| "Don't You Want Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Human League | ||||
| from the albumDare | ||||
| B-side | "Seconds" | |||
| Released | 27 November 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Studio | Genetic Sound (Streatley, Berkshire) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Martin Rushent | |||
| The Human League singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Don't You Want Me" onYouTube | ||||
"Don't You Want Me" is a song by the Englishsynth-pop bandthe Human League (credited on the cover as the Human League 100). It was released on 27 November 1981 byVirgin Records as the fourth single from their third studio album,Dare (1981).[7] The band's best known and most commercially successful song, it was the best selling UK single of 1981,[8] that year'sChristmas number one, and has since sold over 1,560,000 copies in the UK, making it the 23rd-most successful single inUK singles chart history.[9] It topped theBillboard Hot 100 in the US on 3 July 1982, where it stayed for three weeks.
In November 1983,Rolling Stone named it the "breakthrough song" of theSecond British Invasion of the US.[10] In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's seventh-favourite1980s number one in a poll forITV.[11] And in 2022,Rolling Stone ranked it as one of the "200 GreatestDance Songs of All Time".[12]
The lyrics were inspired after the Human League's lead vocalistPhilip Oakey read aphoto-story in a teen-girl's magazine. Though the song had been conceived and recorded in the studio as a male solo, Oakey was inspired by the American musical romantic drama filmA Star Is Born (1976), and decided to turn the song into a conflicting duet with one of the band's two teenage female vocalists.Susan Ann Sulley was then asked to take on the role. Until then, she and the other female vocalist,Joanne Catherall, had only been assigned backing vocals; Sulley says she was chosen only through "luck of the draw".[13]
MusiciansJo Callis andPhilip Adrian Wright created a synthesizer score to accompany the lyrics that was much harsher than the version that was actually released. Initial versions of the song were recorded butVirgin Records-appointed record producerMartin Rushent was unhappy with them. He and Callis remixed the track, giving it a softer, and in Oakey's opinion, "poppy" sound. Oakey hated the new version and thought it would be the weakest track onDare, resulting in one of his infamous rows with Rushent.[14] Oakey disliked it so much that it was relegated to the last track on side two of the album.
Before the release of the band's third studio albumDare (1981), three of its tracks—"The Sound of the Crowd", "Love Action (I Believe in Love)", and "Open Your Heart"—had already been released as successful singles. With a hit album and three hit singles in a row, Virgin's chief executive Simon Draper decided to release one more single from the album before the end of 1981. His choice, "Don't You Want Me", instantly caused a row with Oakey, who did not want another single to be released because he was convinced that "the public were now sick of hearing" the band and the choice of the "poor quality filler track" would almost certainly be a disaster, wrecking the group's new-found popularity. The band felt the track was "our sort ofDes O'Connor song".[15] Virgin were adamant that a fourth single would be released and Oakey finally agreed on the condition that a large colour poster accompany the 7" single, because he felt fans would "feel ripped off" by the "substandard" single alone.[16]
The Human League often added cryptic references to their productions and the record sleeve of "Don't You Want Me" featured the suffix of "100". This was a reference to The 100 Club, a restaurant and bar inSheffield.[17]
In a contemporary review,Record World praised its "throbbing synthesized beat and sharphook."[18]
Today, the song is widely considered a classic of its era. In a retrospective review,Stephen Thomas Erlewine, senior editor forAllMusic, described the song as "a devastating chronicle of a frayed romance wrapped in the greatestpop hooks and production of its year."[19] Fellow Englishnew wave musicianGraham Parker praised the song, saying, "I just love that catchychorus."[20] Oakey still describes it as overrated, but acknowledges his initial dismissal was misguided and claims pride in the track.[citation needed]
"Don't You Want Me" was released in the UK in 1981. TheB-side was "Seconds", another track lifted straight from theDare album. As with previous singles, a12" version was also issued featuring the original version of "Don't You Want Me" and "Seconds" on the A-side and an "extended dance mix" lasting seven and a half minutes on the B-side. This mix is also featured on the remix albumLove and Dancing that was released under the name of the League Unlimited Orchestra in 1982.
To the amazement of the band (and especially Oakey),[21] the song entered theUK singles chart at number nine and rose to number one the following week, remaining there over the Christmas period for five weeks. It ultimately became the biggest-selling single to be released in 1981, and the fifth biggest-selling single of the entire decade. Its success was repeated six months later in the US, with "Don't You Want Me" peaking at number one on theBillboard Hot 100 for three weeks.Billboard magazine ranked it as the sixth-biggest hit of 1982. The single was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) the same year for sales of a million copies.[citation needed]
After the band scored a number of hits for Warner'sEast West label, the song was remixed and issued by Virgin as aCD,[22]cassette[23] and twelve-inch single on 16 October 1995.[24] This version featured new remixes byHooj Choons' Red Jerry and the GermanEurodance groupSnap!, and would peak at number 16 on the UK singles chart.[25] The release coincided with the issue of the Human League's secondGreatest Hits compilation album shortly afterwards (which featured the Snap! 7-inch remix).
As of November 2012, "Don't You Want Me" was the 23rd best-selling single in the UK, with 1.55 million copies sold.[9] On 23 March 2014, the song re-entered the UK singles chart at number 19 due to a social media campaign by fans of the Scottish football clubAberdeen. In 2017, it was reported to be the 43rd most successful single in UK chart history with sales andstreams combined.[26]
In 2021,Viacom International Studios put into production a music chart programme calledThe 80s Greatest Hits 1980–1989 forChannel 5[27] and asked theOfficial Charts Company (OCC) to provide the countdowns for the series, based on the best-selling singles for each year. When the 1981 episode was broadcast (now under the title ofBritain's Favourite 80's Songs),[28] "Don't You Want Me" was placed at number one,[8] with the OCC now confirming it was the official best-selling song of 1981 with an estimated 1.15 million sales (previously the title had gone to "Tainted Love" by the English synth-pop duoSoft Cell, which now has been put in second place with 1.05 million sales).
In 1981, the Human League's record label Virgin were becoming aware that themusic video was evolving into an important marketing tool, withMTV being launched that year. Virgin commissioned a promotional video for "Don't You Want Me".
The video for the song was filmed nearSlough,Berkshire, during November 1981. The video's theme is the filming and editing of acrime fiction film, featuring the band members as characters and production staff. Because it is a "making-of" video, both crew and camera apparatus appear throughout.
The video was said by Susan Ann Sulley to be "a take onThe French Lieutenant’s Woman, which was a film about making a film".[29] But directorSteve Barron said he was influenced by theFrançois Truffaut romantic comedy-drama filmDay for Night (1973) and had 'wanted to go one step further and try and make a film within a film within a film".[30]
The video was conceived and directed by the Irish-British filmmaker Steve Barron, and has at its core the interaction between a successful actress (also an assistant editor) played by Susan Ann Sulley walking out on "film director" Philip Oakey on a film set.[30]
In a 1995 interview, Catherall mentioned that the car Jo Callis was driving had to be pushed into shot as he could not drive at the time, to which Sulley added "he still can't!"[31]
The video was released in December 1981.
Weekly charts[edit]
1995 remixes
2014 re-entry
| Year-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[63] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[64] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[65] since 2009 sales | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[66] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[67] | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[68] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Don't You Want Me Baby" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byMandy Smith | ||||
| from the albumMandy | ||||
| B-side | "If It Makes You Feel Good" | |||
| Released | May 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | PWL | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Pete Hammond | |||
| Mandy Smith singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1989, the English pop singer and modelMandy covered this song under the title of "Don't You Want Me Baby". Released as a stand-alone single from her only studio album,Mandy (1988), it was also Smith's final single and became her only single to hit the UK top 75, peaking at No. 59.
| Chart (1989) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[69] | 10 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[70] | 30 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[71] | 11 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[72] | 59 |
| "Don't You Want Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bythe Farm | ||||
| from the album Love See No Colour | ||||
| B-side | "Obviously" | |||
| Released | 5 October 1992 (1992-10-05)[73] | |||
| Genre | Dance-rock[74] | |||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | End Product | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Mark Saunders | |||
| The Farm singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The British bandthe Farm released a cover version of "Don't You Want Me" in October 1992 by label End Product that reached number 18 on the UK singles charts making it their third-highest chart single after 1990's"All Together Now" and "Groovy Train". It was produced byMark Saunders and originally recorded for theNME charity albumRuby Trax.
An uncredited female singer sings lead vocal on the second verse, as sung by Susan Ann Sulley in the original version. The accompanying music video features formerManchester United footballerGeorge Best mouthing along to the chorus.[75]
| Year (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[76] | 115 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[77] | 19 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 18 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[78] | 24 |
| UK Dance (Music Week)[79] | 30 |
| "Don't You Want Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byAlcazar | ||||
| from the albumCasino | ||||
| Released | May 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Eurodance | |||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Alcazar singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Don't You Want Me" onYouTube | ||||
"Don't You Want Me" was recorded as a Eurodance song by the Swedishnu-disco groupAlcazar, released internationally in 2002. The song was included in the European version of their debut studio album,Casino (2000) together with a few others. It was recorded inStockholm at first, but when the band wanted it for a new pan-European single, a new version was made.
The single was released in Australia as a follow-up to the successful single "Crying at the Discoteque". The white12-inch was released in Europe and distributed to DJs to get maximum airplay at the disco arenas.
"Don't You Want Me" is Alcazar's biggest hit in the United States with 15 weeks on theBillboardHot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at #30.
The accompanyingmusic video for "Don't You Want Me" was filmed atFilmhuset in Stockholm, and was directed by Jesper Ganslandt. The video takes place in "Circus Alcazar" and is filled with horses, ducks, an evil parrot, acrobats, the Alcazar ballet (including a dog in a pink ballerina dress) andAnnika Kjærgaard's boyfriend juggling with fire in the background. The video shoot took almost 23 hours.
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[80] | 37 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[81] | 21 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[82] | 18 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[83] | 13 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[84] | 34 |
| Japan (Japanese Singles Chart)[citation needed] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[85] | 83 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[86] | 30 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[87] | 76 |
| USHot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[88] | 30 |
...and home to "Don't You Want Me," one of the decade's biggest synth-pop hits...
Here's the Farm's video for their dance-rock cover of "Don't You Want Me," a top-20 UK hit in 1992...
