Man I Need

Album

Art of Loving, the

Label

Capitol Records

Genre

-Pop

Media Type

DD

Duration

3:00

Composer(s)

Max Wolfgang;Olivia Dean;Deschanel Gordon;Bastian Langebæk

Entered Chart

Sep 6, 2025

Peak Date

Jan 31, 2026

Released

15 August 2025

Recorded

2024–2025

"Man I Need" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, released on 15 August 2025 as the third single from her second studio album, The Art of Loving. Acclaimed by music critics, who appreciated its pop, R&B and gospel influenced sound and lyrics, the song was a commercial success, becoming Dean's first top 10 on the US charts and her first number one single on the UK charts. "Man I Need" was voted number one in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2025 with millions of votes cast and nominated at the Brit Awards for Song of the Year. The song also peaked at number one in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, while it became her first chart entry in the United States, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Global 200.

Thought I was done with this feeling
Really thought you could be him
Thought I was safe
You were the warmth that I needed
Like a breeze in the evening
And then you changed
You're all the same
Yeah

It's too much to mend
You're the hug that had to end
Though I've tried to hold on
And if you knew me at all
You wouldn't try to keep me small
Who would do that to a friend
Let alone the one you love?

And any choice you had worth making
I'd push you to take it
No questions asked
No doubt in mind
But when they're mine
Yeah
You react like I'm crossing a line
I'm too much to handle and
Just dial it back a bit
Well, well I'm not having it
Babe

It's too much to mend
You're the hug that had to end
Though I've tried to hold on
And if you knew me at all
You wouldn't try to keep me small
Who would do that to a friend
Let alone the one you love?