I Want You Back (Bananarama song)

"I Want You Back"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Wow! and Greatest Hits Collection
B-side	Bad For Me
Released	April 1988
Format	7" single, 12" single, CD single
Recorded	April 1987
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:53 (Album Version) 3:47 (Single Version)
Label	London
Writer(s)	Matt Aitken Sara Dallin Siobhan Fahey Mike Stock Pete Waterman Keren Woodward
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Bananarama singles chronology
"I Can't Help It" (1987) "I Want You Back" (1988) "The Bananarama Mega-Mix" (1988)

"I Want You Back" is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It is included on their fourth studio album Wow! and was released as its fourth and final single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio.

The song originally had a different chorus and was titled "Reason for Living". Bananarama disliked this chorus and co-wrote the revised lyrics for "I Want You Back". Elements of the original chorus can be heard in the original Wow! version of "I Want You Back". Both versions were originally recorded with Siobhan Fahey for the Wow! album, "I Want You Back" is the first Bananarama release to feature new group member Jacquie O'Sullivan who replaced Fahey in March 1988. The song was then re-recorded with O'Sullivan for its release as a single. 'Reason For Living' was included on the Deluxe Version of 'Wow!' which was released in 2013.

The song became one of Bananarama's highest-charting hits, peaking at number five in the UK singles chart. It also climbed into the top three in Australia and the top ten in New Zealand. "I Want You Back" was not released in the United States.

Music video

The video featured the group performing the song in various scenarios. One is a more formal presentation with the three girls performing a choreographed dance routine before the camera. Another has them acting silly, dancing spontaneously, and humorously fighting for screen time. Yet another scenario features the girls dressed up in silver gowns as The Supremes. All of these scenes are interspersed with go-go boys dancing with wigs or in cages clad only in briefs and glow-in-the-dark body paint. Both videos were directed by Andy Morahan.^[1]

Track listings

7" single NANA 16

1. "I Want You Back" (Single Version) 3:47
2. "Bad For Me" 3:37

10" gatefold single NANG 16

1. "I Want You Back" (Single Version) 3:47
2. "Bananarama Megamix" (Edit) 6:15

12" single NANX 16

1. "I Want You Back" (Extended European Version) 7:56
2. "Amnesia" (Extended 12" Version) (Theme from 'The Roxy') 6:28

   M. Stock/M. Aitken/P. Waterman, :Remixed by Extra Beat Boys

3. "Bad For Me" 3:37

CD single NANCD 16

1. "I Want You Back" (Single Version) 3:47
2. "Bad For Me" 3:37
3. "Amnesia" (Extended 12" Version) (Theme from The Roxy) 6:28
4. "Love in the First Degree" (House Remix) 5:45

   Remixed by Pete Hammond

Other versions

1. "I Want You Back" (LP Version) 3:53

   Taken from the album Wow!

Personnel

• Sara Dallin - Vocals
• Keren Woodward - Vocals
• Siobhan Fahey - Vocals
• Jacquie O'Sullivan - Vocals

Charts

Chart (1988)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	5
Australian Singles Chart[2]	3
Dutch Singles Chart	49
New Zealand Singles Chart	10
Spanish Singles Chart[3]	6
Swiss Singles Chart	23

References

1. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Bananarama - "I want you back"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
2. "australian-charts.com > Bananarama 'I Want You Back'". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-09-19. N.B. the single had been charting for 6 weeks on the Kent Music Report top 100 chart (licensed by ARIA) before the chart-run on this link commences.
3. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics