Luck of the Irish Top Ten: Lucky Man (#10)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86920)
United States
March 12, 2022 12:22pm CST
When I had the Irish Rovers song yesterday @RebeccasFarm suggested I needed some “luck o’ the Irish” in time for St. Patrick’s Day. So here’s a countdown of songs with “luck” or “lucky” in the title. Let’s get going with a classic rock favorite.
#10: Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Believe it or not, after I finished making this list I heard this song in a store yesterday. Well, not the entire song, just the endless synthesizers at the end.
There are a number of songs where I will admit to thinking some of the instrumentation is pure overkill. (And no, not the Men At Work song. 
) I’m talking about songs I love, too: at one point in Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” you just want to scream, “ENOUGH ALREADY, Grady!” at Grady Martin’s over-the-top guitar work. (Although others love it and say it makes the song. That’s part of what makes us individuals: our tastes, likes and dislikes.)
Here this song goes along beautifully, with harmonies and a tragic tale of a wealthy person who couldn’t escape death, until the end, when Keith Emerson apparently kicked everyone else out of the studio and tried to see how much synth music he could stick on a song in 48 seconds. 
And, as I said about the Marty Robbins songs, there are people who love the synthesizer ending of this tune and think it “makes” the song. I’m just not one of those people.
But the first 2/3 of the song is great.
Lucky Man
Written by Greg Lake
Recorded by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
From Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970
Waiting by the door:
) I’m talking about songs I love, too: at one point in Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” you just want to scream, “ENOUGH ALREADY, Grady!” at Grady Martin’s over-the-top guitar work. (Although others love it and say it makes the song. That’s part of what makes us individuals: our tastes, likes and dislikes.)
Here this song goes along beautifully, with harmonies and a tragic tale of a wealthy person who couldn’t escape death, until the end, when Keith Emerson apparently kicked everyone else out of the studio and tried to see how much synth music he could stick on a song in 48 seconds.
And, as I said about the Marty Robbins songs, there are people who love the synthesizer ending of this tune and think it “makes” the song. I’m just not one of those people.
But the first 2/3 of the song is great.
Lucky Man
Written by Greg Lake
Recorded by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
From Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 1970
Waiting by the door:
RewardsTop suggestions for emerson, lake & palmer lucky manEmersonLucky Man EmersonEmerson Lake PalmerTop suggestions for emerson, lake & palmer lucky manEmerson Lake and PalmerGreatest HitsEmerson Lake & PalmerTop SongsGreg Lake Lucky ManLiveEmerson Lake
8 people like this
9 responses
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
12 Mar 22
Indeed, well said, the musical parts of many songs to me was always look how good I am. Unless you are Pink Floyd take a couple of minutes off because you putting me to sleep Punk rock till I die. Haha. That song is cool though, but like you said stops being cool when they drag it out.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
12 Mar 22
@FourWalls That's funny, someone should put the lyrics on there as a true review. Hey thats a Eagles song. 
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86920)
• United States
12 Mar 22
@crossbones27 — as long as they don’t do the misheard lyrics….”On a dark desert highway, Cool Whip in my hair.”
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86920)
• United States
16 Mar 22
I think the problem for me is that it's completely out of character with the rest of the song. If there had been more synth breaks in the song it wouldn't come as such a shock at the end.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86920)
• United States
17 Mar 22
@DWDavis — I always joke that “Hey Jude” is a GREAT three-minute song, but the problem is it’s seven minutes long!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
16 Mar 22
@FourWalls My biggest peeve on ruining a great song is the way the Beatles ended Hey Jude.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98157)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
12 Mar 22
Nope never heard this one before, I know the band but not the song,
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (122367)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
12 Mar 22
I like that song from Emerson Lake & Palmer since it has a nice beat and soft singing.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222896)
• United States
13 Mar 22
Don't recognize this one either. I'll go visit my 10 songs of ABBA.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
25 Mar 22
This song almost did not make their first LP. But they needed a track to complete studio obligations. Lucky Greg Lake remembered this one he wrote as a kid.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86920)
• United States
25 Mar 22
Yeah, he was what, 12 when he wrote it? Amazing!
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
12 Mar 22
This is a lovely song and I do remember it well Four Walls. Got to see them do this.
1 person likes this
