“What She is (is a Woman in Love)”
Earl Thomas Conley
Written by Paul Harrison and Bob McDill
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
May 13, 1988
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
June 4, 1988
A remarkable stretch of No. 1 singles continues with the latest from Earl Thomas Conley.
“What She is (is a Woman in Love)” is a warmly drawn character sketch of a woman who loves so unconditionally that she’ll give her man far more credit than he deserves. Conley’s delivery reminds me of Kenny Rogers as he sings with understatement over a beautiful piano track.
Even the kicker is so subtle, coming almost as an aside in the bridge: Hey guys, this guy is just like us. Maybe we should show some more appreciation for the women who are in love with us.
This is the first of four No. 1 hits from The Heart of it All, which will complete his incredible run of sixteen consecutive No. 1 singles. This is one of his best from that run.
“What She is (is a Woman in Love)” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Eighties
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….did they tell the poor guy his dog died before photographing him for the album cover? That’s not a pose, that is a man who has been through some sh*t
This was a song from Earl’s catalog I haven’t thought about it in at least 20 years ago so I went into the listen with extremely fresh ears. Like so many of his other hits that I dig now, I found it boring when I was a boy, but grown-up ears make me admire and empathize with the female protagonist just as much as “Charlie” from “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”. This song could actually work as “Charlie’s wife’s” response, a woman whose unconditional love for her husband transcends conventional and/or superficial reward. I could envision another verse where she rides off with her humble husband in a Winnebago after his retirement! In both cases, the lead characters of the songs are profiles of working-class grit personified.
You were definitely right that this could have been a Kenny Rogers song. It’s easy to imagine Kenny listening to this on the radio and wondering how ETC got it first. The opening chords sounded more traditionally country than most of ETC’s work, again reminding us that the New Traditionalists were winning the war against the Urban Cowboys by 1988, but the instrumentation seems to pivot more to ETC’s trademark as the song progresses. This song doesn’t grab me by the ear enough to earn an “A” but I still really like it.
Grade: B+
Isn’t this the natural companion piece or counterpoint to Conley’s earlier number one “Once in a Blue Moon?”
What could easily be derided as a delusional premise, is actually a delightfully honest recognition that true love and devotion seldom travel a straight line to the heart.
Without ever directly speaking to either, this song is all about forgiveness and wonder. It reminds us that love forgives a multitude of sins.
Conley’s vocals continue to raise chill-bumps on pretty much everything and anything he puts his voice to.
A+ but still not his best. THat was “What I’d Say.” His duet with Emmylou Harris is pretty damned good too.
This was truly an era of pure country gold
My two favorite singles from his later years are coming up back to back and you named them both!
THe Heart of It All was a timeless album