Girl U Want

"Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by American new wave band Devo. It was the first single released from their third studio album ''Freedom of Choice'' (1980).

Composition

"Girl U Want" was allegedly inspired by the song "My Sharona" by the Knack, although Devo bassist and co-writer Gerald Casale has denied this claim. 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.

Music video

In the music video, Devo performs for a group of young women in the style of a performance from ''The 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's energy dome headgear look almost purple. The band wears the silver naugahyde suits from the cover of ''Freedom of Choice'', and mime the song with Moog 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 of General 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 an electrical outlet.

Track listing

7" Single (American release)
#"Girl U Want" – 2:56
#"Turn Around" – 2:45

7" Single (American promo)
#"Girl U Want (Mono)" – 2:56
#"Girl U Want (Stereo)" – 2:56

7" Single (European release)
#"Girl U Want" – 2:56
#"Turn Around" – 2:10

Critical reception

Steve Huey of AllMusic 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. 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".

''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."

Robert Palmer version

In 1994, "Girl U Want" was covered by English singer Robert Palmer. Produced solely by Palmer, the song was released as the lead single from his twelfth studio album ''Honey''. The track was a moderate success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 57.

The single was released on 7" vinyl, cassette and CD in the United Kingdom, and on CD in the Netherlands and Japan. The song's B-side was the non-album track "No Fuss". The UK and Netherlands CD release featured an additional track; "The Panaxa Mix" of "Girl U Want" by Pino "Pinaxa" Pischetola. The Japanese CD featured the same remix, but replaced "No Fuss" with "Know By Now" from the ''Honey'' album.

A music video was filmed to promote the single. Palmer also performed the song on the UK music show ''Top of the Pops'' on June 16, 1994.

Critical reception

In a review of ''Honey'', AllMusic said: "Palmer himself sounds as inhumanly suave as ever, though much of the material is a prescription for déjà vu. Tracks like the funk-lashed cover of Devo's "Girl U Want" are dead ringers for the stuff on the ''Riptide'' album." ''People'' described Palmer's version as "head-banging new wave".

Track listing

;7" Single
#"Girl U Want" – 2:23
#"No Fuss" – 3:11

;CD Single (UK/Netherlands release)
#"Girl U Want" – 2:23
#"Girl U Want (The Pinaxa Mix)" – 3:02
#"No Fuss" – 3:11

;CD Single (UK promo release)
#"Girl U Want" – 2:23

;CD Single (Japan release)
#"Girl U Want" – 2:23
#"Know by Now" – 4:10
#"Girl U Want (The Pinaxa Mix)" – 3:02

Chart performance

Personnel

* Robert Palmer – vocals, arranger, producer
* Pino "Pinaxa" Pischetola – mixing, remixer of "The Pinaxa Mix"
* David Harper – executive producer
* Howard Greenalgh – art montage
* Nigel Parry – photography
* Bill Smith Studio, London – design

Alternate versions and covers

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 1995, a reunited Devo, joined by Bulimia Banquet vocalist Jula Bell, recorded a slowed-down version for the action comedy film ''Tank Girl''. 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 film ''Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde''. Another re-recording of "Girl U Want" was used for the music videogame ''Rock Band''. In 2006, Devo re-recorded the song once again for Radio Disney's Devo 2.0 project, the track appearing as "Boy U Want", featuring 13-year-old Nicole Stoehr singing altered lyrics over the familiar backing tracks by Devo.

References

External links

Songfacts.com on "Girl U Want"
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Devo songs
1980 singles
1994 singles
Robert Palmer (singer) songs
Songs written by Gerald Casale
Songs written by Mark Mothersbaugh
1980 songs
Warner Records singles