Single:
Signs entered the Australian singles chart* on 4 October 1971 and peaked at #5. The song was #29 on the Top 100 of 1971.
Album:
The song is on Signs which entered the Australian albums chart* on 27 December 1971 and peaked at #26.
Songwriter:
Les Emmerson
Producer:
Dallas Smith
Record label of Australian release:
MGM
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Wikipedia:
The Five Man Electrical Band (known as The Staccatos from 1963 to 1968) is a Canadian rock band from Ottawa, Ontario. Internationally, they are best known for their 1971 hit single Signs.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Man_Electrical_Band
Songfacts:
Written by Five Man Electrical Band lead singer Les Emmerson, this song is a prescient look at class divisions and property rights. Emmerson wrote the song after taking a road trip on Route 66 in California, where he noticed a plethora of billboards that obscured the beautiful scenery. This posed a question: Who is allowed to put up signs that interfere with nature? This led to another query: Who gets to make the rules that appear on so many signs?
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/five-man-electrical-band/signs
Lyrics:
And the sign said “Long-haired freaky people need not apply”
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said, “You look like a fine upstandin′ young man. I think you’ll do”
So I took off my hat and said, “Imagine that, huh, me workin′ for you.”
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