2000 Great Songs #1428: My Name Is Jack
Much like Fleetwood Mac, who similarly (and presciently) took their name from a member other than the frontman, Manfred Mann (named for its keyboardist) went through myriad iterations and huge stylistic changes over the decades as singers/songwriters came and went. After their early years as an R&B-flavored British Invasion act fronted by Paul Jones, new singer Mike d'Abo ushered in a few years of more baroque psych-pop. While that era is probably best known for their cover of Dylan's " Mighty Quinn " (a.k.a. "Quinn The Eskimo"), no less compelling is the jubilant "My Name Is Jack." The 1968 single, penned by US record producer and sometime-songwriter John Simon, is pure bubblegum, with a wickedly insinuating sing-along chorus, while the lyrics seem to portray the various inhabitants of--a school? An orphanage? An asylum? A little of each? I don't think the song got much attention in the US--I never heard it on oldies/classic rock radio, u...
