What a Woman Wants

"What a Woman Knows"
Single by Lari White
from the album Lead Me Not
B-side	"Good Good Love"
Released	February 1, 1993 (1993-02-01)[1]
Genre	Country
Length	3:04
Label	RCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Lari White Chuck Cannon[2]
Producer(s)	Rodney Crowell Lari White Steuart Smith
Lari White singles chronology
"What a Woman Knows" (1993) "Lead Me Not" (1993)

"What a Woman Wants" is the debut single by American country music artist Lari White. It was released on February 1, 1993, as the lead single to her RCA Nashville Records debut studio album Lead Me Not (1993). The track is co-written and co-produced by her, with extra writing credits going to Chuck Cannon and extra production credits going to Rodney Crowell and Steuart Smith. The track was not a chart success but received positive reception from music critics.

Critical reception

Billboard magazine gave the track a positive review, saying "White's single debut showcases her powerhouse vocals against a backdrop of fast-paced, dance-oriented tracks."[3] Michael Hochanadel of The Daily Gazette said that White "uncorks a growly vibrato and impressive power right at the top of her range" in the song.[4] Lisa Smith and Cyndi Hoelzle of Gavin Report reviewed the track positively as well saying, "[Rodney] Crowell produced her debut, and captured White's spunk and spirit. Lari co-wrote this wise lesson on life and love with her boyfriend Chuck Cannon."[5] Brad Hogue of Cashbox called it a "lively enough song to interest radio."[6]

Music video

White's debut music video was shot on site in Rome, Italy.

The song is most remembered for its music video, as it was the first country music video ever shot in Europe, being filmed in Rome, Italy.[7] It was directed by Joanne Gardner Lowell and was filmed in November 1992.[8] The video prominently features the Trevi Fountain.[9] It was released to both Country Music Television (CMT) and The Nashville Network (TNN) for the week of January 9, 1993.[10]

Chart performance

"What a Woman Wants" debuted on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of February 13, 1993, at number 75. In its ninth week, the track would hit a peak position of number 44 on April 10, 1993 and spent 12 weeks in total on the chart; it was the highest charting single from the Lead Me Not album. White would later speak of the underwhelming success of this song and her debut album in a 1995 interview, "It broke my heart. It's like taking your heart out and putting it there on the table for everybody to do with as they will."[11]

Personnel

Taken from the Lead Me Not booklet.[12]

• Albert Lee – electric guitar
• Bill Payne – piano and Hammond organ
• Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
• Vince Santoro – drums and harmony vocals

Track listing

US 7-inch single[13]

1. "What a Woman Wants" – 3:04
2. "Good Good Love" – 4:04

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "What a Woman Wants"

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[14]	39
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15]	44
US Country Top 50 (Radio & Records)[16]	32
US Country (Gavin Report)[17]	31
US Top 100 Country Singles (Cashbox)[18]	35

References

1. "RCA/Nashville proudly introduces Lari White". Radio & Records. No. 977. January 29, 1993. p. 45.
2. Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grelun (July 14, 2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. St. Martin's Press. p. 532. ISBN 9780312264871.
3. Flick, Larry, ed. (February 6, 1993). "Single Reviews: Country". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media. p. 70. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. Hochanadel, Michael (June 18, 1993). "Conceptual problems mar Lari White show". The Daily Gazette. p. C5.
5. Smith, Lisa; Hoelzle, Cyndi (February 5, 1993). "New Releases". Gavin Report. No. 1940. p. 29.
6. Hogue, Brad (February 6, 1993). "Cash Box Country Reviews: Feature Picks". Cashbox. Vol. LVI, no. 22. p. 19.
7. "Country: Artists & Music". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 11. Nielsen Business Media. March 13, 1993. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510.
8. "Did this Lari White music video really even happen?". Joseph Fenity. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
9. Morris, Edward (January 23, 1993). "Grammy Voters Leave Garth On The Fence". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 4. Nielsen Business Media. p. 29. ISSN 0006-2510.
10. "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 3. Nielsen Business Media. January 16, 1993. p. 36. ISSN 0006-2510.
11. "Lari White readying followup to her smash record, 'Wishes'". The Albany Herald. April 24, 1995. p. 6B.
12. Lead Me Not (CD liner notes). Lari White. RCA Records Nashville. 1993. 07863.
13. What a Woman Knows (US 7-inch single sleeve). Lari White. RCA Records Nashville. 1993. 62420.
14. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1169." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. April 24, 1993. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
15. "Lari White Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
16. "R&R Country National Airplay". Radio & Records. No. 985. March 26, 1993. p. 54.
17. "the Gavin Report: Country". Gavin Report. No. 1947. March 26, 1993. p. 30.
18. "Cash Box Charts: Top 100 Country Singles". Cashbox. Vol. LVI, no. 31. April 10, 1993. p. 17.