My Side of Town (Lutricia McNeal song) explained

My Side of Town
Cover:	My_Side_of_Town.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Lutricia McNeal
Album:	My Side of Town
Released:	1997
Genre:	Dance-pop swingbeat R&B
Length:	3:14 (album version) 3:07 (radio edit)
Label:	CNR Music Do It Yourself EastWest
Producer:	Daniel Bäckström Daniel Papalexis Rami Yacoub Josef Larossi
Prev Title:	Ain't That Just the Way
Prev Year:	1996
Next Title:	Stranded
Next Year:	1998

"My Side of Town" is a song by American singer Lutricia McNeal, released as the second single from her debut studio album of the same name (1997) and the follow-up to her 1996 international hit "Ain't That Just the Way". "My Side of Town" charted within the top 40 of the charts of Iceland, the Netherlands, and Sweden in 1997. In 1999, it reached number one in New Zealand.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jaime Sunao Ikeda picked "My Side of Town" as one of two standout tracks from the album.^[1] Adrian Thrills from Daily Mail described it as a "impressive on up-tempo number" and "calypso-flavoured".^[2]

Chart performance

"My Side of Town" did not match the chart success of "Ain't That Just the Way" in Europe, but it peaked at number 17 in the Netherlands, number 30 in Sweden, number 31 in Iceland, and number 73 in Germany. It did not chart in the United Kingdom, where "Ain't That Just the Way" peaked at number four, but her success in the UK would continue with "Stranded".^[3]

In 1998, McNeal's music began to gain popularity in New Zealand, with two hits, "Ain't That Just the Way" and "Stranded", reaching the top three; "My Side of Town" followed these hits. It first appeared on the Recorded Music NZ (then RIANZ) chart at number 43 on January 24, 1999, then reached number seven three weeks later. It dropped out of the top 10 for the next three weeks, then rose 12 places to the number-one position on March 14. "My Side of Town" spent 12 weeks on the New Zealand chart, making its last appearance at number 29 on April 11, 1999. Despite its success, this song was McNeal's last top-20 in New Zealand.

Music video

Two different music videos were made for the song. One of them was directed by Stuart Gosling.^[4] He would also be directing the video to "Stranded".

Charts

Year-end charts

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jaime. Sunao Ikeda. Lutricia McNeal - Ain't That Just the Way. AllMusic. February 17, 2020.
2. Thrills, Adrian (July 17, 1998). "Spirited Crows soar ever higher; It's Friday! Music!". Daily Mail.
3. Web site: Lutricia McNeal. Official Charts Company. February 16, 2020.
4. Web site: Lutricia McNeal: My side of town. Mvdbase.com. October 16, 2018.
5. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (23.10.1997 – 30.10.1997). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 22. October 24, 1997. February 14, 2018.
6. Web site: Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1997. Romanian Top 100. ro. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20050922001105/http://www.rt100.ro/topul-anului-1997.html. September 22, 2005.