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. 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.

Release and reception

"Woman" was released as a single in June 1996, becoming Cherry's last substantial hit. It reached number two in Iceland, number three in Walloon Belgium, number four in Finland and Hungary, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart. In her native Sweden, the song peaked at number 20 in its second week, spending 10 weeks on the Swedish Singles Chart. Elsewhere in Europe, the single reached the top 20 in Flemish Belgium, France, Norway and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 21 during its second week on the chart, after a debut at number 37. In Australasia, "Woman" was moderately successful, peaking at number 17 in Australia and number 35 in New Zealand. The song has received a Gold certification in France, denoting sales greater than 250,000.
Music & Media wrote about the song: "Cherry's own take on James Brown's It's A Man's Man's 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."
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."

Track listings

UK CD single
  1. "Woman" – 4:37
  2. "Heart Throbs" – 3:49
  3. "Telephone Pole" – 4:57
  4. "Woman" – 4:39
French CD single
  1. "Woman" – 4:40
  2. "Had You in Me" – 3:53
UK 7" single
  1. "Woman" – 3:47
  2. "Heart Throbs" – 3:49

    Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

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