"Man to Man" is a song written by
Jamie O'Hara and recorded by American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
artist
Gary Allan. It was released in September 2002 as the third and final single from Allan's 2001 album ''
Alright Guy''. The song became his first number one hit on the U.S. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart in March 2003 and peaked at number 25 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Content
The song's narrator tells his significant other's ex-boyfriend that it was his fault that she had left him and that it's too late to get her back. He states that they should have a conversation "man to man."
Critical reception
Rick Cohoon of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
in his review, states that the lyrics are "harsh and realistic" but "maybe a bit too glib for Allan’s good." Cohoon states that "‘You want her back, and it’s too late/why don’t we call a spade a spade’ summarizes the song’s tone, but comes across as too abrasive." He states that the writing makes it seem like the situation could have happened to the writer,
Jamie O'Hara.
[ Allmusic: "Man to Man" review]
Chart positions
"Man to Man" debuted at number 45 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs for the week of October 5, 2002.
Year-end charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Man To Man (Song)
2002 singles
2001 songs
Gary Allan songs
Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer)
Songs written by Jamie O'Hara (singer)
MCA Nashville Records singles
Song recordings produced by Mark Wright (record producer)
MCA Records singles