Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons song)

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"Walk Like a Man (song)" redirects here. For other songs with the same title, see Walk Like a Man (disambiguation).
"Walk Like a Man"
Single by The Four Seasons
from the album Big Girls Don't Cry And Twelve Others
B-side Lucky Ladybug (from the same album)
Released January 1963
Format 7"
Recorded January 1963
Genre Doo-wop
Length 2:17
Label Vee-Jay Records
Writer(s) Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Producer(s) Bob Crewe
The Four Seasons singles chronology
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Walk Like a Man
Ain't That a Shame!

"Walk Like a Man" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by The Four Seasons.

The song features the counterpoint of Nick Massi's bass voice and the falsetto of lead singer Frankie Valli. It was their 3rd #1 hit, initially reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on March 2, 1963, remaining there for three weeks. "Walk Like a Man" also went to number three on the R&B singles chart [1]

During the sessions that produced the hit recording, the fire department received an emergency call from the Abbey Victoria Hotel (the building that housed the Stea-Phillips Recording Studios). As producer Bob Crewe was insisting upon recording the perfect take, smoke and water started to seep into the studio as the group repeated their efforts upon Crewe's insistence: the room directly above the studio was on fire, yet Crewe blocked the studio door and continued recording until a few firemen used their axes on it and pulled Crewe out.[2]

Cover versions of the song have been recorded by other musicians such as the Mary Jane Girls (1986), Divine (1985), Dreamhouse and Jan & Dean (1963) off the album Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin. Plastic Bertrand did a cover version in French, entitled C'est Le Rock 'n' Roll (1978) and Hungarian band Bon Bon also covered the song with the title Sexepilem (1999).

The song "Walk Like a Man" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.[3]

Divine cover[edit]

"Walk Like a Man"
Single by Divine
from the album Maid in England
Released 1985
Format CD single, Maxi single
Genre Hi-NRG, House
Label Proto Records, Liberation Records
Writer(s) Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio
Divine singles chronology
"T Shirts and Tight Blue Jeans" (1984) "Walk Like A Man"
"Twistin' The Night Away"

Divine covered "Walk Like a Man" and released it as a single from the album Maid in England in 1985.

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Walk Like a Man" - 3:50
  2. "Man Talk" - 3:23


Chart (1985) Peak
German Singles Chart[4] 52
Swiss Singles Chart[5] 28
UK Singles Chart[6] 23

Cultural References[edit]

The song is featured in the opening scene of the 1979 film "The Wanderers" starring Ken Wahl and Karen Allen

The song is featured prominently in the film Heart and Souls (1993) starring Robert Downey Jr, Elisabeth Shue, Kyra Sedgwick, Charles Grodin, Alfre Woodard and Tom Sizemore. The song is heard four times throughout the film and is not only used as a soundtrack theme, but by the characters themselves for plot purposes. The ghosts use the song as a mediator for breakthrough contact with the stories main character.[7][8]

The song was played during an episode of David E. Kelley's medical drama Chicago Hope when Adam Arkin's character hallucinates from a brain aneurysm.

The song is also part of the film Sleepers (1996), John, Tommy, Michael, Shakes und Carol sing the song at the end of the movie.

The song is also features in the soundtrack to 1993's Mrs Doubtfire and is used in a scene where the title character is walking.

An Instrumental version can be heard in "Bar Mitzvah Hustle" a, Season 4 episode American Dad! during the scene where Ethan Cohen is introduced at his Bar Mitzvah.

The song's title was used to name a 2007 episode of the HBO TV series The Sopranos - "Walk Like a Man."

The song is referenced in an episode of Modern Family with Pepper (who is a homosexual male) stating, "I can sing it, but I can't do it."


  2. ^ Sasfy, Joe. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: 1961-1967, Time-Life Records "The Rock 'N' Roll Era" (1987)
  4. ^ Divine - Singles Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  5. ^ Divine - Discography Swiss Charts Online. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  6. ^ "Divine". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12. 
  7. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107091/soundtrack
  8. ^ Video on YouTube
Preceded by
"Hey Paula" by Paul & Paula
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (The Four Seasons version)
March 2 – 23, 1963
Succeeded by
"Our Day Will Come" by Ruby & the Romantics