"No Man's Woman" is a song recorded by Irish singer

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

for her fifth studio album ''

Faith and Courage ''Faith and Courage'' is the fifth studio album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on 13 June 2000, by Atlantic Records. It was O'Connor's first release in three years, her previous album being the greatest hits compilation '' So Far... T ...

'' (2000). It was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

on 21 April 2000, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

Background and composition

"No Man's Woman", the lead single from the album ''

'', was sent to pop and rock stations on 21 April 2000. Andy Murray, marketing director of Warner Music Europe, commented: "It's the right time for her to break her silence. The single is very commercial and everybody seems to think it's her best album since her first record. The marketing campaign is about reminding people who she is. But actually, despite the long gap, nobody seems to need reminding. There's a real excitement around the record, which has surprised a lot of people". According to Nigel Williamson of ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'', O'Connor set out "her stall as strong and forceful young woman" on the song. The singer commented on the lyrics of the song:

"It talks about a soul, a female soul who does not want to be a girlfriend or a wife, but wants to be single, really, but who is very much in love with the spirit of men and wants to conduct a relationship with the spirit of men. The song also honors the woman's soul,
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
feels that her teachers will be men, her guides will be men, and her rescuers have been men. Not romantically, though, but spiritually".

Critical reception

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

called the song "autobiographical" and "anthemic".

Music video

The music video was directed by Mike Lipscombe. According to O'Connor, "The video shows kind of a symbolic death and rebirth which takes place, and which helps this woman's soul to become more of herself by following the guidance of particular male religious instructors. It's very much a song that honors man. It's interesting how people think if you reject men sexually, that this means you're somehow rejecting them entirely. But in fact, sometimes it's easier to be intimate with men when there isn't that threat of sexuality or whatever". The video was nominated at the 2000 ''Billboard'' Music Awards in the category of Best Jazz/AC Video.

Usage in media

"No Man's Woman" was used on the pilot of TV series '' Alias'' in 2001,

Sydney Bristow Sydney Anne Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the television series '' Alias''. She is an American woman with a Russian-Canadian family background who thought she was working as a spy for the ...

(played by

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...

) escapes with a prototype, and delivers it to

Arvin Sloane Arvin Sloane is a fictional character played by Ron Rifkin. He was the former director of SD-6 on the television series, '' Alias''. ''TV Guide'' included him in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.Bretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt; ( ...

(played by

Ron Rifkin Ron Rifkin (born Saul M. Rifkin; October 31, 1939) is an American actor best known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama '' Alias'', Saul Holden on the drama '' Brothers & Sisters'', and District Attorney Ellis Loew in '' L.A. Confide ...

Track listing

US and European CD single # "No Man's Woman" (Album Version) – 3:02 # "This Is a Rebel Song" (Remix) – 3:54 # " Her Mantle So Green" – 2:04

Charts

References

{{authority control 2000 songs Songs written by Sinéad O'Connor Sinéad O'Connor songs Songs written by Anne Preven Songs written by Scott Cutler 2000 singles Music videos directed by Mike Lipscombe 2000s in Irish music