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, unlike "Quinn" (or the Jones-era "Do Wah Diddy Diddy")--but it has the feel of a perfect pop single, just a little bit askew.

On TV:

John Simon original:

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