I Want You (Marvin Gaye song)

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“I Want You”
Single by Marvin Gaye from the album I Want You (album)
B-side	I Want You (Instrumental)
Released	April 1, 1976
Format	Vinyl single
Recorded	Marvin's Room, Los Angeles, California, 1975
Genre	Soul
Length	4:34
Label	Tamla
Writer(s)	Leon Ware Arthur "T-Boy" Ross
Producer	Leon Ware Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye singles chronology
"Distant Lover (live)" (1974) "I Want You" (1976) "After The Dance (1976)

"I Want You" is a 1976 hit song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was the title track from the album of the same name.

[edit] About the song

The song was originally written by Motown songwriter Leon Ware and Diana Ross's younger brother Arthur "T-Boy" Ross. The song was originally intended for a solo album by Ware. However, both Motown boss Berry Gordy and Marvin heard the track and thought it would be ideal for Gaye.

"I Want You" is widely considered to be one of Gaye's best romantic tracks and reflects his love for Janis Hunter who was to become his second wife ^[1]. The song was the title track for I Want You.

The song became one of the most popular, though mostly underrated, songs in Gaye's catalog. Gaye's version peaked at number fifteen on Billboard's Pop singles chart and number one on Billboard's Soul (R&B) Singles chart in May, 1976. A double A-sided club single with "After the Dance" reached the top 10 of the club charts in the US. A 2003 deluxe version of the I Want You album contained an alternative a cappella version of the title track sung by Gaye.

[edit] Madonna and Massive Attack version

"I Want You" is a song by American singer Madonna from her 1995 compilation Something to Remember.

[edit] Song information

This cover version of the song by Marvin Gaye is also available on Inner City Blues: A Tribute to Marvin Gaye. The music was performed by British Trip-Hop outfit Massive Attack, and the track appears on the bonus disc of their 2006 greatest hits collection Collected.

The original plans for "I Want You" included a full-scale release - Junior Vasquez and Warren Rigg even did some remixes of the track - but numerous problems prevented this. The Inner City Blues compilation - a tribute to Marvin Gaye which also featured Bono and Boyz II Men - bombed on the charts. Since Inner City Blues and Something to Remember (which featured the original version of "I Want You" plus an orchestral version) were released on different record labels, more problems arose about the possibility of releasing a single.

[edit] Music video

A black-and-white video for "I Want You" was promoted to VH1 and MTV.MTV Europe did and still does air the video, especially in the late-night show "Chill Out Zone". Radio stations did not add the song, as "I Want You" never appeared on any Billboard charts other than the VH1 monitor (peaking at #11). Apparently, the cold reaction to the song was the final nail in the coffin for a single release, and Warner Bros. Records put its focus on "You'll See", which debuted on the airplay chart just two weeks after "I Want You" first appeared on VH1.

The video was not included on Madonna's The Video Collection 93:99. Julian Hirsh did several mixes of the track, while rare promos featured nearly a dozen slightly altered versions of the original song exist. The video is also the only case in Madonna's history where an un-promoted song was given the full video treatment (beside "Verás", "GHV2 Megamix" and extra videos produced for the tours).

"I Want You" was shot in August 1995 at Broadway Stages in Long Island City, New York and directed by Earle Sebastian. The photographs that were taken at the recording of the clip were used in Madonna's official 1997 Calendar.

• Director: Earle Sebastian
• Producer: Joel Hinman
• Director of Photography: Thomas Kloss
• Editor: Bruce Ashley
• Production Company: Good Karma Inc.

[edit] Other "I Want You" versions

Diana Ross, whose brother T-Boy co-wrote the song, remade "I Want You" for her "I Love You" album, released in 2007.

Robert Palmer released a medley of "I Want You" and another Marvin Gaye song, "Mercy Mercy Me" in January, 1991. This single reached #9 in the UK charts.

"I Want You" is also the name of Australian television star Toni Pearen's debut single from 1993.

[edit] References

• Allmusic.com article about the Marvin Gaye version of "I Want You"

• BBC Review of I Want You album

• Allmusic.com article on Something to Remember

• Mad-Eyes article on "I Want You"

[edit] Footnotes

• BBC Review Op Cit. 4 August 2003