Stand by My Woman
{{Infobox song
| name = Stand by My Woman
| cover = Stand by my woman LK.jpg
| caption =
| type = single
| artist = Lenny Kravitz
| album = Mama Said
| released = {{start date|1991|9|2}}{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=19|date=August 31, 1991}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rock
| length = 4:19
| label = Virgin
| writer = Henry Hirsch, Stephen Mark Pasch, Anthony Krizan, Lenny Kravitz
| producer = Lenny Kravitz
| prev_title = Fields of Joy
| prev_year = 1991
| next_title = What the Fuck Are We Saying?
| next_year = 1991
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|TauTgw-gpp4|Lenny Kravitz - Stand By My Woman}}}}
}}
"Stand by My Woman" is a song recorded by American singer Lenny Kravitz and released on September 2, 1991, as the fourth single from his second studio album Mama Said.{{cite book |last1=Martinez |first1=Richard J. |title=The Paperback Trilogy: Struggles Through Writer's Block |date=14 April 2009 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-4678-4339-3 |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6mtFU6UbGIC&dq=stand+by+my+woman+kravitz&pg=PA23 |access-date=16 July 2021 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Burnett |first1=Robyn |title=Crash Into Me: The World of Roswell |date=2002 |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1-55022-539-6 |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oWCUyCG00cMC&dq=stand+by+my+woman+kravitz&pg=PA182 |access-date=16 July 2021 |language=en}}{{cite book |last1=Barrett |first1=J. D. |title=The Secret Recipe for Second Chances: A charming novel of second chances, delicious recipes and love |date=12 April 2016 |publisher=Hachette Australia |isbn=978-0-7336-3478-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CjPCCgAAQBAJ&dq=stand+by+my+woman+kravitz&pg=PT217 |access-date=16 July 2021 |language=en}}{{cite book |title=Spiritual Journeys: How Faith Has Influenced Twelve Music Icons |date=2003 |publisher=Relevant Media Group |isbn=978-0-9729276-0-4 |page=197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9g768qpSCQC&dq=stand+by+my+woman+kravitz&pg=PA197 |access-date=16 July 2021 |language=en}} The song was later included as a track on his 2000 album Greatest Hits.
Critical reception
Christopher A. Daniel of Albumism said "Stand By My Woman" is "one of the album's more remorseful moments, allowing Kravitz to be vulnerable over gospel-inspired pianos and organs."{{cite web |last1=Daniel |first1=Christoper A. |title=Lenny Kravitz's 'Mama Said' Turns 30 {{!}} Anniversary Retrospective |url=https://www.albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-30-years-of-lenny-kravitz-mama-said |publisher=Albumism |access-date=July 20, 2021 |date=March 30, 2021}} Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "As demonstrated on "All I Ever Wanted" and "Stand by My Woman", Kravitz is particularly fond of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band phase, in which Phil Spector's echo-laden production inflated the sparest instrumentation-simple snare beats, bell-like piano chords-around gut-wrenching vocals."{{cite web |last1=Kot |first1=Greg |title=Lenny Kravitz: Mama Said (Virgin) (STAR)(STAR)1/2 Rather than... |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-04-04-9101300944-story.html |website=Chicago Tribune |access-date=July 16, 2021 |date=April 4, 1991 |author-link=Greg Kot}} Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone stated, "Prince – a musician whose penchant for producing and playing various instruments Kravitz shares and a singer whose whisper-to-a-scream vocal style he adopts for urgent numbers like "Stand by My Woman".{{cite magazine |last1=Gardner |first1=Elysa |title=Lenny Kravitz: Mama Said : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/lennykravitz/albums/album/260925/review/5944975/mama_said |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=July 16, 2021 |date=April 18, 1991|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104043057/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/lennykravitz/albums/album/260925/review/5944975/mama_said |archive-date=2007-11-04 }} Caroline Sullivan from Smash Hits deemed it "a slow, serious one." She added, "This is all brooding and emotional and you can just see Len furrowing his brow as he sings. It's not as immediately catchy as the last one, but repeated listenings make you feel like you're doing something educational and mind-improving. Sort of."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/46195184884/in/album-72157676039885887/|first=Caroline|last=Sullivan|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=Smash Hits|date=September 4, 1991|page=43|accessdate=August 23, 2021}}
Music video
The accompanying music video was directed by Paul Boyd, and was included in Kravitz's first video album Video Retrospective released in 1991. Also in the video is Quincy Jones' daughter Kidida Jones, and includes the second film work of teenage actress Angelina Jolie but her footage was limited to two shots (if you blink you'll miss it.) {{cite news|title=Birthday special: 10 interesting facts about Angelina Jolie|url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/birthday-special-10-interesting-facts-about-angelina-jolie/16265184|access-date=June 12, 2015|work=Mid-Day|publisher=Mid-Day Infomedia Limited|date=June 4, 2015|archive-date=June 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615205206/http://www.mid-day.com/articles/birthday-special-10-interesting-facts-about-angelina-jolie/16265184|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Reid |first1=Joe |title=Angelina Jolie's Forgotten Music Video Origins |url=https://www.primetimer.com/features/angelina-jolies-forgotten-music-video-origins |website=Primetimer |access-date=16 July 2021 |language=en |date=11 May 2021}} Kravitz told Us Weekly magazine, "Angelina Jolie auditioned for the lead in my Stand by My Woman video. The director passed!"{{cite web |title=Angelina Jolie once auditioned for Lenny Kravitz music video |url=https://www.hollywood.com/general/angelina-jolie-once-auditioned-for-lenny-kravitz-music-video-59546207/ |publisher=Hollywood.com |access-date=16 July 2021 |date=20 November 2013}}{{cite web |title=Lenny Kravitz: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/lenny-kravitz-25-things-you-dont-know-about-me-20132211/ |website=Us Weekly |access-date=16 July 2021 |date=22 November 2013}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Henry Hirsch, Stephen Mark Pasch, Anthony Krizan, Lenny Kravitz
| title1 = Stand by My Woman
| length1 = 4:19
| title_width = 80%
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (1991) !scope="col"|Peak |
| {{single chart|Australia|46|artist=Lenny Kravitz|song=Stand by My Woman|rowheader=true|access-date=July 18, 2021}} |
| {{single chart|France|36|artist=Lenny Kravitz|song=Stand by My Woman|rowheader=true|access-date=July 18, 2021}} |
| {{single chart|Germany|66|songid=22504|artist=Lenny Kravitz|song=Stand by My Woman |rowheader=true|access-date=July 18, 2021}} |
| {{single chart|UK|55|date=19910915|rowheader=true|access-date=July 18, 2021}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|76|artist=Lenny Kravitz|rowheader=true|access-date=July 18, 2021}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|TauTgw-gpp4|Lenny Kravitz - Stand By My Woman}}
{{Lenny Kravitz singles}}
{{Authority control}}