| "I Don't Need a Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by the Pussycat Dolls | ||||
| from the album PCD | ||||
| B-side | "We Went as Far as We Felt Like Going" | |||
| Released | September 9, 2006 | |||
| Studio | Record Plant (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Post-disco | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| The Pussycat Dolls singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "I Don't Need a Man" on YouTube | ||||
"I Don't Need a Man" is a song recorded by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls for their debut studio album PCD (2005). It was written and produced by Rich Harrison, with additional writing from Nicole Scherzinger, Kara DioGuardi, and Vanessa Brown. The song was released as the fifth single from the album on September 9, 2006, by A&M Records and Interscope Records. Musically, it draws from 1980s music and includes elements of dance, pop, and R&B. Inspired by Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part I" (2000), the song is a post-disco that features feminist themes and rejects objectification and co-dependency, while part of the chorus alludes to masturbation. It has been compared to works by Beyoncé and Inner City.
"I Don't Need a Man" was met with a warm reception from music critics for its catchiness, themes, and sound. Commercially, it gave the Pussycat Dolls fifth consecutive top-ten single in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Over the years, the song has appeared on lists of the best feminist songs and best songs about masturbation by various publications. The song's accompanying music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, highlights the group members' femininity, and was compared to the film Grease (1978) by member Ashley Roberts. It received a nomination for Sexiest Video at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards. Retrospectively, critics have noted the song's influence on recordings by artists such as Beyoncé and Meghan Trainor.