| "I Wanna Get Next To You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rose Royce | ||||
| from the album Car Wash Soundtrack | ||||
| B-side | Sunrise / Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is | |||
| Released | 27 October 1976 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 3:56 | |||
| Label | Whitfield Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Norman Whitfield | |||
| Producer | Norman Whitfield | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Rose Royce singles chronology | ||||
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"I Wanna Get Next to You" is a 1976 soul single written and produced by legendary American songwriter Norman Whitfield, and most famously sung by American R&B band Rose Royce. It is the second official single off of the Car Wash soundtrack, and it became the group's second top ten single on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number ten, and peaking at number three on the Hot Soul Singles chart. The song was also successful worldwide, becoming their second Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number fourteen on the UK Singles Chart. The song has also became a staple on oldies radio and on adult contemporary stations.
The song talks about how a narrator pleads love for a beautiful woman, except that the young woman is unkind, and does not understand his affection for her, as he wastes his own money calling her, but she does not respond, regardless, he still wants to "get next" to her.
The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards, one for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best R&B Song, winning neither.
The song was sung on the popular sitcom in 1995, Martin, in the season three episode, "All the Players Came", where Martin Lawrence's character, Jerome, the pimp, sings the song to guest star Pam Grier as part of a competition, facing off with Dolemite and Huggy Bear (played by Rudy Ray Moore and Antonio Fargas) for Detroit's "Player of the Year" award, as part of the competition he sings the song poorly which attracts Pam Grier, which he later in the episode wins unanimously. In the same year, the sound was also featured on the soundtrack to the popular movie Friday. In 1997, this song was covered by R&B singer Cherrelle.