The White Single

The White Single is a 7" inch single by The Residents, released April 20th 1984 on Ralph Records. The first two pressings of this single (and its variations) feature the non-album James Brown cover "This Is A Man's Man's Man's World", and the B-side "Safety Is A Cootie Wootie". 
Inspired by a dream a Resident had in which the single became a hit, it was pressed on white vinyl (hence the name of the single), with a blue iris label and silk-screened transparent PVC sleeve,"One of The Residents had a dream that this was going to be their hit single and they saw it in the dream as a white single with this silk-screen on the clear package." Homer Flynn (interviewed by Steven Cerio), "Interview With The Residents", Seconds #43, 1997 designed to resemble the group's iconic eyeball masks. 
A variation was released later in the year in the UK by Korova on regular black 7" vinyl (some with a plain black sleeve), instead titled "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"; this version of the single instead features the album track "I'll Go Crazy" from George & James on the B-side.
== History ==
The title of The White Single is another in a series of plays on the work of The Beatles, this time referencing their 1968 self-titled album (usually known as The White Album) though there are no musical references to The Beatles on the single itself.
Rather, its lead track is "This Is A Man's Man's Man's World", a non-album cover of a James Brown song released to promote the group's 1984 album George & James, the first in their mooted twenty volume American Composer Series (though only two were released), and their concept album Man, then in progress, but later left unfinished and unreleased. The B-side is a new piece by The Residents entitled "Safety Is A Cootie Wootie"; the third and final part of a longer suite.
The design of the first pressing of The White Single was inspired by a dream a Resident had; it was released on white vinyl with a blue iris design on the label, and red veins silk-screened onto the transparent PVC cover, resembling the group's iconic eyeball masks.
== Track listing ==
=== The White Single (US version) ===
====Side A====
# This Is A Man's Man's Man's World (3:41) (Brown)
====Side B====
# Safety Is A Cootie Wootie (6:40) (Residents)
=== It's A Man's Man's Man's World (UK version) ===
====Side A====
# It's A Man's Man's Man's World (Brown)
====Side B====
# I'll Go Crazy (Brown)
== Credits ==
* This Is A Man's Man's Man's World: The James Brown Classic
* "Safety" Written by: The Residents
* "I'll Go Crazy" Written by: J. Brown
* Produced by: The Residents
== Release history ==
Label 	Region
Ralph Records	US
Korova 	UK
== See also ==
* George & James
*James Brown
* The American Composer Series
*Man
== External links and references ==
* The White Single/It's A Man's Man's Man's World at RZWeb
* The White Single at Discogs
* It's A Man's Man's Man's World at Discogs
Category:EPs and singles
Category:The American Composer Series
Category:George & James
Category:1984
Category:James Brown