"I Need a Man" is a 1975 single by

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

Background

"I Need a Man" was the debut single for

, originally recorded and released in France for the label Orfeus while Jones was still working as a fashion model. It is a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

song. Its initial release passed fairly unnoticed. The track was later re-mixed and released in the U.S. on the minor disco label Beam Junction before Jones signed with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

and included it on her 1977 debut album '' Portfolio''. "I Need a Man" then became a modest hit, reaching number 1 spot on the ''Billboard'' dance chart. It also contributed to Jones' growing popularity among gay scene. The original mix of "I Need a Man", together with its B-side, "Again and Again", remain unreleased on CD.

Music video

The music video for the song was made using the chroma key technique and presents Grace wearing a white, knee-long plain dress, dancing to the track.

Track listings

*7" single (1975) :A. "I Need a Man" – 3:15 :B. "Again and Again" – 3:46 *12" single (1977) :A. "I Need a Man" (disco mix) – 7:30 :B. "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53 *UK 7" single (1977) :A. "I Need a Man" – 3:29 :B. "I Need a Man" (Part 2) – 4:17

Chart performance

Cover versions

*The American Hi-NRG group Man 2 Man recorded a cover version of "I Need a Man" in 1987. This version received play in many dance clubs and peaked at #43 on the UK Singles Chart.

References

{{authority control 1975 debut singles Grace Jones songs 1975 songs