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Ocean Man

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For the First Nation in Canada, see Ocean Man First Nation.
For the nickname, see Victor Hugo.
"Ocean Man"
Single by Ween
from the album The Mollusk
A-side"Mutilated Lips"
ReleasedJune 24, 1997
Recorded1995–1996
StudioThe Flood Zone (Holgate, New Jersey)
GenreAlternative rock
Length2:07
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Andrew Weiss
Ween singles chronology
"Mutilated Lips"
(1997) 		"Ocean Man"
(1997) 		"Even If You Don't"
(2000)

"Ocean Man" is a song by the American alternative rock band Ween, the thirteenth track on their sixth studio album, The Mollusk (1997). It was released as a promotional CD single through Elektra Records in 1997, and also released as the B-side to the earlier single "Mutilated Lips" on June 24, 1997.[1]

"Ocean Man" is one of Ween's best-known songs, and has appeared on various film soundtracks and commercials since its release, most notably with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie in 2004. The song has been performed live at various occasions, most notably Live in Chicago and Live at Stubb's.

Composition

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"Ocean Man" was recorded at a beach house in Jersey Shore during the off-season, which Gene and Dean Ween had rented for the recording sessions of The Mollusk.[2] The first song recorded for the album was "Cold Blows the Wind", whose theme influenced the initial two weeks of recording. "The Mollusk," "Mutilated Lips," "The Golden Eel," "She Wanted to Leave," and "Ocean Man," were all recorded during these first two weeks.[2] "Aaron [Gene Ween] had a mandolin, he was always playing it," Dean Ween wrote in a retrospective of the album in 2017, "and we discounted it. [...] when we wrote the lyrics, it was just magic, man. Everything just fell into place."[2]

According to "Sheet Music Boss", Ocean Man is composed in the key of E major.[3] However, according to Tunebat, when played live the song is transposed to the key of G major[4] and is set in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 123 beats per minute.

Track listing

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  • Elektra — PRCD-9858-2 — Promotional CD single[5]
No.TitleLength
1."Ocean Man"2:07

Reception

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AllMusic referred to this song as an example of how Ween's "array of silly jokes and musical parody is richer and more diverse than most of its alternative rock contemporaries".[6]

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"Ocean Man" was most famously used as the end credits song for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004),[7] as well as the commercial for the Honda Civic coupe. In late 2015 and early 2016, "Ocean Man" became an Internet meme. During this time, the song began appearing in remix videos on video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Vine.[8][better source needed] Becoming a meme also helped the band gain more listeners, with "Ocean Man" being their most listened to song on Spotify[9] and Apple Music.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Mutilated Lips b/w Ocean Man". Six Appeal Music. July 27, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Fortune, Drew (11 July 2017). "Ween's The Mollusk Turns 20: An Oral History By Mickey Melchiondo". Stereogum. Stereogum Media. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  3. ^ Aaron, Freeman; Michael, Melchiondo; Boss, Sheet Music (2017-08-30). "Ocean Man". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  4. ^ "Key & BPM for Ocean Man - Live by Ween | Tunebat". tunebat.com. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  5. ^ "Ween – Ocean Man (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  6. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001). All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 412. ISBN 9780879306274. Retrieved 23 September 2013. ocean man .
  7. ^ Mello, David (April 28, 2020). "Spongebob Squarepants: 5 Ways The Movies Improved On The Popular Series (& 5 Things The Series Does Better)". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Ocean Man". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  9. ^ "Ween". Spotify. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  10. ^ "Ween". Apple Music. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
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