"One Woman Man"
Single by All Saints
from the album Red Flag
Released7 October 2016 (2016-10-07)
Length4:01
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
All Saints singles chronology
"This Is a War"
(2016) 		"One Woman Man"
(2016) 		"Love Lasts Forever"
(2018)

"One Woman Man" is a song recorded by English-Canadian girl group All Saints for their fourth studio album, Red Flag (2016). It was written by group member Shaznay Lewis in collaboration with Dan Radclyffe, whilst production was handled by the latter and K-Gee. "One Woman Man" was released as the album's third single on 7 October 2016, by London Records.

Background and release

A promotional video was shared by All Saints on social media in June 2015, suggesting an upcoming project and tour.[1] Similarly, on 1 January 2016, the group posted a promotional image of themselves looking upwards in front of a grey background with the text "2016".[2] On 27 January, the group announced that their fourth studio album Red Flag would be released on 8 April 2016, along with lead single "One Strike" being released in February.[3] "One Woman Man" was unveiled as the first promotional single from the album on 18 March 2016.[4] A five-track remixes EP was released for digital download on 7 October 2016.[5]

Composition

Musically, "One Woman Man" incorporates synthesizers and symphonic instrumentation,[6] and is accompanied by "clipped" beats and "icy" strings.[7] Lyrically the song sees the "resilient" group marching into battle against an undesirable woman competing for the same man. "Every battle has a widow, the mourner won't be me" they declare. On the song's chorus, All Saints sing, "Tell me are you ready for me yet? I know you can make her understand / Tell me are you ever gonna be a one woman man?". As the song grows in intensity, it reaches its bridge: "Tell her that it's too late / 'Cause I'm never walking away, my love is here to stay! / Didn't she hear me say I ain't going nowhere?".[8] According to Robbie Daw from Idolator, the opening lyric from the song ("Sometimes is it better to let go") is a metaphor for the group, who split in 2001 due to constant fighting.[9] The lyrics to "One Woman Man" were inspired directly by their own lives and highlight their diverse personal experiences in the past ten years.[10]

Critical reception

Jennifer Ruby from the Evening Standard stated that the track "proves that the band are going from strength-to-strength with their comeback".[11] Amy Davidson of Digital Spy commented that it was "the comeback single we've been waiting for. Don't get us wrong, 'One Strike' was good and everything, but 'One Woman Man' is even better".[12] Similarly, Gigwise's Valerie Siebert said, "The anthem 'One Woman Man' is similarly defiant in nature [to 'One Strike']".[13] Robbie Daw from Idolator stated the song was another "absolutely fantastic cut from All Saints, and a lovely follow-up to previous single 'One Strike'".[9] Attitude magazine called it "stellar",[14] whilst Exclaim!'s Yasmine Shemesh classified it as "anthemic".[6] In another positive review, Courtney Buck from The 405 commented, "Full of heavy drums and sharp strings, it's another booming anthem to add to All Saints' already full arsenal of anthems".[15]

Live performances

"One Woman Man" was included on the setlist for their first headlining show in over a decade at London's KOKO, on 4 April 2016.[16] The group also performed the song on BBC One's The One Show four days later,[17] It was also performed by All Saints at Proms in the Park in Hyde Park on 10 September 2016.[18] "One Woman Man" was performed as part of the setlist of their 2016 Red Flag Tour,[19] and the Testament Tour in 2018.[20]

Track listings

  1. "One Woman Man" – 4:01
  1. "One Woman Man" (K-Gee Big Tings Refix) – 4:59
  2. "One Woman Man" (Paul Morrell Radio Mix) – 3:25
  3. "One Woman Man" (VAHNI Remix / Radio Edit) – 3:58
  4. "One Woman Man" (Blackmore Remix) – 2:40
  5. "One Woman Man" (Paul Morrell Club Mix) – 5:26

Credits

Credits adapted from the single's digital release.[21]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 192
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[23] 84
UK Singles Sales (Official Charts Company)[24] 84

References

  1. ^ Corner, Lewis (10 June 2015). "All Saints are about to make a proper comeback". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  2. ^ Hendicott, James (2 January 2016). "All Saints tease 2016 comeback". NME. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  3. ^ Copsey, Rob (27 January 2016). "All Saints are back! The group announce details of their new single One Strike and fourth album Red Flag". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  4. ^ Ruby, Jennifer (18 March 2016). "All Saints debut brand new track One Woman Man ahead of album release". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  5. ^ a b "One Woman Man (Remixes) - EP". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  6. ^ a b Shemesh, Yasmine (6 April 2016). "All Saints Red Flag". Exclaim!. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  7. ^ Cragg, Michael (10 April 2016). "All Saints: Red Flag review – a sassy and soulful return to form". The Observer. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  8. ^ Stern, Bradley (18 March 2016). "'One Woman Man': All Saints Strike Gold Again With 'Red Flag' Battle Cry". PopCrush. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b Daw, Robbie (19 March 2016). "All Saints' Booming Anthem "One Woman Man": Listen To The New 'Red Flag' Song". Idolator. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  10. ^ Lemaire, Clara (23 March 2016). "All Saints confirme son comeback réussi avec "One Woman Man"" (in French). Orange S.A. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  11. ^ Ruby, Jennifer. "All Saints debut brand new track One Woman Man ahead of album release". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  12. ^ Davidson, Amy (18 March 2016). "All Saints give us the comeback single we've been waiting for with their new song 'One Woman Man'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  13. ^ Siebert, Valerie (7 April 2016). "Album review: All Saints - Red Flag". Gigwise. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Exclusive | All Saints' new single 'One Woman Man' gets a dancefloor-ready remix". Attitude. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  15. ^ Buck, Courtney (21 March 2016). "All Saints continue to impress with new single 'One Woman Man'". The 405. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  16. ^ Starkey, Adam (5 April 2016). "All Saints made their live comeback and fans Never Ever had such a good time". Metro. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  17. ^ "The One Show, 08/04/2016". BBC One. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  18. ^ "All Saints - One Woman Man (Proms in the Park 2016)". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  19. ^ Veevers, Brendon (14 October 2016). "Live Review: All Saints – Thursday 13th October – Brixton Academy, London, UK". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  20. ^ Jackson, Daisy (9 December 2018). "Review: All Saints at Manchester Academy". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Red Flag by All Saints on iTunes". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  22. ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 26.03.2016 (wk12)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
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