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Woman (John Lennon song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Woman
| cover = John Lennon - Woman.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = John Lennon
| album = Double Fantasy
| B-side = "Beautiful Boys" (Yoko Ono)
| released = 12 January 1981
| recorded = 5 August, 27 August, 8 September, 22 September 1980
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Soft rock
| length = 3:32
| label = Geffen
| writer = John Lennon
| producer = John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jack Douglas
| prev_title = (Just Like) Starting Over
| prev_year = 1980
| next_title = Watching the Wheels
| next_year = 1981
| misc =
}}
"'Woman'" is a song written and performed by English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist John Lennon from his 1980 album 'Double Fantasy'. The track was chosen by Lennon to be the second single released from the 'Double Fantasy' album, and it was the first Lennon single issued after his murder on 8 December 1980. The B-side of the single is Ono's song "Beautiful Boys".
Lennon wrote "Woman" as an ode to his wife Yoko Ono, and to all women.Playboy Interview, Sheff, 1980 The track begins with Lennon whispering, "For the other half of the sky", a paraphrase of a Chinese proverb, once used by Mao Zedong.
Background
In an interview for 'Rolling Stone' magazine on 5 December 1980, three days before his murder, John Lennon said that the song "came about because, one sunny afternoon in Bermuda, it suddenly hit me what women do for us. Not just what my Yoko does for me, although I was thinking in those personal terms ... but any truth is universal. What dawned on me was everything I was taking for granted. Women really are the other half of the sky, as I whisper at the beginning of the song. It's a 'we' or it ain't anything." In that same interview, Lennon said that "Woman" was his most Beatlesque song on 'Double Fantasy' and that the track is a "grown-up version" of his Beatles song "Girl".
On 5 June 1981, Geffen re-released "Woman" as a single as part of their "Back to Back Hits" series, with the B-side "(Just Like) Starting Over". In the United Kingdom, "Woman" replaced Lennon's 1971 track "Imagine" at number 1.
A promotional film for the song was created by Yoko Ono in January 1981. Throughout most of the video, Lennon and Ono are seen walking through Central Park near what would become Strawberry Fields across from The Dakota. This footage was directed by photographer Ethan Russell on 26 November 1980. Other footage of Ono alone, along with photos and newspaper coverage of Lennon's murder, were also included.
Chart performance
The single debuted at number three in Lennon's native UK, then moving to number two and finally reaching number one, where it spent two weeks, knocking off the top spot his own re-released "Imagine". In the US the single peaked at number two on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 (kept out of the top spot by REO Speedwagon's hit "Keep On Loving You" and Blondie's hit "Rapture") while reaching number one on the 'Cashbox' Top 100.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Personnel
*John Lennon vocals, acoustic guitar
*Earl Slick, Hugh McCracken lead guitar
*Tony Levin bass guitar
*George Small piano, Rhodes piano, Prophet-5 synthesizer
*Andy Newmark drums
*Arthur Jenkins percussion
* Michelle Simpson, Cassandra Wooten, Cheryl Mason Jacks, Eric Troyer backing vocals
See also
*List of posthumous number-one singles (UK)
References
Category:John Lennon songs
Category:1981 singles
Category:Songs written by John Lennon
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Number-one singles in Zimbabwe
Category:Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer)
Category:Song recordings produced by John Lennon
Category:Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono
Category:Rock ballads
Category:1980s ballads
Category:Geffen Records singles
Category:1980 songs
Category:Songs released posthumously
Category:Songs with feminist themes
Category:British soft rock songs
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