‘The Big Lebowsky’ to get you back into movies.
Regarding the blip period of Dylan I have too many songs to recommend including of course this one and ‘If Not For You’, ‘Winterlude’ and ‘All the Tired Horses’ to name but a few.
I think what happened with movies is I lost interest in contemporary pictures. On the rare occasions I go to the movies and catch the previews, I’m usually turned off by the overload of special effects and the violence.
I still enjoy old pictures like “Casablanca”, Hitchcock movies, James Bond pictures, “The French Connection”, “Back to the Future” and “Forrest Gump.”
I know that’s quite a hodgepodge and there are many more films I dig. It’s mostly the contemporary films I usually feel lukewarm about.
I think frequently the big blockbusters are trash and I too am repulsed by the over use of CGI and unnecessary violence. For those reasons I typically prefer Foreign, art-house, low budget and independent cinema. I enjoy those old movies you mentioned as well. Cheers.
My wife (my girlfriend at the time) and I used to go to a great theater on Long Island (New York) while we were still in grad school there, where they showed independent and low budget movies. Some of these pictures were really good! Where we live now (in New Jersey), these types of pictures are harder to find. Usually, it’s multiplex theaters showing blockbusters/mainstream movies.
If there would be more opportunities to see independent pictures, I’d go to the movies more often!
I didn’t see this comment until now. First and foremost my congratulations on making your girlfriend your wife.
There is a Dylan song on the tip of my lips just now as I wrote it…Oh yeh, I just remembered – ‘Red River Shore’.
He sung in it: ‘To Make That Girl My Wife’ which brings chills me to the bone when I hear him sing that.
I imagine where you are there are a plethora of Indie cinemas, where I know Woody Allen got his love for Ingmar Bergman movies in the 70’s.
excellent as always…I also think Self Portrait rocks…
Nice to have you back man! Thanks.
happy i am..your posts still rock
I don’t know how many messages we all wrote to each other about what we thought was perhaps your demise, but it was a lot. I hope you are on the mend, but your sudden disappearance was unsavoury.
sometimes it doesn’t matter
I love this song. Thanks for the article.
You’re welcome. Most kind of you.
I LOVE The Big Lebowski! One of my all-time favorites!
I don’t drink much anymore but I ALWAYS love a White Russian. We used to make them in the blender with a small amount of french vanilla ice cream ~ they were like milk shakes. Sometimes we used chocolate milk. With a couple of fattys, that was a good time. I’m smiling thinking about it.
As for Bob Dylan, he was in his 30s in the 70s & he was one good-looking dude. I was REALLY into Dylan in the 70s ~ I was a teenager.
This movie is the most requested by my children and it currently sits at No. 31 of my 100 favourites.
I like your recollections of the ‘White Russian’. A very apt drink in context with the movie lol
I had never really considered Dylan’s looks, but I suppose from Nashville Skyline to 73 / 74 I suppose I could consider him a handsome buck. The family photos of him with Sara where he’s cleaned up lol
I have another White Russian memory ~ on the way to see The Grateful Dead in Syracuse ~ a 3 hour drive from Buffalo ~ & we had two Coleman coolers ~ those big round coolers with the spigots on the bottoms ~ filled with White Russians that we made up before we hit the road ~ & we were drinking them the whole way to Syracuse. With the weed we were smoking & the coke we were snorting & the acid we dropped when we got there, we were READY TO ROCK.
This was the show that the Band opened for the Dead. Amazing that I remember any of it at all but I remember quite a lot of it.
Man, we used to have a great time. None of us would ever consider driving to another city, drinking & partying like that now.
I never went down the White Russian path full-on, although I’m sure I did as a precocious late teenager. My father told me: ‘Stick to Beers’ and that’s what I leaned towards, which to be honest probably saved me from an early demise.
Your road trip recall is one for the ages! I tried weed of course (and a lot stronger hallucinogenics) but I couldn’t get past the paranoia. I never did Coke (although I got awfully close here in the Coke-making nation) or Heroin and I count that down to just luck since I did just about everything else.
I’m amazed also you remembered anything about that Concert of all Concerts. The Band opening for the Dead. People would die for that experience and I imagine some did lol.
I’ve never gotten paranoid on weed. Cocaine made me paranoid, but not weed.
I did a lot of partying in my 20s. I got sober in my 30s. I went back to drinking nothing more than beer in my 50s & I rarely drink now that I’m well into my 60s. I do smoke weed.
Yeah, I remember horrendous hangovers on White Russians. Anything made with vodka & I drank a lot of vodka ~ vodka & soda, vodka gimlets. But back in those days, everyone was smoking cigarettes & hangovers were always accompanied by migraines caused by the cigarette smoke. It was a double-whammy.
Btw, I decided to redact (or better put) delete a large portion of my previous comment as it contained information which could offend or implicate me in wrong doing even though that was not my intention.
Anyhow’s back to your comment:
I commend you on achieving relative sobriety since your 20’s. Alcoholism is something I still continue to struggle with unfortunately. I go through patches of sobriety only to find myself back in the cave as it were.
Relapse is a part of recovery. & I can definitely identify.
I think one of the reasons I have been able to stay away from the drink is because I simply aged out of it. My body just can’t deal with it anymore. It’s not just alcohol ~ there’s a lot of food I can’t eat anymore, either. Age makes you change you eat & drink, because you have no choice or you suffer. I just don’t want to suffer anymore.
I couldn’t agree more with your enlightening comment about age and how the body can’t tolerate it like it used to. The body grows tired of suffering from it. I’m so glad you have overcome it.