"I Want That Man" is a song by American singer
Deborah Harry
Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.
Born in ...
. The song was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from her third solo album, ''
Def, Dumb & Blonde'', and was the first record Harry released in which she reverted to using Deborah as her name instead of Debbie. It became a hit in several territories, reaching number two in Australia and on the US ''
Billboard''
Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single also became a top-twenty hit in Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Song information
The track was written and
produced by
Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kin ...
members
Alannah Currie
Alannah Joy Currie (born 20 September 1957) is a New Zealand artist based in London. She is a musician and activist, best known as a former member of the pop band Thompson Twins.
Career
Born in New Zealand and trained as a journalist, Currie e ...
and
Tom Bailey. It became one of the most successful singles in
Deborah Harry
Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.
Born in ...
's solo career, peaking at number two in Australia, number seven in Ireland, number eight in New Zealand, number 13 in the United Kingdom, and number two on the ''Billboard''
Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. The video was directed by Mary Lambert.
The song commences with the lyric, "I want to dance with Harry Dean," a reference to the actor
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...
, about whom Currie and Harry "shared a long-standing fascination." Harry and Currie subsequently met Stanton backstage after "both swooning like teenage girls" watching him sit in with
Ry Cooder singing "Across the Borderline" and resulting in Harry and Stanton entering into a short-term relationship.
A disco version of the song was used in the Australian film ''
Strange Bedfellows''. In late 1999, the song was included on the
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
compilation ''
Most of All: The Best of Deborah Harry'' and also reissued as a remix single that charted on the
Australian Singles Chart at number 86 in February 2000.
The single's
B-side, "Bike Boy", appears as a bonus track on the CD and cassette editions of ''Def, Dumb & Blonde''.
Track listings
"I Want That Man" was written by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie. "Bike Boy" was written by Deborah Harry and
Chris Stein.
Original version
US and Australian 7-inch and cassette single
# "I Want That Man" (LP version) – 3:41
# "Bike Boy" (CD/cassette version) – 2:45
US 12-inch single
:A1. "I Want That Man" (12-inch remix) – 6:26
:A2. "I Want That Man" (instrumental) – 6:54
:B1. "Bike Boy" – 2:45
:B2. "I Want That Man" (remix / edit) – 4:03
US CD single
# "I Want That Man" (12-inch remix) – 6:26
# "I Want That Man" (remix / edit) – 4:03
# "Bike Boy" – 2:45
# "I Want That Man" (instrumental) – 6:54
UK 7-inch and cassette single
# "I Want That Man" (remix)
# "Bike Boy"
* A 7-inch poster bag sleeve with the same track listing was also issued.
UK and Australian 12-inch single, UK CD single
:A1. "I Want That Man" (12-inch remix)
:A2. "I Want That Man" (7-inch version)
:B1. "I Want That Man" (instrumental)
:B2. "Bike Boy"
* A 12-inch picture disc with the same track listing was also issued.
1999 remix
UK and Australian CD single
# "I Want That Man" (Almighty Definitive mix radio edit)
# "I Want That Man" (Almighty Definitive mix)
# "I Want That Man" (D-Bop 11.59 vocal mix)
European CD single
# "I Want That Man" (Almighty Definitive mix radio edit)
# "I Want That Man" (Almighty Definitive mix)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
Debbie Harry songs
1989 singles
1989 songs
Chrysalis Records singles
Music videos directed by Mary Lambert
Reprise Records singles
Sire Records singles
Song recordings produced by Tom Bailey (musician)
Songs written by Alannah Currie
Songs written by Tom Bailey (musician)