Take It Like a Man (Cher song)

"Take It Like a Man"
Single by Cher
from the album Closer to the Truth
Released	November 8, 2013 (2013-11-08)
Format	12" single digital download
Recorded	2013
Genre	Pop EDM
Length	4:10
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Cher Tim Powell Tebey Ottoh Mary Leay
Producer(s)	Mark Taylor Tim Powell
Cher singles chronology
"I Hope You Find It" (2013) "Take It Like a Man" (2013) "I Walk Alone" (2014) Music video "Take It Like a Man" on YouTube
Alternative cover Cover for the Remixes EP

"Take It Like a Man" is a pop-dance track written by Cher, Tim Powell, Tebey Ottoh and Mary Leay. Originally planned as the sophomore single from Cher's twenty-fifth studio album Closer to the Truth, it was ultimately released as the third one. "Take It Like a Man" was released on digital platforms on November 8, 2013^[1] and as a 12" vinyl single on December 16, 2013.^[2]

An EP featuring eight remixes with a total length of 1:00:33, was released on January 28, 2014.

Promotion and performances

On December 9, 2013, in order to promote "Take It Like a Man", Cher confirmed on her official Twitter account that the single would be featured on the setlist of her 2014 Dressed to Kill Tour, set to start on March 22, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.^[3]

Music video

A music video for the 7th Heaven remix was released on November 20, 2013. It garnered media attention for featuring Andrew Christian underwear models as well as several porn actors.^[4][5] Models are first shown washing cars with each other's bodies and partying then on a catamaran in the middle of the ocean; they shipwreck and thus get saved by a crew of muscular life guards. The music video ends with a twerk-off between the Tasty & Yummy crew and the Hot Bottoms in an empty storehouse. Footage for the clip was provided by an Andrew Christian underwear commercial.^[6]

Cher shared a link to the YouTube video on her official Twitter and Facebook accounts. British LGBT website OUT praised the effort, stating that Cher "truly out-gayed herself with this one."^[7] Marc Felion from Feast of Fun sympathetically commented that "this could possibly be the gayest video ever."^[8] The music video has created some controversy, being labeled by YouTube with a warning recommending viewing only by those 18 or over. As of April 16, 2016, "Take It Like a Man" reached over 1.24 million views.^[9]

Critical reception

AllMusic highlighted the song.^[10] Montreal Gazette called Take It Like a Man a "coy double-entendre" and " shimmering dancefloor swooner."^[11]

LGBT website So So Gay was positive: "The vocoder is still very much in play (...). It's so preposterously Hi-NRG with Eurodance beats that it's like going ten rounds with Mike Tyson whilst high on poppers."^[12] The Boston Globe deemed the song "essential" and called it a "fiery, heavenly heave."^[13] Duke Chronicle was less favorable: "catchy, heavily auto-tuned piece perfectly suited for a dance floor or a girls' night out. The lyrical meaning is relatively arbitrary; to some extent, it's simply words set to a beat."^[14] About.com went back in time " "Take It Like a Man" features Believe-era auto-tune effects."^[15]

Philly magazine was mixed by calling it "grooving" and "an overt wink to the gay boys who have kept Cher afloat for decades, even if the whole song sounds like she’s trapped in that plexiglass booth she stood in for the “Believe” video."^[16] The Common Ills criticized Take It Like a Man, stating they would "object to the sexism, were it not for the fact that the track is clearly intended for the gay clubs. The real problem with the song is not the 'take it like a man,' it's the nonsense distortion of the vocals. And if every track was like this, I'd tell you to avoid Closer To The Truth the way David Gregory avoids the reality of the illegal spying on Americans. Fortunately, the distortions are the greatest in "Take It Like A Man". (...) supposed to be a duet with Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters—lots of luck finding his voice in that mess."

Track listings

Cher performing "Take It Like a Man" during the Dressed to Kill Tour, 2014

• Take It Like a Man – 12" single / digital single:

1. "Take It Like a Man" – 4:10
2. "Take It Like a Man" (Over-The-Top Mix) – 6:55
3. "Take It Like a Man" (Over-The-Top Edit) – 3:38
4. "Take It Like a Man" (7th Heaven Mix) – 7:52
5. "Take It Like a Man" (7th Heaven Edit) – 4:41
6. "Take It Like a Man" (Over-The-Top Instrumental) – 6:54

• Take It Like a Man – The Remixes – digital EP:^[17]

1. "Take It Like A Man" (Tony Moran Destination Club Remix) – 9:20
2. "Take It Like A Man" (JRMX Club Remix) – 7:16
3. "Take It Like A Man" (Paulo & Jackinsky Club Remix) – 7:54
4. "Take It Like A Man" (Dany Cohiba Remix) – 6:17
5. "Take It Like A Man" (Nikno Club Remix) – 6:29
6. "Take It Like A Man" (DJ Laszlo Club Remix) – 8:40
7. "Take It Like A Man" (Myke Rossi Club Remix) – 7:02
8. "Take It Like A Man" (Tony Moran Dub Remix) – 7:35

Charts

Release history

References