| The Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1978 [1] | |||
| Recorded | June – August 1978 | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk, disco | |||
| Length | 46:19 | |||
| Label | 20th Century-Fox | |||
| Producer | Barry White | |||
| Barry White chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Man | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [5] |
The Man is the self-produced eighth album by soul singer Barry White, released in 1978 on the revived 20th Century-Fox Records label, which saw its name reverted from 20th Century.
The album became White's sixth R&B chart topper and peaked at number 36 on the pop chart. Lead single "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" reached number 2 on the R&B chart [2] and number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100, while White's cover of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" reached number 45 on the R&B chart and peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. [3] A third single, "Sha La La Means I Love You", peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart. [3] A cover version of "It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" (with the shortened title "It's Only Love") would be a hit for British band Simply Red in 1989. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD on September 24, 1996, by Mercury Records.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Look at Her" | Frank Wilson, Raymond Cooksey, Tommy Payton | 7:40 |
| 2. | "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" | Barry White | 8:04 |
| 3. | "Sha La La Means I Love You" | Barry White | 8:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "September When I First Met You" | Barry White, Frank Wilson, Paul Politi, Ervin Brown | 6:57 |
| 2. | "It's Only Love Doing Its Thing" | Jimmie Cameron, Vella Cameron | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Just the Way You Are" | Billy Joel | 7:09 |
| 4. | "Early Years" | Ronald Coleman | 6:50 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [12] | US R&B [2] | US Dan [13] | UK [3] | ||
| 1978 | "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" | 60 | 2 | 16 | — |
| "Just the Way You Are" | 102 | 45 | — | 12 | |
| 1979 | "Sha La La Means I Love You" | — | — | — | 55 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [14] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||