You're the Man (song)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

You're the Man is a funk song by Marvin Gaye with Kenneth Stover, released in 1972 on Motown's Tamla label. It was recorded in spring 1972 at Hitsville West in Hollywood and runs about 5 minutes and 48 seconds. Marvin Gaye produced the track.

The song was written during the 1972 presidential campaign and was supposed to be the first single from an album also called You're the Man. However, its modest success led Gaye to shelve the album. The release helped push Motown to give Gaye more creative control after his acclaimed What's Going On, and Motown offered him a $1 million deal.

In 1972, Gaye kept recording political and social material with a band that included members from Hamilton Bohannon’s group. You're the Man questions political leaders and asks candidates (notably George McGovern) if they have a plan to fix past wrongs and bring real change. It also criticizes the political system and contains the line "you’re the man," sometimes with a twist, such as a nod to a possible woman president. The song ends by calling for peace and mentions decriminalizing marijuana.

Motown chief Berry Gordy did not promote the song, worried about backlash from conservative fans, and Gaye and Motown argued over politics. As a result, the rest of the You're the Man album was shelved, along with other tracks like "Woman of the World" and "The World Is Rated X."

The song did better on R&B radio, reaching #7, while it peaked around #50 on the pop chart. Gaye continued working in 1972, which led to the Trouble Man soundtrack and, in 1973, the shift toward more personal themes on Let’s Get It On.

Over the years, You're the Man appeared on various compilations. Different releases mixed the original and edited versions into a single track in some editions. A longer alternate take and other variants were released on later editions, and Motown issued the full album You're the Man in 2019. The song also inspired Digable Planets’ 1994 tribute “Marvin, You’re the Man.”