"Everybody Wants You" is a hit song written and performed by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
singer and guitarist
Billy Squier. It appeared as the opening track of his multi-Platinum 1982 album ''
Emotions in Motion'', and was released as the second single (following the title track) from that album, reaching #31 on the
Cash Box Top 100 and #32 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It became, however, a much bigger hit on AOR (Album Oriented Rock) radio, gridlocking the top spot of Mainstream Rock charts for six weeks straight. The song's music video also remained in heavy rotation for months on
MTV.
Details
The song features three guitars and a bass playing a "hard-rocking and funky"
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
, and a "sleekly new wave-oriented production".
It became a huge hit on both radio and
MTV,
topping the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks charts for six weeks, from August 28 to October 8, 1982.
It was also on the pop charts, debuting on the ''Billboard'' Top 40 on November 27, 1982 and peaking at number 32.
It was Squier's third Top-40 song, following "
The Stroke
"The Stroke" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Billy Squier. It was released in 1981 as the debut single from his 3× Platinum album '' Don't Say No''.
This was Squier's first single to chart, reaching No. 17 on the US ''B ...
" (number 17) and "
In the Dark" (number 35).
"Everybody Wants You" is included on Squier's 1995 greatest hits collection ''16 Strokes: The Best of Billy Squier''.
"Everybody Wants You" was one of the songs Squier has performed live with
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band; one version appeared on the ''
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Live 2006'' album, along with Squier's 1984 hit "
Rock Me Tonite".
Chart history
Covers
The song has been covered by artists such as the American hard rock bands
Puddle of Mudd
Puddle of Mudd is an American rock band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. To date, the band has sold over seven million albums and has had a string of No. 1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut '' C ...
,
Damone
and
The Unband
The Unband is an American hard rock band composed of drummer Eugene Ferrari, lead singer and guitarist Matthew Pierce, and bass guitarist Michael Ruffino.
Formation and personnel
Pierce and Ruffino began playing together under various names in ...
, whose version appeared on the
soundtrack to the 2000 film ''Scary Movie''.
Canadian
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band
Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2005, it consists of vocalist and bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook, and drummer Greg Alsop. The band found early success with t ...
performed a version of the song in August 2010 for ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' A.V. Undercover series.
In popular culture
The song was used as
The Fabulous Ones
The Fabulous Ones were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Stan Lane and Steve Keirn that was active between 1982 and 1991 with brief reunions during the 1990s. The Fabulous Ones competed primarily in North American territories such as ...
' (
Steve Keirn and
Stan Lane
Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champi ...
) entrance theme during their time in the
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
-based
Continental Wrestling Association from 1982 to 1985.
The song was used in the episode 13 (title: 'Standards and Practices') of season 1 of the drama ''
The Closer
''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...
''.
In 2004, a
mashup of "Everybody Wants You" and "
Emerge" by
Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner were an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in Chicago after meeting in school. The name is a combination of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner.
Career
Originally a duo formed by clas ...
was included on the ''
Queer Eye'' soundtrack.
The song is used the first couple seasons of the TV show ''
Burn Notice'', including being used in a promotional ad for the second season.
The song is used in the 2012 film ''
Battleship''.
See also
*
List of ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock number-one songs of the 1980s
References
{{authority control
1982 singles
Billy Squier songs
Songs written by Billy Squier
Song recordings produced by Reinhold Mack
1982 songs
Capitol Records singles