Song · Nitzer Ebb
“Lightning Man” by Nitzer Ebb
From the album Showtime (1990)
“Lightning Man” by Nitzer Ebb appears on 5 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1990 and 2003. It was first released in 1990 on the album Showtime. Its best result is #61 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #130 alternative song of 1990 and #3,085 alternative song of all time.
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Douglas J. McCarthy and Bon Harris wrote "Lightning Man", and it went out as one of the singles from Showtime, the British EBM group's third album, released in 1990, alongside "Fun to Be Had" and "Getting Closer". Flood recorded and mixed it, and Nitzer Ebb took the album on the road with Depeche Mode.
The critics split on the record. The Washington Post marveled that a band armed with little beyond synthesizers, used mostly for percussion, and shouting could build grooves that moved so fluidly and even felt human. The Calgary Herald heard minimalist synth tinkering under a great deal of yelling about stardom, the press and life's grubbier corners, and the St. Petersburg Times found the brooding, Teutonic lyrics closer to Cabaret than to Cabaret Voltaire.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 61 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990 | 91 |
| 1990 | 68 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON | CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990 | 90 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 542 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 2002 | 481 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 261 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
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