The La's formed in 1984, with original member Mike Badger stating that the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse for "lads", and having obvious musical connotations. The band existed briefly as an arthouse/skiffle-type outfit with a few tracks released on local compilations. Lee Mavers joined in 1984 as rhythm guitarist, eventually gaining songwriting prominence and emerging as the band's enduring figurehead. Longtime bassist John Power joined the group in 1986, having met Badger on a local council-run musicianship course. Badger however left the group in late 1986, to form The Onset.
The band attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their home town in 1986, and demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. One of these demo tapes was sent to Underground Magazine. A journalist there with the task of reviewing unsigned bands gave the cassette to Andy McDonald at Go! Discs. Several record labels later became interested in signing the band. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
The band's first single Way Out was mixed with producer Gavin MacKillop. When it was released in October 1987, it broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths' frontman Morrissey in the music magazine Melody Maker, but attracted little notice. The band continued to perform around the UK and gained success as a live act, drawing comparisons to The Beatles due to their origins, vaguely Merseybeat sound, and Mavers' expressive lyrics.
There She Goes was released in 1988 with the B-sides "Come In Come Out" and "Who Knows". The song garnered moderate attention and airplay, but performed poorly in the charts. The music video for "There She Goes" features The La's scampering through run-down Liverpool streets and was filmed in an afternoon on a handheld camera. It was later re-released a number of times, the earliest being 1990's Steve Lillywhite mix. After working with producer Jeremy Allom at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool in May 1989, the band were set to release "Timeless Melody" as a single. While test pressings had been sent out for review, and was nominated for "record of the week" in the NME, Mavers was reportedly unhappy with the production and the single release was scrapped.
The La's then spent two years fruitlessly recording and re-recording their intended album, with a constantly changing band lineup, where only the core of Mavers and Power remained the same. Discarded producers included The Smiths' producer John Porter, as well as John Leckie and Mike Hedges. Both Leckie and Hedges in interviews have been very complimentary about the band's songs and their respective sessions.
The previously volatile band lineup settled in 1989 with Lee's brother, Neil Mavers on drums, and Peter "Cammy" Camell as lead guitarist. The group then entered London's Eden Studios in December 1989 to again record their debut album with Simple Minds and U2 producer Steve Lillywhite. Despite this lineup being arguably the most stable, and press interviews from the time painting them as extremely confident, the sessions still did not satisfy Mavers. In one instance Mavers was reported to have rejected a vintage mixing desk, claiming it did not have the right sound because "it hasn't got original Sixties dust on it" although this claim has since been revealed as apocryphal. The Eden sessions with Lillywhite would become the band's final attempt at recording the album. The frustration of not achieving the right sound and mood in their songs, as well as increasing friction with Go! Discs, who had spent a considerable sum of money on recording sessions for the album, led to them simply giving up on the sessions. Lillywhite pieced together the recordings he had made with the group into what became the eventually released album. The band, particularly Lee Mavers, were not pleased with this decision.
Among the band's complaints were that Lillywhite used vocal guide tracks on the LP and that he did not "understand" their sound. Mavers would later go on to claim that the band had played poorly deliberately during the sessions in the hope that the material would not be released, as they did not gel with Lillywhite from day one.
However, recognition, at least critically, came for The La's in 1990 when the self-titled album, The La's, was released. The album reached #30 in the UK charts and received a Silver certification, but the album did not fare as well overseas. The album only reached #196 on the Billboard 200 and to date has sold fewer than 50,000 copies in the U.S.
The album included, among new material, re-recorded versions of all the previous singles, including a remixed version of "There She Goes" which was then re-released as a single. This time around, the song reached number 13 in the UK singles chart and remains the most visible and enduring of all the band's songs.
Additional singles from the album included the LP versions of Timeless Melody and Feelin'. Both sold reasonably well, reaching chart placings around the top 40. A short promotional tour proceeded, accompanied by television appearances on shows such as Top of the Pops. Press interviews conducted during this period were generally confused in tone, owing to the fact the critics generally adored the album yet Mavers was assuring journalists that he "hated" the album and it was "like a snake with a broken back".
1991 promotional tour dates were fulfilled in the UK and Europe including a few festivals, a well-received US tour. Bassist John Power left the group on the 13 December 1991, frustrated with having played essentially the same set of songs since 1986, and resurfaced a year later with his band Cast. The remainder of the 1991 concerts were performed with James Joyce on bass as well as a handful of 1992 dates. The band stopped touring and rehearsing in 1992 until further short-lived reunions, with various line-ups, throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The band disbanded in 1992, with Mavers restarting the band various times in the years since (one between 1994 and 1996 and again in 2005). The band reunited in June 2011 as a duo consisting of Mavers and bassist Gary Murphy.
Man I'm Only Human
The La's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Humble as can be
Man I'm only human
I am only me
Man I'm only fishing,
Fishing in the sea,
Man I'm only missing,
Throw your line through me
Man I'm only one man,
I am only me
Man I'm only one man,
Push it out through me
Keep a sense of humour,
Put the fear in me,
Yield your shield to me,
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Man I'm only dying,
Dying to be free,
Dying to be free,
Dying to be free,
Dying to be free
The La's's song "Man I'm Only Human" is a reflection on the singer's humanity, humility and vulnerability. The lyrics express the singer's self-awareness of his limitations as a human being, despite his desires and aspirations. The repeated refrain "Man I'm only human, I am only me" reinforces the theme of self-acceptance and authenticity, that despite our shortcomings and imperfections, we must embrace our true selves.
The second half of the song shifts into a metaphorical language of fishing and combat, in which the singer invites others to interact with him, to "throw your line to me" or "throw your spear through me". This can be interpreted as a call for connection and engagement, even if it involves risk and challenge. The line "Keep a sense of humour, put the fear in me" suggests that the singer values a lighthearted approach to life, even when facing difficult situations.
The final lines of the song repeat the phrase "dying to be free" multiple times, which can be seen as a melancholic expression of the singer's longing for liberation from life's burdens and limitations. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the intensity of the feeling, and the use of the word "dying" suggests that the singer sees freedom as something transcendental or even spiritual.
Line by Line Meaning
Man I'm only human,
I recognize that I am imperfect as a human being.
Humble as can be
I am not boastful or arrogant about my limitations.
Man I'm only human
I cannot be anyone else or pretend to be something I am not.
I am only me
I am comfortable with who I am as an individual.
Man I'm only fishing,
I am searching for something in life.
Fishing in the sea,
I am exploring various options and opportunities.
Man I'm only missing,
I am incomplete and seeking something more.
Throw your line to me
I am open to suggestions and help from others.
Throw your line through me
I am willing to be vulnerable and allow others to connect with me.
Man I'm only one man,
I am aware of my individual limitations and impact.
I am only me
I am unique and cannot be compared to others.
Man I'm only one man,
I am not responsible for fixing everything.
Push it out through me
I will do what I can to contribute and help others.
Keep a sense of humour,
I maintain a positive attitude and find the funny side of things.
Put the fear in me,
I am aware of my own mortality and limitations.
Yield your shield to me,
I request help and support from others.
Throw your spear through me
I am open to constructive criticism and feedback.
Man I'm only dying,
I am aware that death is inevitable.
Dying to be free,
I want to live my life on my own terms and make the most of it.
Dying to be free,
I want to overcome any limitations or obstacles that prevent me from living my best life.
Dying to be free,
I want to achieve my full potential and live without regrets.
Dying to be free
I want to experience life to the fullest and be true to myself.
Contributed by Kaelyn C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Susan Todd
Man I'm only human
Humble as can be
Man I'm only human
I am only me
Man I'm only fishing
Fishing in the sea
Man I'm only missing
Throw your line to me
Throw your line through me
Man I'm only one man
I am only me
Man I'm only one man
Push it out through me
Keep a sense of humour
Put the fear in me
Yield your shield to me
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Man I'm only dying
Dying to be free
Dying to be free
Dying to be free
Dying to be free
Susan Todd
Man I'm only human,
Humble as can be
Man I'm only human
I am only me
Man I'm only fishing,
Fishing in the sea,
Man I'm only missing,
Throw your line to me
Throw your line through me
Man I'm only one man,
I am only me
Man I'm only one man,
Push it out through me
Keep a sense of humour,
Put the fear in me,
Yield your shield to me,
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Man I'm only dying,
Dying to be free,
Dying to be free,
Dying to be free,
Dying to be free
Susan Todd
Man I'm only human
Humble as can be
Man I'm only human
I am only me
Man I'm only fishing
Fishing in the sea
Man I'm only missing
Throw your line to me
Throw your line through me
Man I'm only one man
I am only me
Man I'm only one man
Push it out through me
Keep a sense of humour
Put the fear in me
Yield your shield to me
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through me
Throw your spear through meMan I'm only dying
Dying to be free
Dying to be free
Dying to be free
Dying to be free
Bryan Donoghue
This band and that debut album completely shaped my musical world when I was growing up. I love Oasis, The Beatles, The Stone Roses etc. But only The La’s manage to take me to another dimension with their songs, especially this one. It frustrates me that anyone who I mention them to hasn’t ever heard of them apart from ‘There She Goes’ but there also my secret inspiration that no one can and ever will take away from me....what a band 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Mark Simons
@TheDon101277 If you look at oasis they where basically a weak stone Rose's soundalike band untill a band called 'the Real people' took them under their wing(gallaghers where roadies) and helped them out gave them studio time tutelage on song writing, basically turned them into a 'Real people' lite version! Nothing original about oasis and for all the work that was given to make the first album sound great they got two fingers back when they made it! only recently they had to pay The Real People in court settlements after 30 years of denial and greed for directing,production,playing and vocals all over the album! that is criminal what they did, maybe embarrassed that it was scousers who showed them the ropes!
Stephen Hillman
Don't reel frustrated, feel blessed you know😊 What a song
Sideris Roukoudis
Britpop!!
TheDon101277
LOVE the comment my friend. Obviously ur younger since none of ur friends have heard of them or maybe ur from down south or abroad. I wouldn't look at no one hearing of them as a bad thing cause sometimes having a band thats clearly world class yet only u out of ur social circle know about it sometimes gives u an extra feel about the group.
I understand tho cause in general i enjoy music a bit extra when im able to turn friends onto a band ive discovered but its always good to keep the odd band usually one sings mostly slower tracks to enjoy yourself. Lol
The Betbet Underground
This song, then "All By Myself", "Endless", "Who Knows?" and "Over" are, like, from a different kind of La's. A somewhat more spiritual and melancholic La's, I reckon. Love playing these songs in sequence. They really can take you out there, man.
Mark Simons
@Stephen Hillman Listen to Roy Harper song 'Miles Remains' song, Harper was always kicking round the 'Pool'his bird was a scouser(my mates sister) and I know John Powers was a massive fan so Lee Mavers would have been subconsciously influenced🕊🎶
Stephen Hillman
So true. I feel the same
Raphaël Zajac
I think you can add « Looking Glass »
Benjamin Robinson
Great call.. I'm gonna listen to them in this order and see. But yes, a very different feeling and vibration to these songs. Very....