Thinking Man

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
This article is about the song by Joan Armatrading. For the sculpture by Auguste Rodin, see The Thinker. For other uses, see Thinker (disambiguation).
"Thinking Man"
Single by Joan Armatrading
from the album Secret Secrets
B-side"Love Grows"
Released13 May 1985
Length4:05
LabelA&M
SongwriterJoan Armatrading
ProducerMike Howlett
Joan Armatrading singles chronology
"Temptation"
(1985) 		"Thinking Man"
(1985) 		"Love by You"
(1985)
Audio
"Thinking Man" on YouTube

"Thinking Man" is a song by English singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, released on 13 May 1985 by A&M Records as the second single from her ninth studio album, Secret Secrets (1985). The song, which was written by Armatrading and produced by Mike Howlett, reached number 97 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart.

Release

[edit]

"Thinking Man" was released as a single in the UK on 13 May 1985.[1] It failed to reach the top 100 of the UK singles chart, but did gain airplay on BBC Radio 1 and across Independent Local Radio.[2][3][4]

Critical reception

[edit]

Upon its release as a single, Tim Blott of The Northern Echo summarised, "It's got commercial clout. Bounces along, and that excellent voice is in fine form."[5] The Fife Free Press praised it as a "superb track" and a "scrumptious single which could well chart".[6] Martin Hindmarsh of the Lincolnshire Echo described it as a "fine piece of music" but questioned its chart potential, stating that "most Armatrading fans probably have the album already and it's unlikely to pick up music casual trade".[7] A reviewer for the Telegraph & Argus considered the song to be "very average and very typical Joan Armatrading". He added, "If you have got the album then there is no point buying it unless you want the previously unreleased B-side."[8]

Johnny Waller of Sounds wrote, "As stylishly cultured as ever she was, but sadly lacking the fire and ice of her earlier triumphs. An immaculate rendition of something less than an average pop song."[9] Paul Sexton of Record Mirror was negative in his review, stating it was a "cut and dried case of going through the motions".[10] Ro Newton made a similar assessment in her review for Number One, remarking that the song "doesn't quite match up to the memorable 'Me Myself I' and 'All the Way from America'". She concluded that "her songwriting may have dried up but the quality of her singing never will".[11]

In the US, Cash Box said, "Armatrading's commentary on the tension between the sexes should ring true. The single will connect with [her] legion of loyal fans as well as extend the British singer's ever-widening audience."[12] In a retrospective review of Secrets Secrets, Dave Connolly of AllMusic noted that, although it failed to chart in the US, "Thinking Man" is "as catchy as" Armatrading's 1983 hit "Drop the Pilot".[13]

Track listings

[edit]

7–inch single (UK, US, South Africa and Australasia)[14][15][16][17]

  1. "Thinking Man" – 4:05
  2. "Love Grows" – 3:44

12-inch single (UK and Australasia)[18][19]

  1. "Thinking Man" – 4:05
  2. "Love Grows" – 3:44
  3. "Drop the Pilot" – 3:40

Personnel

[edit]

"Thinking Man"

Production

  • Mike Howlett – production ("Thinking Man", "Love Grows")
  • Bryan New – engineering ("Thinking Man", "Love Grows")
  • Jon Hallett – engineering assistance ("Thinking Man", "Love Grows")
  • Steve McLaughlin – engineering assistance ("Thinking Man", "Love Grows")
  • Val Garay – production ("Drop the Pilot")

Other

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] 97

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 11 May 1985. p. 18. ISSN 0265-1548.
  2. ^ "Airplay Action". Music Week. 18 May 1985. p. 18. ISSN 0265-1548.
  3. ^ "Airplay: I.R.L. Stations". Music Week. 18 May 1985. p. 19. ISSN 0265-1548.
  4. ^ "Airplay: I.R.L. Stations". Music Week. 25 May 1985. p. 7. ISSN 0265-1548.
  5. ^ Blott, Tim (17 May 1985). "Record Reviews: Singles". The Northern Echo. p. 11. Retrieved 14 November 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Winston (24 May 1985). "Off the record: Singles". Fife Free Press. p. 11. Retrieved 14 November 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ Hindmarsh, Martin (9 May 1985). "Rockpile: Not a single girl". Lincolnshire Echo. p. 4. Retrieved 14 November 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Rock On: Psychedelia hits back!". Telegraph & Argus. 9 May 1985. p. 8. Retrieved 14 November 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Waller, Johnny (11 May 1985). "Singles". Sounds. p. 15. ISSN 0144-5774.
  10. ^ Sexton, Paul (18 May 1985). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 13. ISSN 0144-5804.
  11. ^ Newton, Ro (11 May 1985). "Singles". Number One. No. 99. p. 37.
  12. ^ "Single Releases". Cash Box. Vol. 49, no. 4. 6 July 1985. p. 9. ISSN 0008-7289.
  13. ^ Connolly, Dave. "Secret Secrets - Joan Armatrading". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  14. ^ Thinking Man (UK 7-inch single sleeve). A&M Records. 1985. AM 250.
  15. ^ Thinking Man (US 7-inch single sleeve). A&M Records. 1985. AM-2751.
  16. ^ Thinking Man (South African 7-inch single sleeve). A&M Records. 1985. AMRS 1468.
  17. ^ Thinking Man (Australasian 7-inch single sleeve). A&M Records. 1985. K 9670.
  18. ^ Thinking Man (UK 12-inch single sleeve). A&M Records. 1985. AMY 250.
  19. ^ Thinking Man (Australasian 12-inch single sleeve). A&M Records. 1985. X 14177.
  20. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.