Hands Off The Man (Flim Flam Man)

Album: More Than A New Discovery (1967)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Hands Off The Man" is a warning to ladies to stay away from a certain foxy fella known as the Flim Flam Man, a con artist who "pays his monthly rent with daily charm."

    According to Nyro's friend Barbara Greenstein, the horn-laden tune could have been intended for the 1967 film The Flim-Flam Man, starring George C. Scott as a shady character not unlike Nyro's ne'er-do-well. But Alan Merrill, lead singer of the Arrows, thinks the tune is likely about her Uncle Gary, who was married to Merrill's aunt for awhile. "He was an actor/artist/dreamer/ladies' man," Merrill explained in Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro by Michele Kort. "A good-looking charmer. A fun guy to be around. His plans to succeed always seemed to fall through, though, and that sometimes got him in serious trouble."
  • Actress Peggy Lipton recorded this for her 1968 self-titled album. It was also covered by Dutch jazz singer Ann Burton in 1973 and soul singer Janice Hoyte in 1974.
  • The album was reissued by Verve Forecast (formerly Verve Folkways) in 1969 under the title The First Songs. This tune was renamed "Flim Flam Man" and opened side two of the vinyl (instead of closing side one).
  • On her next album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confessional, Nyro alerts us to another no-good man who's about to roll into town in "Eli's Coming," a Top 10 hit for Three Dog Night.
  • This was one of three Laura Nyro tunes that Barbra Streisand recorded for her 1971 album Stoney End, which was designed to help her transition into the contemporary pop-rock market. Her version peaked at #82 on the Hot 100 and #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."