"Walk Like a Man" is a song written by

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Season ...

and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by rock band the Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons's version

The song features the

counterpoint In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more musical lines (or voices) which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. It has been most commonly identified in the European classical tradi ...

Nick Massi Nick Massi (born Nicholas E. Macioci, September 19, 1927 – December 24, 2000) was an American bass singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist for The Four Seasons. Biography Born in Newark, New Jersey, Nicholas "Massi" Macioci was first taught to ...

's bass voice and the

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

of lead singer Frankie Valli. It was their third number one hit, initially reaching the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on March 2, 1963, remaining there for three weeks. "Walk Like a Man" also went to number three on the R&B singles chart. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as "a feelingful, cha cha beat stomper ... that again sports the falsetto gimmick" and has an "ultra-commercial arrangement by

Charles Calello Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track ...

". During the sessions that produced the hit recording, the fire department received an emergency call from the Abbey Victoria Hotel (the building that housed the Stea-Phillips Recording Studios). As producer

was insisting upon recording the perfect take, smoke and water started to seep into the studio; the room directly above the studio was on fire, but Crewe had blocked the studio door. He continued recording until firemen used their axes on the door and pulled Crewe out.

Other versions

Other versions have been recorded by artists such as the

Mary Jane Girls The Mary Jane Girls were an American girl group formed in 1983, best known for their songs " In My House", " All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of " Walk Like a Man". They were protégées of musician Rick James and disbanded ...

(1986),

Divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

(1985), Dreamhouse and

Jan & Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles ...

(1963) off the album ''Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin''.

Plastic Bertrand Roger François Jouret (born 24 February 1954), better known as Plastic Bertrand, is a Belgium, Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single "Ça plane pour moi". Bi ...

did a version in French, entitled ''C'est Le Rock 'n' Roll'' (1978), Hungarian band Bon Bon recorded the song with the title ''Sexepilem'' (1999), and Chance & The Phantasmics (2012). The song features prominently in the 1993 film ''

Heart And Souls ''Heart and Souls'' is a 1993 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Ron Underwood. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Thomas Reilly, a businessman recruited by the souls of four deceased people, his guardian angels from childhood, to ...

'' as well as the 1996 film ''

Sleepers ''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin H ...

''. It also features in the 1993 film ''

Mrs. Doubtfire ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It was written for the screen by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel ''Alias Madame Doubtfire'' by Anne Fine. Robin Williams, who also s ...

'' and is played during the opening credits of '' The Wanderers''.

Personnel

Partial credits. ;The Four Seasons * Frankie Valli – lead vocals, handclaps *

Tommy DeVito Tommy DeVito may refer to: * Tommy DeVito (American football), American football quarterback * Tommy DeVito (musician) (1928–2020), American musician and singer, member of The Four Seasons * Tommy DeVito, a character in the film ''Goodfellas'' pl ...

– harmony and backing vocals, guitar, handclaps *

– harmony and backing vocals, bass, handclaps * Bob Gaudio – harmony and backing vocals, piano, handclaps ;Additional musician and production staff *

Panama Francis David Albert "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918 – November 13, 2001) was an American swing jazz drummer who played on numerous hit recordings in the 1950s. Early life Francis was born in Miami, Florida, on December 21, 1918. His father was ...

– drums *

– producer * unknown – engineer

Charts

Divine version

Divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

recorded "Walk Like a Man" and released it as a single from the album ''

Maid in England ''Maid in England'' is the fourth and final studio album by the American drag queen Divine. It contains 12 songs. The album's first three singles, " Walk Like a Man", "Twistin' the Night Away" and " Hard Magic", all charted in the UK. Critical re ...

'' in 1985.

Track listing

# "Walk Like a Man" – 3:50 # "Man Talk" – 3:23

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walk Like A Man (The Four Seasons Song) 1963 singles 1985 singles The Four Seasons (band) songs Divine (performer) songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Bob Gaudio Songs written by Bob Crewe Vee-Jay Records singles Song recordings produced by Bob Crewe Jan and Dean songs 1963 songs Mary Jane Girls songs