"So Many Ways" is a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 by Mancunian

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 band James

James (band)

James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...

, released in July 1986 by Sire Records

Sire Records

Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...

, the second after the band defected from Factory Records

Factory Records

Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...

. The record was released in two different versions, as 7" single and 12" EP, with different artworks by John Carroll. So Many Ways and Withdrawn were taken straight from James's debut album, Stutter

Stutter (album)

Stutter was the debut album from English band James, released in June 1986. The album was produced by Lenny Kaye, although the band had originally hoped to work with Brian Eno. After a bidding war between a number of labels, the album was released on Blanco y Negro, part of Sire. Artwork was...

and the third a slightly longer take on another album track, Just Hip.

This was the first James single to have a promotional video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

, which was set in a large wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

 field.

The band was dissatisfied with the choice of this song as a single, feeling the track Johnny Yen from the album would have been more suitable.

Band line up

• Tim Booth
  Tim Booth
  Timothy John Booth is an English singer, dancer, and actor best known as the lead singer from the band James.-1980s:Booth was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England and attended Shrewsbury School...
  
   - Vocals
• Jim Glennie
  Jim Glennie
  Jim Glennie is the bassist for and namesake of English rock band, James. Glennie is the band's longest-serving member, having been there from the first line-up, through to the present....
  
   - Bass guitar
• Larry Gott
  Larry Gott
  Larry Gott is an English musician, primarily of the Mancunian band, James. He is also a designer.-Music:...
  
   - Lead guitar
• Gavan Whelan - Drums

Track listing

7" single:

1. "So Many Ways"
2. "Withdrawn"

12" EP:

1. "So Many Ways"
2. "Withdrawn"
3. "Justhipper"