Be a Man (song)

This article is about the Hole song. For other songs, see Be a Man.
"Be a Man"
Single by Hole
from the album Any Given Sunday: Music from the Motion Picture
B-side"Whatever It Takes (by P.O.D.)"
ReleasedJanuary 31, 2000 (2000-01-31)[1]
Recorded1997 (1997)
GenreAlternative Rock
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Courtney Love, Eric Erlandson, Billy Corgan
Producer(s)Michael Beinhorn
Hole singles chronology
"Awful"
(1999) 		"Be a Man"
(2000) 		"Skinny Little Bitch"
(2010)

"Be a Man" is the thirteenth and last single by alternative rock band Hole before their breakup in 2002.[2]

The song was co-written by Hole members Courtney Love and Eric Erlandson with contribution from frequent guest Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in 2000 as a double A-side (the other track being from P.O.D.) this track also featured on the soundtrack to the film Any Given Sunday (1999).[3] It was the last single by the band for ten years, until "Skinny Little Bitch" in 2010.

Background

"Be a Man" was initially recorded during sessions for the band's third studio album Celebrity Skin (1998). The band, however, left the song off the album as they felt it was not cohesive with the rest of the record.[4] On December 2, 1999, the song was uploaded online as a free digital download.[5]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor of Billboard referred to the song as "a slice of femcore" and praised Love's vocal performance.[6]

Music video

The video (directed by Joseph Kahn) for Be a Man features a blue-haired Courtney Love with a dress in the same color in a football field, interacting with, seducing and French-kissing the game players from the film as a rain starts. It is the first Hole video not to feature Eric Erlandson (the only member remaining in the band besides Love at that point), plus it also featured her naked in the video.

Track listings and formats

  1. "Be a Man" (radio edit) – 3:18
  2. "Be a Man" (album version) – 3:18
  3. "Whatever It Takes" (performed by P.O.D.) – 4:02

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel are adapted from the Any Given Sunday album liner notes.[8]

Charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 102

References

  1. ^ "ARIANet New Releases! – Available from 31st January 2000 > Singles (from The ARIA Report No. 518)". ARIA). Retrieved June 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com.
  2. ^ Van Horn, Teri (December 4, 1999). "Radio Rock Slow to Embrace Hole's "Be a Man"". MTV. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "An Given Sunday - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
  4. ^ "Rock Radio Slow to Embrace Hole's 'Be a Man'". MTV News. December 4, 1999. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Free Music: Hole". MTV News. December 2, 1999. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Taylor, Chuck (8 January 2000). "Singles". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 2. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (published January 8, 2000). p. 21. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Be a Man (Australian CD single liner notes). Hole. Atlantic Records. 2000. 7567846312.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Any Given Sunday (United States CD liner notes). Various artists. Atlantic Records. 2000. 83272-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Hole chart history, received from ARIA on April 7, 2024". ARIA. Retrieved June 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.