Manly Man

Album: released as a single (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • By 2018, Rednex, most famous for their 1994 hit "Cotton Eye Joe," had a pool of performers and would release the occasional single, typically with a bonkers video to go with it. "Manly Man" was one such entry.

    The song was written by Cecilia Brändström and Janne Eriksson, with Eriksson producing. As usual, the male studio vocalist was Göran Danielsson, this time portrayed by Dagger (Anders Sandberg) in the visuals. Misty Mae (Cecilia Karlsson) did the female vocals.

    Like the band itself, the song is a satire of rural American southerners, playing on the dimwitted stereotype. In this case, the guy in the song thinks he has everything a woman could ever desire, including moonshine in the freezer and a hound dog.
  • The music video (according to Rednex) was shot at an abandoned house in the Polish countryside that was at one time a crime scene. The house was disgusting, with broken furniture and dusty relics, which they used for the set. It stars a drunken, schlubby dude who is completely uncouth. "The story is about manly stereotypes, including sex and violence," Dagger explained. "The male character is inspired from serial killers."
  • In the video, a television shows old footage of Rednex, with shots of all 25 members - past and present - represented.
  • Pat Reiniz, one of Rednex' producers, directed the video. He told Songfacts: "I love the video of 'Manly Man,' which was (finally) a video that we could make ourselves without the censoring influences of record labels. Together with the song, it portrays much of the true soul of Rednex. Though I understand that it is a mouthful for the average viewer."
  • In 2020, Rednex released a "hats only" video for the song, this time set in the wild west. As the title implies, there are scenes where the performers are wearing only hats.

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