Be a Man (song)

2000 single by Hole

"Be a Man"

Single by Hole

from the album Any Given Sunday

B-side

"Whatever It Takes (by P.O.D.)"

Released

January 31, 2000 (2000-01-31)^[1]

Recorded

1997 (1997)

Genre

Alternative Rock

Label

Geffen

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

CD single^[7]

"Be a Man" (radio edit) – 3:18
"Be a Man" (album version) – 3:18
"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]

Courtney Love – writer, performer, producer
Eric Erlandson – writer, performer, producer
Billy Corgan – writer
Melissa Auf der Maur – performer, producer
Patty Schemel – performer, producer
Michael Beinhorn – producer
Jack Joseph Puig – mixing
Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charts

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

References

^ "ARIANet New Releases! – Available from 31st January 2000 > Singles (from The ARIA Report No. 518)". ARIA). Retrieved June 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com.
^ 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.
^ "An Given Sunday - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
^ "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.
^ "Free Music: Hole". MTV News. December 2, 1999. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
^ 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.
^ 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)
^ 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)
^ "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.