By quantriweb2023 In the swirling tides of 1967, amid the seismic shifts of culture and identity, The Four Tops offered a soulful beacon with their poignant ballad “What Is a Man.” This track, nestled deep within The Four Tops’ Second Album, served not only as a testament to the band’s vocal mastery but also as a profound meditation on manhood against the backdrop of a changing world. More than just a Motown hit, it was a quietly powerful reflection on what it means to be a man beyond society’s surface.
A Soulful Question in Tumultuous Times
The late 1960s were a crossroads—a period when music became a mirror for social evolution and personal inquiry. Against this landscape, “What Is a Man” stood out as a deeply introspective offering. Written by the celebrated songwriting duo Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the song delves into the complex layers of manhood with lyrical grace and emotional sincerity. It wasn’t about bravado or conventional strength, but a search for emotional honesty, moral courage, and self-awareness.
As Levi Stubbs, the emotive lead vocalist of The Four Tops, once reflected on performing this track, “It’s a song that asks us to look beyond the mask—to understand the heart behind the title ‘man.’ In its quiet way, it’s about respect—respect for ourselves, and for each other.”
This emotional depth transcended mere lyrics. The Four Tops’ harmonies, underpinned by their unmistakably rich and resonant tones, folded vulnerability and strength into every note. The song’s gentle but firm rhythm carried a weight that made listeners pause, to ask, like the lyrics demand: “What is a man?”
Lyrics as a Moral Compass
The framework of the song is a lyrical journey, a navigation through the virtues that shape a man’s character, rather than his outward appearances or simple achievements. Lines like:
“A man can walk proudly, Down in the street.
A man’s not ashamed of what he believes.”
These words echo a call for integrity—an individual who owns his beliefs with quiet dignity.
The song balances qualities traditionally associated with masculinity with a broader emotional range:
“He knows how to laugh, He knows when to cry.
He knows it’s best to live, He’s afraid to die.”
There’s a poignant vulnerability here, an acknowledgment of life’s fragility woven into the narrative of resilience.
Producer and Motown executive Berry Gordy described “What Is a Man” as “one of those rare songs that invites introspection without preaching. It gives space for people to find their own meaning in the music—especially in a period when identity was being questioned everywhere.”
Each stanza builds on contrasts that shape human experience—love and hate, anger and restraint, victory and loss—drawing a portrait of a man as a balance of contradictions. This reflective narrative was almost revolutionary in the Motown catalog, which often favored more upbeat, danceable numbers. Instead, “What Is a Man” offered a pause, a moment of listening and feeling.
Impact and Enduring Legacy
While “What Is a Man” did not top the charts in the way some of The Four Tops’ other hits did, its long-term effect on music lovers and the cultural conversation has been profound. At a time when Black identity and masculinity were being redefined amid civil rights struggles and the dawning of new social freedoms, the song provided a nuanced voice that eschewed stereotypes.
Motown historian and writer Ruth Adkins notes, “The Four Tops brought a sophistication to soul music that didn’t just entertain — it challenged. With ‘What Is a Man’, they invited listeners to think about emotional truth and personal responsibility at a time when definitions of manhood were under scrutiny in every community.”
This song remains a cherished piece of musical history, often rediscovered by new listeners seeking connection to timeless questions. The raw honesty of Levi Stubbs’ delivery, combined with Ashford and Simpson’s poetic lyricism, marks it as a masterpiece of subtle power.
A Song That Speaks Across Generations
The resonance of “What Is a Man” persists because, at its heart, it asks a universal question that defies easy answers. Its introspective lyrics and soulful melody speak to the human condition’s core—identity, purpose, and love.
For many fans, the song becomes a personal anthem, a moment of quiet reflection amid life’s noise. As one longtime listener shared in a recent interview, “When I hear that song, it feels like someone understands the struggles and hopes I have—that the question of who I am is valid, and it’s okay to search for the answer.”
In a way, “What Is a Man” transcends its era. It invites each generation to redefine strength, to own vulnerability, and to embrace the full complexity of what it means to be human.
In the symphony of Motown’s golden era, “What Is a Man” by The Four Tops remains a soulful whisper amid the roar — a song of identity that still asks, softly but insistently, What is a man? And perhaps, in asking, it offers a space for every listener to discover their own truth.