"Be a Man" is the thirteenth and last single by

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

before their breakup in 2002. The song was co-written by Hole members

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

and

Eric Erlandson Eric Theodore Erlandson (born January 9, 1963) is an American musician, guitarist, and writer, primarily known as founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole from 1989 to 2002. He has also had several musical s ...

with contribution from frequent guest Billy Corgan of

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...

. 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 ''Any Given Sunday'' is a 1999 American sports drama film directed by Oliver Stone depicting a fictional professional American football team. The film features an ensemble cast, including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, Jam ...

'' (1999). 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. On December 2, 1999, the song was uploaded online as a free digital download.

Critical reception

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

Music video

The video (directed by Joseph Kahn) for ''Be a Man'' features a blue-haired

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 # "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. *

– writer, performer, producer *

– writer, performer, producer * Billy Corgan – writer * Melissa Auf der Maur – performer, producer * Patty Schemel – performer, producer *

Michael Beinhorn Michael Beinhorn is a North American record producer, composer, author and musician. He has produced albums for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden, Hole, Violent Femmes and Marilyn Manson. Career 1977-1983: Early Years, Material, Herbie Hanco ...

– producer * Jack Joseph Puig – mixing * Bob Ludwig – mastering

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Be A Man 2000 singles Hole (band) songs Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn Songs with feminist themes Songs written by Billy Corgan Songs written by Eric Erlandson Songs written by Courtney Love 1997 songs Song recordings produced by Michael Beinhorn