The Man Who

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The Man Who
Studio album by Travis
Released 24 May 1999
Recorded 1998–1999, RAK Studios, London
Genre Indie pop, alternative rock, Post-Britpop
Length 47:33
Label Independiente
Producer Nigel Godrich, Ian Grimble, Mike Hedges
Travis chronology
Good Feeling
The Man Who
The Invisible Band
Singles from The Man Who
  1. "Writing to Reach You"
    Released: 8 March 1999
  2. "Driftwood"
    Released: 17 May 1999
  3. "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?"
    Released: 2 August 1999
  4. "Turn"
    Released: 8 November 1999

The Man Who is the second studio album from the Scottish indie pop band Travis. The album was released on 24 May 1999, becoming the album that gave the band international recognition.

Background and recording[edit]




Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars [1]
BBC (mixed) [2]
Music Box 3.5/5 stars [3]
Pitchfork (7.8/10) [4]
Q 2/5 stars [5]
Robert Christgau B− [6]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars [7]

The album peaked at #1 in the UK and #8 in Australia. It was later released in the United States in early 2000. The album won two BRIT Awards in 2000 for the categories of "Best Album" and "Best Newcomer". The album was dedicated to Stanley Kubrick. The album became the bestselling album in the UK in 1999, selling more than 2.7 million copies. The title of the album makes reference to an Oliver Sacks book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.[8] In 2006, Q rated the album as the 70th greatest album of all time.[9] The album was nominated in 2010 for best album of the last 30 years, but lost to Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory?.[10]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written and composed by Fran Healy, except where noted. 

Standard Edition
No. Title Length
1. "Writing to Reach You"   3:41
2. "The Fear"   4:12
3. "As You Are"   4:14
4. "Driftwood"   3:33
5. "The Last Laugh of the Laughter"   4:20
6. "Turn"   4:24
7. "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?"   4:25
8. "Luv" (Healy, Adam Seymour) 4:55
9. "She's So Strange"   3:15
10. "Slide Show"   3:06


Chart performance[edit]


Chart (1999) Peak
UK Albums Chart 1
ARIA Albums Chart 8
Austrian Albums Chart 46
Canadian Albums Chart 40
Swiss Albums Chart 85
German Albums Chart 34
Irish Albums Chart 2
New Zealand Albums Chart 14
US Billboard 200 135


  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Sheppard, David (1999-05-24). "Review of Travis - The Man Who". BBC Music. Retrieved 2011-12-11. 
  3. ^ Karpinski, Michael. "Travis - The Man Who (Album Review)". Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  4. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent (2000-04-04). "Travis: The Man Who". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2011-12-11. 
  5. ^ Eccleston, Danny. "Review: Travis - The Man Who". Q (EMAP Metro Ltd) (July 1999): 116. 
  6. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Travis". Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob. "Rolling Stone : Travis: The Man Who : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  8. ^ "The Man Who: Press Release". 1999-05-24. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  9. ^ XFM 10th Birthday Podcast on the album with band interviews
  10. ^ "Vote for Travis at the BRIT Awards". 2010-01-21. Retrieved 2013-08-04. 
  11. ^
  12. ^
  13. ^
  14. ^
  15. ^ Information from the album booklet.

External links[edit]