He Wasn't Man Enough

"He Wasn't Man Enough"
Single by Toni Braxton
from the album The Heat
Released March 7, 2000
Format CD single, DVD single
Recorded January–February 2000
Genre R&B, dance-pop
Length 4:21
Label LaFace
Writer(s) Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Harvey Mason, Jr.
Producer(s) Darkchild
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Toni Braxton singles chronology
"How Could an Angel Break My Heart"
(1997)		 "He Wasn't Man Enough"
(2000)		 "Just Be a Man About It"
(2000)
Music video
"He Wasn't Man Enough" on YouTube
The Heat track listing
"He Wasn't Man Enough"
(1)		 "The Heat"
(2)

"He Wasn't Man Enough" is a song by American R&B recording artist and songwriter Toni Braxton and released by LaFace Records on March 7, 2000 as the lead single from her third studio album, The Heat (2000). The song was produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jenkins. "He Wasn't Man Enough" is an uptempo dance-pop and R&B inspired song that differs in genre from Braxton's previous ballads.

The song had received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised it as one of Braxton's best works.[1] "He Wasn't Man Enough" had international success and became one of Braxton signature songs, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, where the single stood for several weeks, and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for four weeks. This song is her last Top 10 appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. An accompanying music video was released for the single. The song earned Braxton her fourth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2001.

Background and composition

"He Wasn't Man Enough" was released as the lead single from Braxton's studio album The Heat (2000). The song was written by Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, and Harvey Mason, Jr., while it was produced by Darkchild. The song was recorded in the United States, during the production of Braxton's third studio album, between January and February 2000.[2][3] During its production, L.A. Reid had said" "It's very strong, and very personal to her".

"He Wasn't Man Enough" is a dance inspired song, which features more mainstream pop music with strong R&B influences. The song's vocal range starts with a D4# chord to a C6# chord in a chord of G Major. Popmatters praised Braxton for singing a non-ballad pop song, saying "the track seems to be an attempt to make some headway within the lucrative urban R&B market."[4] The song's length is a total of four minutes and twenty-one seconds at a moderately slow, yet steady pace.[5] The song earned Braxton her fourth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2001. According to Billboard.com, this song is her last Top 10 appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 to date.

Critical reception

"He Wasn't Man Enough" had received extremely positive reception from contemporary music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic had highlighted the track as an album highlight, which along with "Gimme Some" was a "skimmering beat".[1] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly gave it a positive review, certificating it with a B rating. He said "From producer Rodney Jerkins' cushiony pulse to its premise (one woman warning another about her ex-beau), the amenable single "He Wasn't Man Enough" sounds mightily familiar. But it's still no "Scrubs", largely thanks to Braxton's husky, mumbly delivery."[6] NME gave it a positive review, saying that for the track, "Braxton can probably claim the best set of tonsils in soul-pop".[7] Popmatters gave it a positive review, saying "The lead single sees Toni tapping into the recent success of female assertiveness (TLC, Kelis, Destiny's Child, and Pink) with the hit single “He Wasn’t Man Enough". Produced by the ubiquitous Darkchild, the track seems to be an attempt to make some headway within the lucrative urban R&B market.[4]

Chart performance

"He Wasn't Man Enough" had peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 6, 2000 and stayed there for several weeks. The song also peaked at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for four weeks. The song had debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart on its issue date of 29 April 2000. The song had debuted at number six on the Australian Singles Chart, until it eventually peaked at number five in that country. The song had debuted at number 36 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and later rose to number five after seven weeks on the charts. The song received platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), selling over 15,000 copies there.[8] The song had debuted at number 99 on the French Singles Chart until it fell out. Then it re-entered at number 74 on the charts and eventually peaked at number fifteen, becoming the biggest jump of the issue date of 1 July 2000. The song had debuted at number 21 on the Dutch Top 40, until it peaked at number five on their charts, staying in there for seventeen weeks.

Music video

The video, directed by Bille Woodruff from February 25–26, 2000,[9] starts out with Braxton as an animated superhero who unzips her shirt to ward off villains. Next, she is shown dancing in a red cylinder-like hallway. The shot turns to a club where her ex (played by Braxton's former husband Keri Lewis) and his current wife (played by Robin Givens) walk in. Givens looks Braxton up and down and flashes her wedding ring at her. Braxton scoffs because she'd had him first and knows what a cheat he is.

The video flashes between Braxton dancing in the hallway and the club scene. At one point, the two women are in the club's bathroom, and Braxton lets the new wife know why she dumped her husband. They set up an act, wherein Braxton goes into a private room with him and gets him to drop his pants; all the while he is on camera, and everyone at the club, including his current wife, is watching. At the end, Givens busts in and throws the ring at him, and the two women give each other a high five.

The video also features cameo appearances by Rodney Chester and Tamar Braxton.

Track listing and formats

CD Single
(Arista 74321 75146 2)
  1. He Wasn't Man Enough (Radio edit) - 3:58
  2. He Wasn't Man Enough (Extended edit) - 5:35
Promo CD Single
(LaFace CDX 2239)
  1. He Wasn't Man Enough - 4:21
Australian CD Single
(Arista / LaFace 74321 75785 2)
  1. He Wasn't Man Enough (Radio edit) - 4:02
  2. You're Makin' Me High (Classic edit) - 3:38
  3. He Wasn't Man Enough (Extended edit) - 5:35
  4. He Wasn't Man Enough (Music video)
US CD Single
(LaFace 73008 24463 2)
  1. He Wasn't Man Enough (Album version) - 4:21
  2. He Wasn't Man Enough (Instrumental) - 4:19
US Promo CD
(LaFace LFPCD-4444)
  1. He Wasn't Man Enough (Album version) - 4:21
  2. He Wasn't Man Enough (Instrumental) - 4:19
  3. He Wasn't Man Enough (Call Out Research Hook) - 0:10
Official versions

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 8
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 1
Canada Adult Contemporary Tracks (RPM)[14] 27
Canada Top 30 Dance (RPM)[15] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 2
France (SNEP)[17] 14
Germany (Media Control Charts)[18] 20
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 12
Italy (FIMI)[20] 34
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[23] 13
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 7
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[26] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 2
US Billboard Mainstream Top 40[27] 7
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[13] 1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[13] 16

Year-end charts

Chart (2000) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[28] 10

Preceded by
"Maria Maria" by Santana featuring The Product G&B		 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks number-one single
April 29, 2000 – May 20, 2000 		Succeeded by
"I Wish" by Carl Thomas

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thomas, Stephen (2000-04-25). "The Heat - Toni Braxton". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  2. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (2000-01-24). "'Heat' Seeker". Entertainment Weekly.
  3. ↑ Seymour, Craig (2000-01-05). "Nasty Girl". Entertainment Weekly.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ross, Colin. "Toni Braxton: The Heat < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  5. ↑ "Unsupported Browser or Operating System". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  6. ↑ "Music Review: He Wasn't Man Enough, by Toni Braxton". Entertainment Weekly.
  7. ↑ "NME Track Reviews - He Wasn't Man Enough". Nme.Com. 2000-04-01. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  8. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Rianz.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  9. ↑ "Actor Has Too Familiar A Ring For Robin Givens". Daily News (New York). 2000-02-29.
  10. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "The Heat > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  14. ↑ Canadian AC peak
  15. ↑ Canadian Dance peak
  16. ↑ Canadian Top Singles peak
  17. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough" (in French). Les classement single.
  18. ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Toni Braxton > He Wasn't Man Enough – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  19. ↑ "Irish Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 27 April 2000". Chart-Track. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
  20. ↑ Italian Artists
  21. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Toni Braxton search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  22. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough". VG-lista.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough". Singles Top 60.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ "Chart Stats – Toni Braxton – He Wasn't Man Enough". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  27. ↑
  28. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved 2010-08-31.

External links