Released: September 14, 1982

Songwriter: Joyce Irby Dwight Smith Dana Meyers

Producer: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

[Chorus:]
If you wanna be the man in my life
Then you got to make the grade this time
If you wanna be the man in my life
You've got to [?]
If you wanna be the man in my life
You got to make that move in time
You wanna be the man in my life?
You got to try

[Verse 1:]
It's been a long time coming
Now you've got the chance to make it happen
Please don't take it light
So make your move and do it carefully and
I could be reponsive if you get it right

Cause I don't want to feel like you're imitating
All of the things that I would want my man to be
It's a shame to try, baby
Don't you hate to live that lie?
The man you are
You've got to be him naturally
The most precious things that two people share
Are the hardest things to fake
So here I am, baby, now be a man
What you gonna do?
Ooh!

[Chorus]

[Verse 2:]
Now often times we women tend to
Think the common thread [?] in passing
Is the bottom line
You've got to make clear your intentions
To avoid misunderstandings
Let's try to start out right

'Cause I can't build my life, baby, on ifs and maybes
Or hopeless dreams and other false realities
Got to time, baby, realize the bottom line
Then start to build a strong foundation plan
For, see, there's a time to dream and a time to build
And a time to make it work
So here I am, baby, now be a man
What you gonna do?
Ooh!

[Chorus]

[Bridge:]
Come on
All I need
All I need is a man to love me
You, you could be you, baby
If you could only make the grade this time, baby
So I'm asking you
What you gonna do?
Ooh!

[Chorus](2x)

If you want to be the man in my life
If you want to be the man in my life

Klymaxx

Klymaxx is one of the first and most-prominent all-girl funk bands. Getting started in the early 1980’s, the band hit their stride in the middle of the decade with hits like “The Men All Pause,” “Meeting In The Ladies Room,” “I Miss You,” and “I’d Still Say Yes.”

With multiple band members all playing their instruments live, the frontmost members were lead singers Lorena “Lungs” Porter, the feather-voiced Joyce “Fenderella” Irby, and attitudinal rapstress and group founder Bernadette Cooper.

Regarding the creation of the group’s name, Klymaxx, Cheryl Cooley said: