1995

It's a Man's World

Album Review

It's a Man's World Review by Cher Fan Club

It's a Man's World, Cher's 21st studio album, released on November 6, 1995, represents a creative departure for the artist. Embracing a diverse range of musical styles including R&B, pop, and elements of Southern rock, the album demonstrates Cher's willingness to experiment and push boundaries. Critically, it was praised for its eclectic mix and Cher's vocal performance. Notable for its European success, particularly in the UK, the album's enduring appeal is reflected in its continued resonance with fans.

Tracklist

Pick	#	Song	Writer(s)	Producer(s)
❤️	13	“Shape of Things to Come”	Trevor Horn, Lol Creme	Trevor Horn
❤️	14	“It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”	James Brown, Betty Jean Newsome	Stephen Lipson

Singles

"Walking in Memphis" (1995)

🪄 Originally recorded by Marc Cohn
💡 Debut single for WEA (Warner–Elektra–Atlantic) after leaving Geffen
💡 Lead single from IT'S A MAN'S WORLD (1995)
📍 Released internationally; in the US, "One by One" served as the lead single instead
🎼 Featured in the episode "The Post Modern Prometheus" of THE X-FILES (1997)

🥇 UK Pop Club: #1 (3w)
🥈 POL Airplay: #2
🥈 UK Radio Adds: #2
🌟 EUR Airplay (GSA): #6
🌟 SCO: #7
🌟 UK Airplay: #7
🌟 UK Sales: #8
🌟 EUR AC: #9
🌟 ITA Airplay: #10
🚀 UK: #11
🚀 SWE: #13
🚀 EUR Airplay: #16
🚀 AUT: #17
🚀 DNK: #19
🚀 NLD Airplay: #19
🚀 EUR: #36
🪁 NLD: #44
🪁 CAN AC: #49
🪁 CAN: #60
🪁 GER: #63
🪁 AUS: #65

🪙 UK (BPI): Silver

The rollout strategy for Cher's IT'S A MAN'S WORLD was... a choice. While the album launched worldwide in October 1995, Warner's American subsidiary Reprise Records delayed its US distribution until July 1996, a nine-month gap that reflected Reprise's uncertainty about the project.

Reprise heavily reworked the album for American audiences. Three of the fourteen tracks were cut entirely. Of the remaining eleven, only six retained their original rock-oriented sound. The other five were remixed by Sam Ward to align with the R&B and hip hop then dominating US radio.

Most jarringly, "Walking in Memphis"—the international lead single and album opener—was buried at track nine on the US version and never released as a single there. Instead, Reprise promoted Ward's R&B remix of "One by One" to launch the album stateside. As a result, "Walking in Memphis" never charted in the United States.

📰 "Cher's 'Walking in Memphis' Trounces All Opposition in the Pop Tip Chart"—MUSIC WEEK report by Alan Jones (UK, Oct 21, 1995): "Though Cher made a 'disco' record as long ago as 1979 (the hustling 'Take Me Home'), 'Walking in Memphis' is her very first No. 1 club hit. If you've only heard it on the radio, and you're wondering how a near identikit remake of an old Marc Cohn track could take off in the clubs to such an extent, check out the fairly radical remixes of Shut Up and Dance, Rated PG, and Baby Doc."

💬 MUSIC WEEK interview with Cher by Paul Gorman (UK, Oct 28, 1995): "[Warner UK executive] Rob Dickins persuaded me to do 'Walking in Memphis.' I've always liked it but didn't think that it seemed right for me, but he said we should at least try it out and I'm really pleased with the result."

📈 Chart note by James Masterton (UK, Oct 28, 1995): "[Last year] Cher helped Beavis and Butt-Head to ruin 'I Got You Babe,' so it is a welcome relief to see the enduring star return to the charts with a sensible release. Her long-awaited new single is hardly new at all, being a cover of Marc Cohn's 1991 No. 22 hit. Although she has had numerous small hits over the past few years, this is far and away her biggest hit single since 1991's 'Love and Understanding', which reached No. 10. With her promotional activities in overdrive, it would take a brave man to bet against the single progressing further next week, particularly as this track has also received extensive remix treatment, making it something of a dancefloor favourite at the moment as well. One of these mixes is cheekily by Shut Up and Dance, the crew who famously made their own unauthorised version of the song in 1992 ['Raving I'm Raving'], causing Marc Cohn to threaten them with crippling legal action."

✍🏻 MUSIC & MEDIA single review (Europe, Nov 11, 1995): "The regular version of Mark Cohn's low key ballad doesn't do much justice to Cher's throaty voice, which needs more drama. But the special mixes by Shut Up and Dance, Rated PG, and Baby Doc do exactly that, with a lot of fast beats, echoes and ambient loops."

✍🏻 ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY review of the album IT'S A MAN'S WORLD by Jim Farber (Jul 19, 1996): "Shorn of her braying vibrato, the songs on IT'S A MAN'S WORLD lack some of Cher's old camp—though luckily not all of it. Her version of 'Walking in Memphis' still must be heard to be believed."

✍🏻 "Cher Predicted Her Comeback with the Underrated IT'S A MAN'S WORLD"—POPMATTERS retrospective album review by Peter Piatkowski (Dec 7, 2022): "Cher released the album with surprising restraint. Its UK release was preceded by a cover of Marc Cohn's 1991 light-rock standard 'Walking in Memphis.' In Cher's hands, the song was transformed from Cohn's AC soft-rock into a smooth, slick R&B/pop tune. It was a significant stylistic shift from the bombastic power balladeering of her Geffen work. Cohn's song tells the story of a young artist finding inspiration after visiting Memphis, the birthplace of some of America's best music. The lyrics reference Elvis Presley, a detail that dovetails with Cher's vocals, which can often sound like Presley (or at least an impression of him). Not only does Cher channel the King on vinyl, but in the song's music video, she dons Elvis drag ... Producer Christopher Neil surrounds Cher's idiosyncratic voice in thick programmed beats and luxurious synthesizers."

"One by One" (1996)

🪄 Originally recorded by JoJo and the Real People
💡 Second international single from IT'S A MAN'S WORLD (1995) in its original rock version
📍 Lead single in the US, issued in a remixed R&B/hip hop version
🎼 US remix featured over the closing credits of IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK (1996), co-directed by Cher

🥇 UK Radio Adds: #1 (1w)
🥈 CAN AC: #2
🥈 HUN Airplay: #2
🥈 UK Airplay: #2
🥉 EUR Radio Adds: #3
🥉 US AC Airplay (GR): #3
🌟 SCO: #5
🌟 SCA Airplay: #5
🌟 HUN Sales: #6
🌟 POL Airplay: #6
🌟 US Dance Sales (BB): #6
🌟 UK: #7
🌟 UK Pop Club: #7
🌟 UK Sales: #7
🌟 US Dance Club Play (BB): #7
🌟 EUR Airplay: #8
🌟 US AC (BB): #9
🌟 ITA Airplay: #10
🚀 EUR AC: #16
🚀 CAN: #22
🚀 ISL: #29
🚀 US Adult Pop Airplay (BB): #29
🚀 EUR: #34
🪁 US Billboard: #52
🪁 US Cash Box: #57
🫧 AUS: #170

📈 Chart note by James Masterton (UK, Jan 20, 1996): "George Michael aside, the biggest new hit of the week goes to Cher, who appears to be in the middle of a mini career resurgence after an absence from recording. Following on from her cover version of 'Walking in Memphis' which reached No. 11 in October last year, she releases this track which is quite possibly one of the most pure pop tracks she has ever recorded. It gives her her eighth solo top-10 hit to add to the three she notched up as part of Sonny & Cher, and 'One by One' becomes her biggest hit single since 'Love and Understanding' made No. 10 in June 1991."

📰 "She's Back"—BILLBOARD column by Larry Flick ("Dance Trax," May 11, 1996): "She's back. When Cher hopped aboard the first musical train out of clubland following her mid '70s disco hits 'Take Me Home' and 'Hell on Wheels,' we did not think she would ever darken a dancefloor again. After all, the chameleon-like performer has not been silent regarding her displeasure with that era of her career. But here she comes again, shimmying up a ferocious groove storm with 'One by One,' the fine first single from her Reprise debut, IT'S A MAN'S WORLD. Originally produced by Stephen Lipson, the tune has been smartly refashioned from its somewhat inaccessible rock/AC sound into an urbanized dance shuffler by rising Los Angeles producer Sam Ward, who also reconstructed three other cuts on the US pressing of the album. Given a surprisingly soulful, falsetto-flavored performance to work with, Ward clearly had a field day layering crisp jeep rhythms and cushiony synths beneath the song's warm 'we gotta love one another' refrain. The vibe he has created here should sit reasonably well next to some of the more funky fare on radio right now. As import hounds already know, Junior Vasquez took 'One by One' into the tribal-house realm, injecting a festive barrage of sound effects and percussion. (Are those really cow bells we hear during the first breakdown?) Jocks who have not already picked up the two-month-old UK 12-inch will find this an essential programming choice, while import-savvy spinners may find renewed interest in the record via a forthcoming second set of mixes. The producer of those new versions is still to be determined. It's good to have Cher back among the divas who make us sweat. Few can simultaneously work sequins, feathers, and leather quite as well."

✍🏻 BILLBOARD single review by Larry Flick (May 11, 1996): "A summery jeep pop ditty. Cher is virtually unrecognizable during the song's verses, which she delivers in a startlingly soulful (and previously untapped) falsetto. By the time the chorus breaks in, you're hooked by the brain-embedding melody and a lyric that is as sweet as can be. It has been a while since Cher has hit the competitive fray of top 40, and though it may be tough going at first, she is armed with a terrific single that will sound strong alongside most current radio favorites."

✍🏻 GAVIN single review by Ron Fell (May 17, 1996): "Here's this year's winner in the Gavin Seminar's A/C Juke Box Jury. It's perfect for A/C and features one of the most distinctive voices we can play. It's the lead single from her Reprise debut, IT'S A MAN'S WORLD. Producer Steve Lipson [sic], by the way, is the guy who so brilliantly produces the Annie Lennox solo material."

✍🏻 "Department of Corrections"—GAVIN's Ron Fell (May 24, 1996): "In my review of Cher's 'One by One' single last week, I said it was produced by Steve Lipson. Wrong! Lipson produced the original version which was released in the UK earlier this year, but Sam Ward redid the track for American radio prior to its Stateside release last week ... [a few pages earlier] Top tip: 'One by One.' This Sam Wood [sic] production is a flat-out winner in A/C."

📰 "Cher Changes Approach for Her MAN'S WORLD on Reprise"—BILLBOARD feature by Jim Bessman (May 18, 1996): "Cher tried to make her voice sound different on IT'S A MAN'S WORLD. 'I worked really hard to have more control and not use my vibrato and other things I didn't like about my voice,' she says. 'It's still me, you know it's me, and there's no getting around it. But on songs like 'One by One,' you don't know it's me right away.' Besides cutting back the vibrato, Cher exults over hitting higher registers and 'just singing straight, which I could never do.' Her style shows on 'One by One,' which will be the first US single. The song is already getting major play at clubs, thanks to Junior Vasquez's import single remix ... A video is in the works for 'One by One,' perhaps with involvement from Cher's [son Chaz] Bono. '[Chaz]'s involved with human rights campaigns,' says [Reprise Records executive] Craig Kostich, 'and the song has a lot to do with accepting and loving each other and overcoming problems one by one.' The song, he adds, shows Cher's serious, politically conscious side."

✍🏻 BILLBOARD review of the album IT'S A MAN'S WORLD by Paul Verna (Jul 13, 1996): "Cher opens a promising new chapter in her long and winding recording career on a softer, often sullen rhythm pop note, revealing vibrant and previously unheard colors of her voice ... [and] her surprisingly soulful falsetto on the set's charming first [US] single, 'One by One.'"

✍🏻 ALLMUSIC retrospective album review by Jose F. Promis: "'One by One,' the album's opener (and first US single), is an irresistible, mid-tempo soul number that never made the American top 40, yet became a club hit in its remixed form. The original [UK] album version, however, is decidedly superior."

✍🏻 "Cher Predicted Her Comeback with the Underrated IT'S A MAN'S WORLD"—POPMATTERS retrospective album review by Peter Piatkowski (Dec 7, 2022): "Cher's strange voice—that androgynous instrument with the stuttering vibrato—is often relaxed and sweet ... She even flexes her vocal chops, singing in a surprisingly adroit falsetto. That falsetto is put to use on the album's second single, 'One by One,' a midtempo pop number that would find success remixed by Junior Vasquez as a dance song (hitting the top 10 on the dance charts), predicting her gargantuan success with 'Believe' in 1998. To hear the full range of Cher's stylistic versatility, it's helpful to listen to the three main versions of 'One by One.' The original, UK version, is a rhythmic-pop tune that struts with an insanely catchy chorus. It sounds like Tina Turner circa 1990s Europe. The American version, released a year later, is a slinky R&B number. And the Vasquez version takes Cher to the dance floor. The relative neutrality of Cher's voice, as well as her adaptability as an artist, means that if the material is solid, she's a sure fit. It's that adaptability that has lent Cher that legendary longevity (but it's also kept Cher from establishing a genuine musical sound or persona—it feels as if Cher 'sounds' like whatever current iteration she's inhabiting at the moment)."

"Not Enough Love in the World" (1996)

🪄 Originally recorded by Don Henley
📍 Issued exclusively in Europe

🥈 UK Radio Adds: #2
🚀 UK Airplay: #14
🚀 SCO: #27
🚀 UK: #31

💬 MUSIC WEEK interview with Cher by Paul Gorman (UK, Oct 28, 1995): "'Not Enough Love in the World' is a song I've wanted to do for a long time."

📈 Chart note by James Masterton (UK, Apr 27, 1996): "'One by One' was one of Cher's biggest hits of recent years, a semi-permanent fixture on many radio playlists and a No. 7 chart hit back in January. On the strength of that, you would expect the follow-up to perform similarly, but for some reason this track misses out and can only manage a rather miserable No. 31 placing. Cher's chart performances have always been rather erratic, but given her current profile, this is a surprisingly minor hit."

"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (1996)

🪄 First recorded by Frankie Valli, later popularized by the Walker Brothers
📍 Issued exclusively in Europe
🎼 Featured in the episode "The Post Modern Prometheus" of THE X-FILES (1997)

🚀 SCO: #15
🚀 UK: #26

📰 "Cher: Daring to Be Different on New LP"—MUSIC WEEK story by Paul Gorman (UK, Oct 28, 1995): "Trevor Horn produced Cher's version of the '60s classic 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore.' It is a suitably overblown take on the Walker Brothers' masterpiece of bombast, which acts as a reminder that Cher's career started in the '60s as a backing singer for Phil Spector. 'Cher's an intelligent and articulate singer,' says Horn. 'A lot of people who work in films do not easily switch across to music, but we had a great time working together. It was actually very informal and there was a strong element of fun about the whole proceedings.'"

✍🏻 "Cher Changes Approach for Her MAN'S WORLD on Reprise"—BILLBOARD story by Jim Bessman (May 18, 1996): "IT'S A MAN'S WORLD follows a six-year period of relative inactivity, the first time Cher hasn't worked constantly since she was 16. 'I've been doing this for 32 years now,' she adds, pointing to her new cover of the Walker Brothers' 1966 hit 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' as proof. 'I was there when it hit the first time. Sonny and I played with them on TV.'"

✍🏻 BILLBOARD review of the album IT'S A MAN'S WORLD by Paul Verna (Jul 13, 1996): "While it might be difficult for some to separate the infomercial hawker from the artist, there is no denying her successful diva stretch on Trevor Horn's gloriously bombastic production of the Walker Brothers' evergreen 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore.'"

📈 Chart note by James Masterton (UK, Aug 17, 1996): "Why is it that so many veteran female singers are attempting ill-advised cover versions at the moment? Hot on the heels of Tina Turner's massacre of 'Missing You' comes Cher with her version of an all-time classic. As surely everyone knows, 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' stands as one of the greatest records of the 1960s, a massive No. 1 hit in 1966 for the Walker Brothers. Until now, nobody has dared chart a cover version and, to be fair, Cher makes a reasonable fist of it, her deep voice managing to accurately emulate the emotive feeling of Scott Walker's original performance. It becomes her third hit of the year and at least performs better than 'Not Enough Love in the World,' which could only reach No. 31."

✍🏻 ALLMUSIC retrospective album review by Jose F. Promis: "'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' is epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West."

"Paradise Is Here" (1996)

🪄 Originally recorded by Tina Turner
📍 Released only in the US
💡 Second and final US single from IT'S A MAN'S WORLD (1995)

🚀 US Dance Club Play: #11
🚀 US Dance Sales: #27

📰 "Turntable Vibes: Cher as Subject of Remixes"—BILLBOARD report by Larry Flick ("Dance Trax," Nov 30, 1996): "Although we're not sure how Cher feels about her recent resurrection as a club vixen, it's so nice to hear her distinctive snarl unfurl atop a lively dance beat. Reprise has dipped into her underappreciated current album, IT'S A MAN'S WORLD, and plucked 'Paradise Is Here' for reconstruction as a house anthem. Both Junior Vasquez and Sam Ward, the lads behind the massive 'One by One,' have a crack at the song with solid results. Vasquez gets experimental on his Arena mix, jetting back and forth between aggressive tribal rhythms and electro-funk breakbeats. Ward opts for a smoother, more direct approach on his Runway version, rolling out sweet piano lines and disco-leaning percussion that would sound mighty fine on the radio in edited form. Between the two, there are enough dubs to fill a double-pack and keep DJs busy for hours."

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