Want Ads

"Want Ads" was a R&B/Soul/Funk song recorded by Honey Cone for their third album Sweet Replies and also appears on their fourth album Soulful Tapestry (both 1971 releases). The song was written by Greg Perry, Barney Perkins, and General Norman Johnson, and produced by Greg Perry.

"Want Ads" was released as the first single off Soulful Tapestry in the United States in the spring of 1971 (see 1971 in music). It reached number one for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B singles chart for three weeks in the United States, becoming the group's most successful single and their only number one placement on the pop charts.

Song information

Initially, Greg Perry and General Norman Johnson had written a song for a female singer called "Stick Up," the two decided that the song wasn't substantial as a release so they did a re-write with a change in chord progressions and new lyrics.^[1] With the catchy opener "Wanted, young man, single and free," "Want Ads" was born.

The idea for the song started when engineer Barney Perkins, while looking through the classified section of a newspaper, suggested that someone write a song about want ads. Greg Perry, producer and songwriter for the project, felt that the idea might work. The duo brought General Norman Johnson (leader of Chairmen of the Board) to contribute to the writing. After co-writing "Somebody's Been Sleeping (In My Bed)" (a number eight hit) with Perry for the Hot Wax group 100 Proof Aged in Soul, and proving that his writing skills were adequate, Johnson was allowed to take part in the writing duties on the label.

The song was first recorded by another Hot Wax/Invictus act Scherrie Payne and the Glass House (the group responsible for the top ten R&B single "Crumbs Off the Table") led by Freda Payne's younger sister Scherrie Payne. Payne didn't like the song and with Perry being equally unsatisfied with that version, she and Freda recorded the song themselves. Still unsatisfied with the recording, Payne later suggested that lead singer Edna Wright of Honey Cone record it after she had passed through the studio.^[2] The initial version of the song, titled "Stick Up," would eventually be recorded and released as the group's follow up to "Want Ads." It would peak at number eleven on the pop charts in August and number one on the R&B charts in September.

This song was covered by Ullanda McCullough and made into a disco song for her 1979 album "Love Zone" and by Taylor Dayne in 1988 for her hugely successful debut album Tell It to My Heart. The song was later used as a sample in "Heaven," Mary Mary's 2005 lead-off single from their self-titled third studio album. The single made history breaking and setting records when it remained at number one for nine consecutive weeks on the Billboard Gospel Radio chart back in 2005. Edna Wright also makes a brief cameo appearance at the end of the music video singing along to the chorus and lip-synching to her own sampled vocals.

Chart performance

"Want Ads" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 79 on April 10, 1971. Within nine weeks on the chart, "Want Ads" was at the number one position for the week starting June 12.^[1] The song also remained number one on the R&B singles chart for three non-consecutive weeks for the week starting May 29, 1971 and after being bumped for one week by Aretha Franklin's rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water, the song repositioned at number one for two more weeks starting June 12 through June 19.^[3]

The song would go on to receive gold certification selling more than one million units in the U.S. The song's popularity had DJs playing the long version that was available on the Soulful Tapestry album. This was rare at the time. The song is said to have been a major contributor to the structure, sound, and grit of the pre-disco movement that would rock the popular music world.^[2]

Chart positions

Charts	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	1

Credits and personnel

Lead vocals: Edna Wright
Background vocals: Shellie Clark, Carolyn Willis
Engineer: Barney Perkins

Preceded by "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single June 12, 1971 (one week)	Succeeded by "It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King
Preceded by "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Aretha Franklin	Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles number-one single May 29, 1971 (one week)	Succeeded by "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Aretha Franklin
Preceded by "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Aretha Franklin	Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles number-one single June 12, 1971 (two weeks)	Succeeded by "Don't Knock My Love (Pt.1)" by Wilson Pickett

Notes

↑ 1.0 1.1 Bronson, Fred. "Want Ads". Super Seventies. 1988. Retrieved December 28, 2006.
↑ 2.0 2.1 Hogan, Ed. "Want Ads". Allmusic. Retrieved December 28, 2006.
↑ R&B number-one hits of 1971 (USA). Retrieved December 28, 2006.

External links

Sound clip on EdnaWright-HoneyCone.com