To Be with You
| "To Be With You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Mr. Big | ||||
| from the album Lean into It | ||||
| B-side | "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" | |||
| Released |
November 25, 1991 (See release history) | |||
| Format | Cassette, CD single, CD maxi, 7" single | |||
| Recorded |
1991 Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 3:27 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Writer(s) | Eric Martin, David Grahame | |||
| Producer(s) | Kevin Elson | |||
| Mr. Big singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"To Be With You" is a song by American hard rock band Mr. Big. It was released in November 1991 as the second single from their second album, Lean into It. The song charted in over 20 countries, many of them at number one, including the United States.[1] It also reached a peak of number three in the UK.[2]
Background and writing
The song was written and composed by Eric Martin during his teen years, with guitarist Paul Gilbert contributing to its melodic arrangements later on. Writing credit is also given to David Grahame, a songwriter working for the label at the time (though exactly what contributions each of the three men made to the song is unclear).
While in Paul's apartment at Yucca Street in L.A., Eric and Paul were laying out their compositions. Eric had a ballad called "To Be With You". Paul had his psychedelic rock song called "Green Tinted Sixties Mind". Both felt the two songs were strong enough to be included in their upcoming album, despite it being purely rock;[3] and true enough, these songs remained throughout the course of their career as a group and as solo artists.
Content
"To Be With You" is about a man who has his eye on a woman who has recently experienced a broken heart from a previous relationship. When Eric was a sophomore in high school, he was friends with his older sister's friend (who was a senior). She would give him rides to school and tell him about all the boy problems she had. Eric had a huge crush on her, but didn't tell her since he knew a senior would never go out with a sophomore. Eric wrote this song about her.
Music video
The music video was directed by Nancy Bennett and features the band performing in a Railroad car.[4] The video changes from black & white to color around the halfway mark.
Cover versions
- Irish pop group Westlife performed the song during the acoustic session of their 2003 Greatest Hits Tour, and it was subsequently included on their Turnaround album later that year.[5]
- Old Man Gloom performed an acoustic cover of the song titled under the guise of "Gratuitous Bonus Track Made By Sensible Musicians Doing Questionable Things" on their 2003 EP Christmas Eve I and II + 6.
- Australian male vocal group Human Nature included a cover of the song in their 2004 Walk the Tightrope studio album. Their interpretation was somewhat more pop/R&B than the original.[6]
- American musician David Cook and his band The Anthemic first covered this song in concert at the Orlando Food and Wine Festival on March 31, 2012.[7]
- The cast of the 2013 New York City Shakespeare in the Park covered the song in their production of "Love's Labour's Lost, A New Musical". The New York Times theater reviewer Ben Brantley mistakenly referred to the song as a parody of a boy-band song. ("Yet — aside from a blissful cover of a boy-band number led by Mr. Donnell and a pop power ballad sung by Rebecca Naomi Jones as a barmaid — the tuneful songs come across as frustratingly incomplete, like clever sketches for complete portraits.") [8] In a more positive review, Brendan Lemon of the Financial Times concluded, "Mr Big’s 1991 hit, 'To Be with You', though, is an out-and-out borrowing. It’s what I left the theatre humming."[9]
Formats and track listings
- 7" single
- "To Be with You" (LP Version) (3:27)
- "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" (LP Version) (3:30)
- 12" maxi
- "To Be with You"
- "A Little Too Loose" (Live)
- "The Drill Song (Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy)" (Live)
- "Alive And Kickin'" (Live)
- CD maxi
- "To Be with You" (3:27)
- "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" (3:30)
- "Alive And Kickin'" (5:28)
Release history
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| United States | November 25, 1991 |
| United Kingdom | January 1, 1992 |
Charts
Peak positions
|
End of year charts
End of decade charts
Certifications
|
Chart successions
| Preceded by "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single February 29, 1992- March 14, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Save the Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams |
| Preceded by "Stockholm" by Orup |
Swedish Singles Chart number one single April 1, 1992 - April 29, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Stay" by Shakespears Sister |
| Preceded by "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John and George Michael |
Eurochart Hot 100 number one single April 4, 1992 - May 9, 1992 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap! |
| Preceded by "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen |
Norwegian number one single 15/1992 - 22/1992 |
Succeeded by "Das Boot" by U96 |
| Preceded by "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers |
Dutch Top 40 number one single April 25, 1992 - May 16, 1992 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Please Don't Go" by Double You |
| Preceded by "Das Boot" by U96 |
Swiss number one single May 3, 1992- June 14, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Jump" by Kris Kross |
| Preceded by "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers |
Australia (ARIA) number one single May 16, 1992 - 5 June 1992 |
Succeeded by "One In A Million" by Euphoria |
| Preceded by "Das Boot" by U96 |
Austrian number one single May 17, 1992 - May 24, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by Snap! |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Billboard Billboard.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ http://www.rocksquad.net/eric_martin_interview.htm
- ↑ Mr. Big artist videography mvdbase.com
- ↑ Turnaround - Westlife Allmusic.com
- ↑ Walk the Tightrope - Human Nature Allmusic.com
- ↑ "David Cook Performs at the Orlando Food and Wine Festival". Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/theater/reviews/loves-labours-lost-loosely-speaking-in-central-park.html
- ↑ http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/4012fb1c-033a-11e3-9a46-00144feab7de.html#axzz2xrCrkdNN
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Mr. Big – To Be with You". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Mr. Big – To Be with You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mr. Big – To Be with You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ↑ Canadian peak
- ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Mr. Big – To Be with You" (in French). Les classement single.
- ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Mr. Big > To Be with You – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Mr. Big search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Mr. Big – To Be with You". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mr. Big – To Be with You". VG-lista.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Mr. Big – To Be with You". Singles Top 60.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Mr. Big – To Be with You". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ "1992 Australian Singles Chart". aria. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "1992 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "1992 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ↑ "Certification for every country in the world" (PDF). IFPI. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('To Be with You')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "Dutch certifications, database". Nvpi. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ↑ "U.S. certifications". Riaa. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
External links
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