Favorite "Man" Songs #7 - "Lucky Man"

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Cheech: "How's my driving, man?" Chong: "I think we're parked, man." Other than a classic use of "man," that little bit of hilarity has absolutely nothing to do with #7 in my Favorite "Man" Songs series, which is songs with "man" in the title. The seventh spot belongs to "Lucky Man," by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. From prog rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer's self-titled 1970 debut album, "Lucky Man" has a bit of interesting history to it. Check this out: Greg Lake wrote the song when he was 12, using the first guitar chords he learned. The tune was included on the album simply because one more song was needed. It also holds the distinction of utilizing one of the first Moog synthesizer solo's, which Keith Emerson recorded in one take (and was reportedly not happy about.) Later, when it came to having to perform the solo on a late 70's tour, the keyboardist had to request a transcript from Keyboard Magazine because it had been so long that he couldn't remember how to play it. "Lucky Man" was released as a single in 1970, and was most successful in the Netherlands, where it reached #14 (it peaked at #25 in Canada and #48 on the Billboard Hot 100.) It was then re-released in 1973, stalling at #51 on the Hot 100, and #71 in Canada. I've linked to a live version by Greg Lake and Gary Moore, from an old King Biscuit Flower Hour concert CD, a copy of which I used to own. Enjoy! (Info verified by Wikipedia)