What a Man (song)
1968 single by Linda Lyndell
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"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.
| "What a Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![](#/media/File:Linda_Lyndell's_single_"What_a_Man".jpg) 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 | ||||
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Lynda 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]
Other 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.
Jessica Mauboy recorded a version of "What a Man" for the soundtrack of the 2012 film The Sapphires.