What a Man (song)

For similarly named songs (that sampled this song), see Whatta Man and Whatta Man (I.O.I song).

"What a Man"
2002 UK vinyl re-release
Single by Linda Lyndell
B-side	"I Don't Know"
Released	July 1968 (US)
Genre	Soul
Label	Volt (VOA-4001)
Songwriter	Dave Crawford
Producer	Dave Crawford
Linda Lyndell singles chronology
"Bring Your Love Back to Me" (1967) "What a Man" (1968)

"What a Man" is a song written by Dave Crawford, and originally recorded for Stax Records' Volt imprint by American soul singer Linda Lyndell, whose recording reached number 50 on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1968. The song was sampled and reinterpreted as "Whatta Man" in 1993 by the trio Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue, which became a commercial success; reaching the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was also sampled and reinterpreted by the Korean pop girl group I.O.I in a popular variant released in 2016, again using the name "Whatta Man".

Linda Lyndell version

Linda Lyndell, a white singer who had been a supporting act with James Brown and Ike & Tina Turner and then recommended to Stax Records by Otis Redding, recorded "What a Man". ^[1] The song was essentially improvised by Lyndell, record producer Dave Crawford, and the Stax studio musicians in Memphis, Tennessee. It was released as a single in 1968 with the B-side track "I Don't Know"; both songs were credited to and produced by Dave Crawford. ^[2] The single entered the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart on August 24, 1968, and then peaked at number 50. ^[3] The record came to the attention of white supremacists in the Ku Klux Klan, who threatened Lyndell for associating with black musicians; as a result, she largely withdrew from the music business for the next 25 years. ^[1]

Cover versions

Laura Lee covered the song, released in 1970 as a single by the Cotillion Records with "Separation Line" as the B-side track. ^[4] Lee's version earned poor sales. ^[5]

"What a Man" was covered by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut as the theme song to the 2011 German film What a Man. It is featured on the Platinum edition her second studio album Good News and on the film soundtrack album. It was released on 2 September 2011 as CD single and Digital download in Germany, reaching number 21 on the German Singles Chart. ^[6] A music video for the Lena version was released.

Both the American hip hop band Salt-N-Pepa and the Korean pop girl group I.O.I sampled the song in their hit songs entitled "Whatta Man", released in 1993 and 2016, respectively.

Jessica Mauboy recorded a version of "What a Man" for the soundtrack of the 2012 film The Sapphires .

References

1. Ankeny, James. Biography of Linda Lyndell. AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
2. "Top 20: R&B – Spotlights Predicted to Reach the Top 20 of the Top-Selling R&B Singles Chart". Billboard. July 13, 1968. p. 70. Retrieved November 18, 2016– via Google Books.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts: The 1960s. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 242. ISBN   9780898201758 . Retrieved November 18, 2016– via Google Books.
4. Popoff, Martin (2010). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991 (7th ed.). Krause Publications via F+W. p. 70. ISBN   9781440216213 . Retrieved November 18, 2016– via Google Books.
5. Carpenter, Bil (2005). "Laura Lee". Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. San Francisco: Backbeat Books via United Entertainment Media. ISBN   9780879308414 . Retrieved November 18, 2016– via Google Books.
6. "Lena, 'What a Man'". Offizielle Deutsche Charts (in German). Retrieved 30 June 2021.