up at me/And somewhere in your mind you see/A man I’ll never be". Marcus concluded that although the singer never achieves the peace of mind he is seeking, "he is allowed a sense of self, of justification, and one comes away convinced that existence, no matter how miserable, is not meaningless". Emerson similarly saw the theme of the song to be apprehension "with failing to be a man." He noted that the lyrics sometimes contradict the lyrics of other songs on Don't Look Back. For example, a line in the title track says "I'm much too strong not to compromise", but one from "A Man I'll Never Be" says "I can't get any stronger". "A Man I'll Never Be" also has a line stating that "Emotions can't be satisfied", which contradicts the title of its follow-up single, "Feelin' Satisfied". Emerson concluded that the song "both distills and expands upon this knot of despair, which contrasts with the architectural magnificence of the song's musical accomplishments". Release "A Man I'll Never Be" was released in late 1978 as the follow-up single to "Don't Look Back," which had reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single did not perform as well as its predecessor, peaking at No. 31 in January 1979. It performed slightly better in Canada, peaking at No. 27. "A Man I'll Never Be" was later included on Boston's Greatest Hits (1997). Reception Marcus rated the song as one of three masterpieces on Don't Look Back, along with the title track and "Used to Bad News". Billboard similarly rated the song as one of the best cuts on Don't Look Back. Billboard called it "a slick ballad with searing guitars and Brad Delp's fluid lead vocal highlighting." Cash Box said that it begins "with a piano ballad feel which quickly expands when Tom Scholz adds his princely guitar work" and said that the keyboards "sound like a church harpiscord" and the "vocals are characteristically soaring." Record World called it a "mid-tempo ballad keyed by Brad Delp's high sweet vocals and the group's churning guitar sound." Gallucci and Craig each rated it as Boston's 10th greatest song. Classic Rock critic Paul Elliott rated it as Boston's 9th greatest song. According to Elliot, the song is a favorite of Def Leppard bass guitarist Rick Savage. Elliott described it as a "an existentialist power ballad of monumental proportions." Los Angeles Times critic