Peak
7
Weeks
19
Score
3,111
Chart Year
1979
"I Want You To Want Me" has a long and intriguing history. It was written by Cheap Trick's guitarist Rick Nielsen and recorded for their 1977 self-titled debut album, but it didn't make the cut. The song was included on their second album, In Color, released later in 1977. This version has a medium tempo with a country feel and a honky tonk piano throughout the song. By 1978, the band had dropped it from their setlist, but restored it when they toured Japan that year, since Japanese audiences loved the song. They played it on April 28 and 30 at their famous concerts at the Budokan temple in Tokyo, a big deal because many Japanese citizens felt the temple was sacred and not appropriate for rock concerts. The shows were recorded and released as the Live At Budokan album. Enhanced by a febrile crowd going ape for the band, the songs had a very different feel, capturing every bit of Cheap Trick's live energy. The album was released in February 1979 and sold over 3 million copies, turning their fortunes around in America. The extracted "I Want You To Want Me" became their first hit, charting at #7. Many early Cheap Trick songs written by Rick Nielsen are from the perspective of characters who are a little unhinged (see: "Dream Police"), and the band played that up with their eccentric fashions and accessories. The guy in this song is a bit desperate and delusional, figuring a shoe shine and a new shirt will make the girl love him. According to Rick Nielsen, the band considered this "sort of hokey pop" when they first recorded it, and the arrangement matched that sentiment, with finger snaps and a plaintive country feel. Robin Zander played up the schmaltz in the vocal, sounding like a woebegone cornpoke. This studio version fell flat, but when they played it as an earnest rocker, it worked. The famous At Budokan version of this song was inspired by a French cover version ("J'attends Toutes les Nuits") by by a fairly obscure French synthpop artist named Niko Flynn, who sped up the tempo and put a beat to the song. The original version on the In Color album was produced by Tom Werman, known at the time for his work with Ted Nugent (he later produced three albums for Mötley Crüe, starting with Shout At The Devil). The song was such a musical departure for the group that Werman brought in two outside musicians to play on it: keyboard player Jai Winding and guitarist Jay Graydon, who did the solo (Graydon also played the solo on Steely Dan's "Peg"). In 2023, Songfacts asked Werman why he didn't produce the song the way it appears on At Budokan. "Because it wasn't presented that way in the demo," he replied. Werman added: "I certainly wouldn't have toned it down that much from the way they did it live. I actually don't understand that, but Rick [Nielsen] and I had a disagreement about how the tack piano part came to be. I remember looking backwards at them on the couch and saying, 'What do you think of this idea?' And I remember Rick saying, 'Hey, you're the producer.' So, I figured, 'I can do what I want as long as they approve.' I had a keyboard player that I had used before and that I used many times afterward, and he was great. I brought him in, and I brought in a guest guitar player, which was one of two guest guitar players I ever hired. It was a dancehall tune. That was it. I thought it might be a single off the album the way it was recorded. And then, all of a sudden, I hear this slam-bang version from Japan and it went wild." Report this ad The song was used in these movies: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020) The Boss (2016) John Tucker Must Die (2006) Private Parts (1997) Queens Logic (1991) And these TV shows: High Fidelity ("Ballad of the Lonesome Loser" - 2020) Stalker ("Fanatic" - 2014) Friends with Benefits (Pilot - 2011) One Tree Hill ("Don't You Forget About Me" - 2010) Californication ("Glass Houses" - 2009) This is one of the few hit rock songs of the time that starts with the chorus. In 1978, this appeared as the B-side of Cheap Trick's single "California Man." The At Budokan album was a huge seller well into 1979, so Cheap Trick delayed release of their next album, Dream Police, which sat for eight months until it was finally issued in September that year. "I Want You To Want" me is a popular cover among female-fronted bands. Letters To Cleo, led by Kay Hanley, play it from a rooftop at the end of the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You. In 2009, KSM, fronted by Shelby Cobra, did a cover that was used in promos for the TV series version of 10 Things I Hate About You. This version charted at #112 in America. In 2022, it was covered by Pomplamoose, sung by Nataly Dawn. In 1997, the group recorded a new version of the In Color album (complete with "I Want You To Want Me"), with producer Steve Albini, but it was never released.
I want you to want me I need you to need me I'd love you to love me I'm begging you to beg me I want you to want me I need you to need me I'd love you to love me I'll shine up my old brown shoes I put on a brand new shirt I get home early from work If you say that you love me Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' (cryin', cryin') Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' (cryin', cryin') Feelin' all alone without a friend You know you feel like dyin' (dyin', dyin') Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' (cryin', cryin') I want you to want me I need you to need me I'd love you to love me I'm begging you to beg me I'll shine up my old brown shoes I put on a brand new shirt I get home early from work If you say that you love me Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' (cryin', cryin') Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' Feelin' all alone without a friend You know you feel like dyin' (dyin', dyin') Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' (cryin', cryin') Feelin' all alone without a friend You know you feel like dyin' Oh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I See you cryin' (cryin', cryin') Ooh I want you to want me I need you to need me I'd love you to love me I'm begging you to beg me
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 28, 1979 | 78 | 48 |
| 2 | May 5, 1979 | 62 | 64 |
| 3 | May 12, 1979 | 53 | 73 |
| 4 | May 19, 1979 | 41 | 85 |
| 5 | May 26, 1979 | 32 | 94 |
| 6 | Jun 2, 1979 | 26 | 100 |
| 7 | Jun 9, 1979 | 24 | 102 |
| 8 | Jun 16, 1979 | 19 | 107 |
| 9 | Jun 23, 1979 | 16 | 110 |
| 10 | Jun 30, 1979 | 12 | 114 |
| 11 | Jul 7, 1979 | 10 | 116 |
| 12 | Jul 14, 1979 | 8 | 118 |
| 13 | Jul 21, 1979 | 7 | 119 |
| 14 | Jul 28, 1979 | 7 | 119 |
| 15 | Aug 4, 1979 | 10 | 116 |
| 16 | Aug 11, 1979 | 14 | 112 |
| 17 | Aug 18, 1979 | 31 | 95 |
| 18 | Aug 25, 1979 | 61 | 65 |
| 19 | Sep 1, 1979 | 96 | 30 |