"My Name Is Jack" is a song written by American record producer John Simon[2] and released as a single by British group Manfred Mann in 1968.[3] Their version reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] It became an international Top 10 hit, but only reached number 104 in the US.[5]
Background
The lyrics and music were written by John Simon, and his own version was included on the soundtrack of the 1968 film You Are What You Eat.[2] The song tells the story of a resident of the "Greta Garbo Home for Wayward Boys and Girls", which was the nickname of a real hostel, the Kirkland Hotel,[6] in San Francisco, where part of the movie was filmed.[7][8][9] Formerly Sakutaro Nakano's[10] Kashu Hotel,[11] 1701 Laguna Street, the building became dilapidated and was demolished, and the Christ United Presbyterian Church was opened on the site in 1975.[12] "Superspade", a real-life Haight Ashbury drug dealer, is also mentioned.
Early versions of the Manfred Mann cover also reference "Superspade", but as it is also a slur, the band later re-recorded the song with the more familiar "Superman" in its place, at the request of their US distributor, Mercury.[13]
The song was recorded at one of the first high-profile sessions at the newly constructed Trident Studios in London,[1] which would later become renowned for its use by such artists as the Beatles, David Bowie, Queen, and others.
