"I Wanna Be with You" is a hit single by

Raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with ...

, released in November 1972. It was written by band leader

Eric Carmen Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. He was first known as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries. He had numerous hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Rasp ...

, who also provided the lead vocals. It was their first single release from their second LP, ''

Fresh Fresh or FRESH may refer to: People *DJ Fresh (born 1977), UK-based drum and bass artist *DJ Fresh (producer), US-based R&B producer born Marqus Brown Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film * ''Fresh'' (200 ...

''. It became their second greatest US hit. The song reached the Top 40 on three principal US charts, including number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100,''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - number 10 on ''Cash Box'', and number 7 on '' Record World''. It was also a number 17 hit in Canada. '' Billboard'' called it a "strong rock ballad." '' Cash Box'' described it as sounding "similar to the Beatles vocally."

Television performance

"I Wanna Be with You" was performed on '' The Midnight Special'' television program (season 1, episode 15) on May 4, 1973. The show was hosted by

Johnny Nash John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940October 6, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit " I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists ...

Later uses

"I Wanna Be with You" was included on the ''Raspberries Pop Art Live'' CD set from their reunion concert recording, November 26, 2004, at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, released August 18, 2017.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Bibliography

External links

Song Lyrics
* 1972 singles 1972 songs Raspberries (band) songs Capitol Records singles Songs written by Eric Carmen Song recordings produced by Jimmy Ienner Jangle pop songs {{1970s-single-stub