"Midnight to Six Man" is a song written by guitarist Dick Taylor and lead vocalist Phil May, initially recorded by their band the Pretty Things.

"Midnight to Six Man" was written prior to a gig in Gravesend, Kent and recorded during a nightly session at IBC Studios upon their return back to London in November 1965.

Musically, "Midnight to Six Man" is a blues rock song with elements of R&B, featuring a call and response chorus and a "bluesy guitar".

Record producer Glyn Johns augmented the Pretty Things with session musicians Nicky Hopkins on piano and Margo Lewis of Goldie and the Gingerbreads on organ.

[1] With the exception of "Honey, I Need", which was co-written by the band's lead guitarist Dick Taylor, their repertoire consisted almost entirely of R&B covers, including Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed.

[1] By the late summer of 1965, Taylor and lead vocalist Phil May had started becoming a developed songwriting duo, which was reflected in the August 1965 extended play Rainin' in My Heart; work on their second album Get the Picture?

[7][8] After an altercation with the brother of Swedish heavyweight boxer Ingemar Johansson and a refusal to perform in front of a crowd at Manor Club in Stockport, Prince was fire from the band, which was announced in November 1965, shortly before Get The Picture?

[10] However, the group's bassist John Stax claimed that the band worked on "Midnight to Six Man" for 16 consecutive hours, "playing all night".

[21][19] The song opens with a "descending drum roll" which is "anchored" by an unusually bluesy guitar riff that is "jerkily rhythmed" and "compulsive".

[21] Between the verses and choruses, the song transitions to a half-time metre, which is characterized by a "spiky blues guitar rock riff" and "double time" vocals.

[15][21][25] According to Alexis Petridis, the song's lyrics were a "paean to the life of a jobbing musician so evocative you can almost smell the sweat and cigarette smoke".

[34][35] Despite these international successes, "Midnight to Six Man" was generally considered a chart failure in the UK, as their previous single "Cry to Me" had reached the top-30.

Writing for Disc Weekly, journalist Penny Valentine stated that although the Pretty Things usually did not impress her with their singles, she liked "Midnight to Six Man" better than most, partially due to the "dear peculiar lyrics".

[36] In Record Mirror, Peter Jones and Norman Jopling believe that the lyrics "come over more clearly" on repeated plays, and positively note the "guitar figures".

[37] Derek Johnson of New Musical Express had more mixed opinions, positively noting the "striding guitar work" and "walloping drums", praising the lyrics for being "intriguing".

[39] Retrospectively, "Midnight to Six Man" has received praise, with journalist Brian Hogg stating that the band had "lost none of the purpose" during the New Zealand tour, but rather gained "strength" from the incident, which showcased in the song's maturity.