Your Woman
Encyclopedia
"Your Woman" is a single released in 1997 by British one-man band
White Town
, also known as Jyoti Mishra. It features a muted trumpet
line
taken from "My Woman" by Al Bowlly and it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart
in 1997. It also hit number 23 on the Billboard
Hot 100. "Your Woman" also peaked at number 26 on the dance charts.
The song is often known by the title of the EP on which it originally appeared — >Abort, Retry, Fail? . The song later also appeared on White Town's full-length album Women in Technology
.
The artist has reported that the lyrics could stem from or be related to multiple situations. He says "When I wrote it, I was trying to write a pop song that had more than one perspective. Although it’s written in the first person the character behind that viewpoint isn’t necessarily what the casual listener would expect".
The lyrics could mean "Being a member of an orthodox Trotskyist / Marxist movement. Being a straight guy in love with a lesbian.
Being a gay guy in love with a straight man. Being a straight girl in love with a lying, two-timing, fake-ass Marxist. The hypocrisy that results when love and lust get mixed up with highbrow ideals." Many listeners also likened the song to a breakup letter, where the man reading the breakup letter imitates the woman's voice.
was produced in black-and-white silent film
style. Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Derby
City Centre (UK).
In the video there are numerous elements of acting, cinematography, and editing that suggest an old-fashioned film style. The exaggerated gestures of the hat-wearing woman, helpless and fearful, and those of her quick-tempered lover hint at the acting style from 1920s expressionist films. The ostensive metaphor
s, such as the hypnotising of the woman by the man or the recurring shots of crossroad signs bearing names of romantic relationship-related attitudes, remind of the 1920s and 1930s efforts to express subjectivism
in film. The use of circular masks, as to emphasize focal points or for a mere elegant look, also belongs to the aforementioned period. At the point where the woman first enters the man's bedroom and in the final rope scene, match cut
s are used in a manner resemblant of that from silent experimental films.
There is also a scene where the woman closes the door on the man's arm, as she tries to escape from his advances. This is a direct reference to a very similar scene from Salvador Dalí
and Luis Buñuel's
1928 surrealist
film Un chien andalou
.
.
takes its title from the lyrics of the song, and the song is included on the soundtrack.
The song appears on the animated television show Daria
in the episode "Malled".
One-man band
A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of musical instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical contraptions. The simplest type of "one-man band" — a singer accompanying themselves on acoustic guitar and harmonica mounted in a metal "harp rack" below the...
White Town
White Town
White Town is a musical act from the United Kingdom, and is the work of one man, Jyoti Prakash Mishra.-Career:Mishra was born in Rourkela, Orissa, India on 30 July 1966 and has lived in England since the age of three...
, also known as Jyoti Mishra. It features a muted trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
line
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
taken from "My Woman" by Al Bowlly and it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1997. It also hit number 23 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100. "Your Woman" also peaked at number 26 on the dance charts.
The song is often known by the title of the EP on which it originally appeared — >Abort, Retry, Fail? . The song later also appeared on White Town's full-length album Women in Technology
Women in Technology
Women in Technology is an album by the British recording artist White Town. It was released on 25 February 1997 and is the second full studio album by White Town. The album is most famous for the song "Your Woman" which was its only top 40 single. The song received much acclaim and reached #1 in...
.
The artist has reported that the lyrics could stem from or be related to multiple situations. He says "When I wrote it, I was trying to write a pop song that had more than one perspective. Although it’s written in the first person the character behind that viewpoint isn’t necessarily what the casual listener would expect".
The lyrics could mean "Being a member of an orthodox Trotskyist / Marxist movement. Being a straight guy in love with a lesbian.
Being a gay guy in love with a straight man. Being a straight girl in love with a lying, two-timing, fake-ass Marxist. The hypocrisy that results when love and lust get mixed up with highbrow ideals." Many listeners also likened the song to a breakup letter, where the man reading the breakup letter imitates the woman's voice.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was produced in black-and-white silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
style. Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
City Centre (UK).
In the video there are numerous elements of acting, cinematography, and editing that suggest an old-fashioned film style. The exaggerated gestures of the hat-wearing woman, helpless and fearful, and those of her quick-tempered lover hint at the acting style from 1920s expressionist films. The ostensive metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s, such as the hypnotising of the woman by the man or the recurring shots of crossroad signs bearing names of romantic relationship-related attitudes, remind of the 1920s and 1930s efforts to express subjectivism
Subjectivism
Subjectivism is a philosophical tenet that accords primacy to subjective experience as fundamental of all measure and law. In extreme forms like Solipsism, it may hold that the nature and existence of every object depends solely on someone's subjective awareness of it...
in film. The use of circular masks, as to emphasize focal points or for a mere elegant look, also belongs to the aforementioned period. At the point where the woman first enters the man's bedroom and in the final rope scene, match cut
Match cut
A match cut, also called a graphic match, is a cut in film editing between either two different objects, two different spaces, or two different compositions in which an object in the two shots graphically match, often helping to establish a strong continuity of action and linking the two shots...
s are used in a manner resemblant of that from silent experimental films.
There is also a scene where the woman closes the door on the man's arm, as she tries to escape from his advances. This is a direct reference to a very similar scene from Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
and Luis Buñuel's
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
1928 surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
film Un chien andalou
Un chien andalou
Un Chien Andalou is a 1929 silent surrealist short film by the Spanish director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí. It was Buñuel's first film and was initially released in 1929 to a limited showing in Paris, but became popular and ran for eight months....
.
Charts
| Peak chart positions | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Alternative 30 Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
2 |
| Canadian RPM Dance | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 23 |
| End of year chart (1997) | Position |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 22 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30 | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 65 |
Remixes
Aside from the 'Fitch Brothers Down-town Dance Mix', most promo 12" vinyl singles for "Your Woman" feature remixes wherein "Your Woman" is rendered nearly unrecognizable in comparison to its album counterpart. For example, the 11-minute 'Fitch Brothers Dub House Mix' features little more than hypnotic bass loopingMusic loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
.
Soundtrack appearances
The 2007 film I Could Never Be Your WomanI Could Never Be Your Woman
I Could Never Be Your Woman is a 2007 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Amy Heckerling and starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. The film was released on May 11 in Spain, July 18 in Belgium, September 14 in Brazil, September 20 in Greece and October 19 in Taiwan...
takes its title from the lyrics of the song, and the song is included on the soundtrack.
The song appears on the animated television show Daria
Daria
Daria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
in the episode "Malled".
Cover versions
- The song was covered by Tyler James in July 2005.
- Production duo Dolby Anol covered the song.
- WileyWileyWiley may refer to:* Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town* Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany* Wiley College, a college in Texas founded by Isaac Wiley* Wiley Rein LLP, a U.S. Law Firm...
featuring Emeli Sandé, sampled the song in "Never Be Your WomanNever Be Your Woman"Never Be Your Woman" is a 2010 single from British rapper Wiley featuring singer Emeli Sandé from the upcoming compilation album by producer Naughty Boy. It samples music from White Town's 1997 number-one single Your Woman, which in turn features a trumpet line taken from "My Woman" by Al Bowlly...
" in 2010 - Cats on Fire, a Finnish band, covered the song in 2010 on their album Dealing in Antiques.
See also
- 1997 in British music1997 in British musicThis is a summary of 1997 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.-Summary:Oasis released their highly anticipated 3rd album, Be Here Now, on the 21st August . It sold 695,761 copies in its first three days to become the fastest selling album in UK history...
- One-hit wonders in the UKOne-hit wonders in the UKThis is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...
- "TongueTongue (song)"Tongue" is a song by R.E.M., released as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album Monster. It was only released in the UK. In the song, lead singer Michael Stipe performs in falsetto; he has stated several times he is in fact supposed to be a girl in the song...
" - another song sung by a man and written from a woman's point of view
External links
- White Town at the Keeping it Peel BBC site