The Man I Want to Be (song)
"The Man I Want to Be" | ||||
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Single by Chris Young | ||||
from the album The Man I Want to Be | ||||
Released | November 16, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 3:26 | |||
Label | RCA Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | James Stroud | |||
Chris Young singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Man I Want to Be" on YouTube |
"The Man I Want to Be" is a song written by Brett James and Tim Nichols, and recorded by American country music artist Chris Young. It was released in November 2009 as the third single and title track from his album The Man I Want to Be (2009). The song is about the singer wanting to change who he is to make amends to a former lover.
The song received positive reviews from critics who praised Young's vocal performance and
An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Chris Hicky, features Young at a bus stop making a call to God through a phone booth to help him find his former girlfriend.
Content
"The Man I Want to Be" is a moderate up-tempo country song. The song's male narrator describes the kind of "man [he] wants to be." The first verse finds him realizing that he hasn't been the man he should ("I've spent my whole life gettin' it all wrong") and describing that he wants God's help to change. In the second verse, he longs to have his old lover back, and for him to be the perfect man for her ("I wanna be the kind of man that she sees in her dreams").
Critical reception
Juli Thanki of Engine 145 gave the song a "thumbs up," saying that while "some lyrics are a little too bland to be particularly moving," that "Young sells it, truly sounding as though he’s at the end of his rope and praying to anyone who’ll listen." Thanki also described Young's vocal performance as "slightly reminiscent" of Keith Whitley and "the best voice to hit commercial country since Josh Turner."[1] Leeann Ward of Country Universe gave the song a B− rating, stating that while he "deserves lots of credit for a stellar vocal performance, solid contemporary country production and for being a generally inoffensive composition," the song itself has "lyrical and melodic weaknesses [that] are still impossible to overlook."[2] In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin placed "The Man I Want to Be" at number one on his top 10 list of Young's best songs.[3]
Music video
The music video, which was directed by
Chart performance
"The Man I Want to Be" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. Billboard
Weekly charts
Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 48 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] | 81 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2010) | Position |
---|---|
US Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 5 |
Decade-end charts
Chart (2010–2019) | Position |
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US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 30 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[11] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Engine 145: Chris Young – “The Man I Want To Be”
- ^ Ward, Leeann (November 28, 2009). "Review: Chris Young, "The Man I Want To Be"". Country Universe. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
- ^ Dauphin, Chuck (July 24, 2017). "Chris Young's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ CMT Videos : Music Binge - 12.3.09 : The Man I Want to Be
- ^ CMT Blog: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Chris Young
- ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chris Young Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2010: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
- ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "American single certifications – Chris Young – The Man I Want to Be". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 9, 2018.