| "Girl U Want" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDevo | ||||
| from the albumFreedom of Choice | ||||
| B-side | "Mr. B's Ballroom" | |||
| Released | April 24, 1980 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Devo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Girl U Want" onYouTube | ||||
"Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by Americannew wave bandDevo. It was the first single released from their third studio album,Freedom of Choice (1980).
"Girl U Want" was allegedly inspired by the song "My Sharona" bythe Knack,[1] although Devo bassist and co-writerGerald Casale has denied this claim.[2] The lyrics, in typical Devo style, describe a relationship marked by unrequited love/lust for a woman. "Girl U Want" was first performed in December 1979 in a similar arrangement to the album version.
In the music video for "Girl U Want", Devo performs for a group of young women in the style of a performance fromThe Ed Sullivan Show, with two robotic backup dancers, one male and one female. Further implying the televised nature of the performance, the color in the video is deliberately altered to make the red of the band'senergy dome headgear look almost purple. The band wears the silver naugahyde suits from the cover ofFreedom of Choice, and mime the song withMoog Liberation synthesizers.
During the video, the camera focuses on the girls in the audience exaggeratedly enjoying the performance, including one girl who is visually implied to "wet" herself, which transitions to a scene ofGeneral Boy controlling the backup dancers. At one point,Mark Mothersbaugh pulls aside the curtain behind the band to show an overweight man on a vibrating exercise machine, attempting to drink a milkshake to the ecstatic reaction of the audience. As the video ends, girls in the audience are shown holding signs with icons, including anelectrical outlet.
Record World said that "A snakey guitar winds around the boisterous lead vocals that proclaim the winning hook."[3]
Steve Huey ofAllMusic noted the song in a review of the album, stating: "Several tunes – like the oft-covered 'Girl U Want' – have a geeky (but pragmatic) romantic angst that was new to Devo albums, although the band's view of relationships is occasionally colored by their cultural themes of competition and domination." Huey also highlighted "Girl U Want" as an album standout by labeling it an AMG Pick Track.[4] Greg Prato of AllMusic reviewed the song itself, stating it was "definitely one of the most overlooked gems to surface from the early-'80s new wave movement".[5]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated "Girl U Want" as Devo's 7th best song, saying that the song is "about as catchy as Devo songs come" and that "the lyrics are a typical balance of the traditional crashing into the unexpected."[6]
| "Girl U Want" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byRobert Palmer | ||||
| from the albumHoney | ||||
| B-side | "No Fuss" | |||
| Released | 27 June 1994[7] | |||
| Studio | Logic Studios (Milan, Italy) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:23 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Robert Palmer | |||
| Robert Palmer singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio video | ||||
| "Girl U Want" onYouTube | ||||
In 1994, "Girl U Want" was covered by English singerRobert Palmer. Produced solely by Palmer, the song was released as thelead single from his twelfth studio album,Honey (1994), byEMI Records, and reached number 57 on theUK Singles Chart.[8]
A music video was filmed and directed byHoward Greenhalgh to promote the single.[9] Palmer also performed the song on the UK music showTop of the Pops on June 16, 1994.[10][11]
In a review ofHoney, Lesley Mathew ofAllMusic said, "Palmer himself sounds as inhumanly suave as ever, though much of the material is a prescription for déjà vu. Tracks like thefunk-lashed cover of Devo's 'Girl U Want' are dead ringers for the stuff on theRiptide album."[12]People described Palmer's version as "head-banging new wave".[13]
Production
Sleeve
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[14] | 118 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 57 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[15] | 25 |
In 1981, Devo recorded an instrumental easy listening version of the song for a fan club distributed cassette tape. This version was popular enough to be performed live, with vocals, on the 1982 tour. In 1992,Soundgarden recorded a cover of the song. In 1995, a reunited Devo, joined byBulimia Banquet vocalist Jula Bell, recorded a slowed-down version for the action comedy filmTank Girl.[16] The version with Bell and Devo singing is heard in the film's opening sequence, but the version on the soundtrack album is Devo without Bell. That same year, "Girl U Want" played during the ending credits of the parody filmDr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. Another re-recording of "Girl U Want" was used for the music videogameRock Band. In 2006, Devo re-recorded the song once again forRadio Disney'sDevo 2.0 project, the track appearing as "Boy U Want", featuring 13-year-oldNicole Stoehr singing altered lyrics over the familiar backing tracks by Devo.[17][18]Freelance Whales recorded a slow ballad version of "Girl U Want" in 2011 as the B-side of the rare vinyl-exclusiveSplit 7" EP in collaboration withFoals.[19]
