Legal Man

"Legal Man"
Single by Belle and Sebastian
B-side
  • "Judy Is a Dick Slap"
  • "Winter Wooskie"
Released16 May 2000 (2000-05-16)
StudioCaVa (Glasgow, Scotland)
Length2:42
Label
Songwriter(s)Belle and Sebastian
Producer(s)
  • Tony Doogan
  • Belle and Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian singles chronology
"Legal Man"
(2000) 		"Jonathan David"
(2001)
Music video
"Legal Man" on YouTube

"Legal Man" is the debut single of Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. The track features Isobel Campbell, Sarah Martin, and Rozanne Suarez (credited as the Maisonettes[1]) on vocals and Snow Patrol drummer Jonny Quinn on congas. The cover artwork—designed by Andrew Symington—features band members Stevie Jackson and Campbell along with Adrienne Payne and Suarez. Two B-sides were released with the single: "Judy Is a Dick Slap", an instrumental, and "Winter Wooskie", which was the last time bass player Stuart David sang lead vocals before departing the band in 2000.

"Legal Man" was released in May 2000, first in the United States on 16 May, then in the United Kingdom six days later. It reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, number 10 in Norway, number 46 in Sweden, and number 50 in Ireland. In Canada, the track reached number four on Nielsen SoundScan's Canadian Singles Chart. The song's music video was directed by Campbell.[2]

B-sides

"Judy Is a Dick Slap" is the first instrumental released by the band while "Winter Wooskie" is the third and final song featuring lead vocals from former bass player Stuart David, who left the band in 2000. All three tracks from the single were later collected on the Push Barman to Open Old Wounds compilation.[3]

Track listings

All songs were written by Belle and Sebastian.

CD single[4]

  1. "Legal Man"
  2. "Judy Is a Dick Slap"
  3. "Winter Wooskie"

7-inch single[5]

A. "Legal Man"
B. "Winter Wooskie"

12-inch single[6]

A. "Legal Man"
B. "Judy Is a Dick Slap"

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK 7-inch single sleeve and disc notes.[5]

Studio

Personnel

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Legal Man"
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[8] 4
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 48
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 50
Norway (VG-lista)[11] 10
Scotland (OCC)[12] 9
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 46
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 15
UK Indie (OCC)[15] 4

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Legal Man"
Region Date Format Label ID Ref.
United States 16 May 2000[2] CD Matador OLE 448-2 [16]
7-inch vinyl OLE 448-7 [17]
12-inch vinyl OLE 448-1 [18]
United Kingdom 22 May 2000[7] CD Jeepster JPRCDS 018 [4]
7-inch vinyl JPR7 018 [5]
12-inch vinyl JPR12 018 [6]
Japan 9 August 2000[19] CD VJCP-61041 [20]
Australia and New Zealand 2000 Spunk URA023 [21]
Brazil Jeepster T050/424-2 [22]
Canada 12-inch vinyl Matador OLE 448-1 [18]

References

  1. ^ Whitelaw, Paul (7 January 2014). Belle and Sebastian: Just a Modern Rock Story (E-book). St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-46686-229-6.
  2. ^ a b Garrity, Brian (20 May 2000). "Work Pays Off for Belle & Sebastian" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 21. p. 13. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Belle and Sebastian – Push Barman to Open Old Wounds Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b Legal Man (UK CD single liner notes). Belle and Sebastian. Jeepster Records. 2000. JPRCDS 018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b c Legal Man (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Belle and Sebastian. Jeepster Records. 2000. JPR7 018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b Legal Man (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Belle and Sebastian. Jeepster Records. 2000. JPR12 018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ a b "Belle & Sebastian – Sweet Legal!". NME. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Belle and Sebastian Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 24. 10 June 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Belle and Sebastian". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Belle and Sebastian feat. The Maisonettes – Legal Man". VG-lista. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Belle and Sebastian feat. The Maisonettes – Legal Man". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  16. ^ Legal Man (US CD single liner notes). Belle and Sebastian. Matador Records. 2000. OLE 448-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Legal Man (US 7-inch single sleeve). Belle and Sebastian. Matador Records. 2000. OLE 448-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ a b Legal Man (US & Canadian 12-inch single vinyl disc). Belle and Sebastian. Matador Records. 2000. OLE 448-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "リーガル・マン | ベル・アンド・セバスチャン" [Legal Man | Belle and Sebastian] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  20. ^ Legal Man (Japanese CD single liner notes). Belle and Sebastian. Jeepster Records. 2000. VJCP-61041.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Legal Man (Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes). Belle and Sebastian. Spunk Records. 2000. URA023.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Legal Man (Brazilian CD single liner notes). Belle and Sebastian. Jeepster Records. 2000. T050/424-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)