Superwoman

Album: Karyn White (1988)
Charted: 11 8
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Songfacts®:

  • This song was penned by Daryl Simmons, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and L.A. Reid. The songwriting trio penned numerous hit songs for the likes of Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton and Bobby Brown. Simmons recalled the story of this song to Songwriter Universe:

    "When we met with Karyn, we talked with her about her relationships with her boyfriends. We would always meet with people and see what was going on with their lives, so we could pick something from them or their personality. So then we said, 'Okay,' and we came up with 'Superwoman.' But a lot of people get [the meaning of the lyric] wrong. It's 'I'm NOT your Superwoman. I'm NOT the kind of girl that you can let down, and think that everything's okay.' [It means]…You can't just keep on disappointing me and think that I'm okay with it."
  • Karyn White's self-titled debut album contained four hits, "The Way You Love Me", "Superwoman", "Love Saw It" and "Secret Rendezvous," all penned by Simmons, Babyface and Reid. Simmons recalled: "Karyn was great, because she was probably the first singer [we worked with] that could follow Kenny. She could phrase things the way that Kenny phrased it - she had the rhythm, and we were big on rhythm. We were big on making it feel good. We loved working with Karyn."
  • Gladys Knight re-recorded the song in 1991 with help from Patti LaBelle and Dionne Warwick. Her version was featured on her album Good Woman.
  • In a 2012 Soul Tracks interview, White was asked about the song's impact on her career. She replied: "That was my blessing. I had nothing to do with it. It's something that L.A. & Face saw in me. They could've given that song to anybody. Everybody wanted to work with them at that time. So, for them to see in me that strength and that I could really carry that song was brilliant. Besides, Babyface is one of the most prolific writers of the century. For him to have that sensibility of what a woman really feels, he just gets it. And L.A. really worked with me vocally. He had to really get me upset. We spent a lot of time on that vocal, because I was too young. I hadn't lived life for real to know all that stuff. I wasn't married, didn't have kids. My focus was all on making it. A 'Superwoman' is a person who endures all of that and rises above it. So, today when I sing it, I kill it!"

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