“He Wasn’t Man Enough” by Toni Braxton
Toni in “He Wasn’t Man Enough” tries to lend her advice to the wife of her ex-lover out of experience. As is evident in the array of questions presented to this lady, the singer seeks to clarify the point that she is no longer interested in her ex.
The narrator seems to be appalled by the fact that her ex’s wife thinks she is still hurt and cares about her husband. She insists that she has no interest whatsoever in someone she actually thought was not good enough for her. She assures him that she has nothing to worry about since she does not even think highly of her ex or his new wife as well.
In the chorus and bridge, the writer warns this lady not to expect much from her ex since he was not good enough when they were together. She extends this ‘free advice’ to her ex’s wife to make her aware that she may end up dumping him just as she did because he’s up to no good and incapable of true change.
Conclusion
On one hand, the track sheds light on the singer’s attempt to prevent someone else from repeating her mistake. And on the other hand, it may also be an illustration of a revenge-seeking person to hurt the successful relationship of her former lover.
Production and Writing Credits for “He Wasn’t Man Enough”
This is a Rodney Jerkins-produced song. In addition to helming the song’s production, Rodney also co-wrote it with three others (none of which was Toni Braxton). Songwriters Fred Jerkins, Harvey Mason and LaShawn are the aforementioned co-writers.
Release of “He Wasn’t Man Enough”
“He Wasn’t Man Enough” was released (courtesy of LaFace Records) in March 2000. It is one of the singles that supported Toni’s 2000 “The Heat” album.
Achievements
Shortly after its release, this song topped a number of charts in the United States, Canada and Poland. On America’s most important chart, the Hot 100, this R&B themed song soared to number 2. In the UK Singles chart, it reached top 5 status. Australia, Netherlands and New Zealand are countries where it achieved the same status. All in all, this single can be classified as one of Toni’s most internationally successful releases.
What’s more, the song also gave Toni a Grammy win in 2001. She won in the “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance” group. That was actually the fourth time she was winning the award in question. She had earlier won it with three other songs, including “Breathe Again“.
