Don't You Want Me

Album: Jody Watley (1987)
Charted: 55 6
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Jody Watley is sizing up a potential love interest, trying to gauge his level of interest. In a Songfacts interview with Watley, she explained: "My idea was to convey the uncertainty and the vulnerability of when you meet someone and you don't know where they stand."
  • This was the third single from Watley's debut album, which landed her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The first single from the album was "Looking For A New Love," a title she revisited in the lyric to "Don't You Want Me" when she sings:

    Are you looking for a new love
    Or does commitment seem to bring you down?
  • Watley wrote this song with Franne Golde and David Bryant. Golde's other credits include "Nightshift" by the Commodores and "Talk To Me" by Chico DeBarge. Bryant's other co-writes include "The Love In Your Eyes" by Eddie Money and "Back On Holiday" by Robbie Nevil. Watley and Golde became good friends after the session.
  • The song was produced by Bernard Edwards of Chic, who also produced another track on the album, Watley's duet with George Michael, "Learn To Say No."
  • Dominic Sena directed the music video, which gives Watley a chance to show off her impressive dance moves and keen fashion sense. Before becoming a singer, she was a model and a Soul Train dancer. It was filmed in Los Angeles.

    The guy in the video is Andre Cymone, who produced six songs on the album. They had a real-life love connection and got married in 1991. They split three years later.
  • This isn't the biggest hit of the '80s called "Don't You Want Me." The Human League song of that title went to #1 in 1982.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.