Woman (Neneh Cherry song)

"Woman" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry from her 1996 album, Man. Written by Cherry, her husband Cameron McVey, and Jonathan Sharp, the song was created as a take on James Brown's 1966 hit "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". The song's lyrics describe the difficulties women face in life, allowing Cherry to be seen as an empowering female recording artist.

"Woman"
Single by Neneh Cherry
from the album Man
B-side"Heart Throbs"
ReleasedJune 1996
StudioCherry Bear, Westside Studios (London, England)
Length
  • 4:37 (album version)
  • 3:47 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Neneh Cherry singles chronology
"Love Can Build a Bridge"
(1995)		 "Woman"
(1996)		 "Kootchi"
(1996)
Music video
"Woman" on YouTube

Released in June 1996, "Woman" became one of Cherry's biggest, though one of her last, hits in Europe and Australia, reaching the top 10 in Finland, Hungary, Iceland, the United Kingdom and the Wallonia region of Belgium.

Critical reception

Music & Media wrote that the song is Cherry's "own take on James Brown's It's a Man's Man's World ("this is a woman's world/ it's my world"). Even the melodies and chord changes sound the same, but this track obviously has a message: it's a tribute to femininity and its loving, caring power."[1] Writing for NME , Dele Fadele noted that the singer's "forages into soul possess an irreverence that lift otherwise earnest pastiches", stating that "Woman" rewrites Brown's song as a "feminist tract".[2]

Commercial performance

"Woman" was released as a single in June 1996, becoming Cherry's last substantial hit. It reached number two in Iceland,[3] number three in Walloon Belgium,[4] number four in Finland and Hungary,[5][6] and number nine on the UK Singles Chart.[7] In her native Sweden, the song peaked at number 20 in its second week, spending 10 weeks on the Swedish Singles Chart.[8] Elsewhere in Europe, the single reached the top 20 in Flemish Belgium, France, Norway and Switzerland.[4] On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 21 during its second week on the chart, after a debut at number 37.[9] In Australasia, "Woman" was moderately successful, peaking at number 17 in Australia and number 35 in New Zealand.[10][11] The song has received a Gold certification in France, denoting sales greater than 250,000.[12]

Aftermath

After the success of "Woman", Cherry stated that she felt she was pushing her limits with the level of fame she was experiencing, claiming that the success she was receiving was enjoyable, but it was not completely what she wanted. She explained, "The idea behind making 'Buffalo Stance' and Raw Like Sushi wasn't to be famous, it was to change things and do things the way that we do them, always with an idea of activism or a kind of rebellion."[13]

Track listings

Charts and certifications

In 2018 the song was used in a TV advertisement for L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Mascara.[35]

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. Fadele, Dele. "Neneh Cherry – Man". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  3. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (14.9 – 20.9. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 14 September 1996. p. 41. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. "Ultratop.be – Neneh Cherry – Woman" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  5. "Neneh Cherry: Woman" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 33. 17 August 1996. p. 30. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  8. "Swedishcharts.com – Neneh Cherry – Woman". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 33. 17 August 1996. p. 28. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  10. "Australian-charts.com – Neneh Cherry – Woman". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  11. "Charts.nz – Neneh Cherry – Woman". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  12. "French single certifications – Neneh Cherry – Woman" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  13. Conroy, Catherine (11 April 2016). "Neneh Cherry: 'There is a very shallow, sexualised entrapment that women get sucked into'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  14. Woman (European CD single promo sleeve). Neneh Cherry. Virgin Records. 1996. HUTCDP70.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. Woman (French CD single liner notes). Neneh Cherry. Delabel Records. 1996. 7243 8 93698 2 3.CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. Woman (French 12-inch single promo vinyl disc). Neneh Cherry. Delabel Records. 1996. DE 8139.CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. Woman (UK 12-inch single promo sleeve). Neneh Cherry. Hut Records. 1996. HUTTP 70.CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. Woman (UK remix CD single liner notes). Neneh Cherry. Hut Records, Virgin Records. 1996. HUTDX70, 7243 8 93690 2 1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "Austriancharts.at – Neneh Cherry – Woman" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Neneh Cherry – Woman" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Neneh Cherry – Woman" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Neneh Cherry – Woman". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  23. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Woman". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 34, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  25. "Dutchcharts.nl – Neneh Cherry – Woman" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  26. "Norwegiancharts.com – Neneh Cherry – Woman". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  27. "Notowanie nr770". LP3 (in Polish). 1 November 1996. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  28. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  29. "Swisscharts.com – Neneh Cherry – Woman". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  30. "Rapports annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  31. "1996 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 51/52. 21 December 1996. p. 12. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  32. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1996" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  33. "Árslistinn 1996". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  34. "Swiss Year-End Charts 1996" (in German). Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  35. "L'Oréal Paris – The power of cosmetics, voluminous Original mascara | beauty ads | short ads 2018". YouTube Short Ads. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
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