Strong Enough by Sheryl Crow

Album: Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)

Charted: 33 5

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The follow-up to her breakthrough hit "All I Wanna Do," this song finds Crow frustrated in a relationship and trying to reconcile it by asking the question, "Are you strong enough to be my man?"

Crow says that the song is autobiographical, but "thematically universal," even to men. Said Crow: "Women will relate to 'Strong Enough,' but everyone has felt sick of their situation."
Crow says that "holding my own amongst a bunch of guys" gave her inspiration for this song, referring to the musicians she worked with on the Tuesday Night Music Club album. The LP was named after the Tuesday night gatherings Crow helped organize among a group of musical friends in Los Angeles. At the sessions, the general rules were:

- Nobody could play their favorite instrument.
- An entire song had to be written.

These are the same musicians who played on the album and co-wrote the songs with Crow. The writing credits on "Strong Enough" go to Crow, David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell, Kevin Gilbert, Brian MacLeod and David Ricketts. Bottrell also produced the album.
In her Song By Song special, Crow said: "'Strong Enough' was really the brainchild of the mood and the vibe of the Tuesday Night Music Club. I love a great country hook, and 'strong enough to be my man' is straight from the book of country."
Along with her song "No One Said It Would Be Easy," this was used in the 1993 Brad Pitt movie Kalifornia. Crow was happy to get the songs placed in the movie, but regretted it after she saw the violent film. "Glorifying these characters for socio-pathological reasons worries me," she told Vox in 1995.

Comments: 2

Pj from Denver, CoThis album had such an interesting career. The raw, punkish “Leaving Las Vegas” was in heavy rotation on the college and indie stations for almost a year before the big commercial networks noticed the more radio-friendly “All I Wanna Do”, which ironically was the weakest song on the album (maybe that her label’s plan all along). Strong lyrics but by-the-numbers musically. Then came “Are You Strong Enough”. To get 2.5 hits off your debut album is impressive. It made the veteran backup singer a superstar.
Maya from California This song came out before I was born but it is my favorite song by Sheryl Crow aside from her cover of The First Cut is the Deepest.

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