Don't You Want Me (Felix song)

"Don't You Want Me"
Single by Felix
from the album #1
B-side"Don't You Want Me" (original mix)
Released27 July 1992 (1992-07-27)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 3:10 (single version)
  • 4:01 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Felix
  • Rollo and Red Jerry (remix)
Felix singles chronology
"Don't You Want Me"
(1992) 		"It Will Make Me Crazy"
(1992)
Music video
"Don't You Want Me" on YouTube

"Don't You Want Me" is a song recorded by British DJ and producer Francis Wright, known under the pseudonym of Felix, released in July 1992 as his debut single from his album, #1 (1993). Musically, it samples Jomanda's "Don't You Want My Love" and credited as Felix featuring Jomanda (remixed by Rollo and Red Jerry). Released on 27 July 1992 by various labels, the song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart reached number one in Finland, Spain, and Switzerland. It also went to number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. In 1995 and 1996, the song charted in the UK again, but in remixed form. British clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked the song number 98 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list in 1996.[2]

Background and release

Felix was born in Chelmsford, Essex and at the age of 15 he decided to create his own music. He began getting involved with DJing,[3] and after a handful of releases, his track "Don't You Want Me" was released in 1992.[4] It sampled Jomanda's "Don't You Want My Love", which was remixed by Rollo and Red Jerry. The production process with the track was very quick.[5] Felix had done a demo version, which was like a piano based kind of thing. It was structured like music by Steve "Silk" Hurley and the house sound at that time.[5] He sent it to independent label Hooj Choons, which asked him to come up with an alternative version. That was when he came up with the version which had the organ sound. Felix recorded it in a studio in Essex Road in London, and the whole thing was done within a day and a night.[5]

After the release, it did well in the clubs and some of the underground clubs. Pet Shop Boys did a hosting session on Radio One, got hold of the record and played it all the time. Deconstruction heard it and they decided to sign it to the label. They promoted the track and made the single big. It is now largely considered to be the track that launched the hardbag explosion.[citation needed] "Don't You Want Me" appears on the compilation The Best Dance Album in the World... Ever! in remixed form, and was used in the episode "New Girl" of the TV series The Office. It was also famously featured in St George, a 1996 Tango Blackcurrant advertisement for television. On the single re-release, which features the version from the advert which also samples dialogue from the advert, the Tango Blackcurrant logo even appears several times on the artwork.

Critical reception

Upon the release of the 1992 version, Larry Flick from Billboard found that "requisite harsh synths are tempered with a retro, Giorgio Moroder-esque electro-beat".[6] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote about the 1995 remix, "In the Deconstruction Classic series, here's Patrick Prins' remix interpretation of Felix's 1992 dance hit. It's much heavier now with souped up sequencers and percussion."[7] British magazine Music Week described the first version as a "hand-waving progressive house anthem".[8] Kris Needs from NME remarked its "nuclear-fuelled muscle riff", commenting, "Described as 'the keyboard riff from hell, once heard it can't be dislodged', I swear the middle breakdown where the girl comes back with that 'don'tyawantmalove?' was going to spark mass levitation at Nottingham Venus![9] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update declared it as a "distinctive organ/synth driven" track.[10]

Impact and legacy

"Don't You Want Me" won the 1992 DMC/Mixmag Awards in the category of Best House Record at the Royal Albert Hall.[5]

British hardhouse and trance music record producer Jon the Dentist named it one of his favourites in 1995, adding, "When this came out we finally got some technoey sounds back after two years of drongo discoey sounds. It was how I got into hardcore. Felix was a groundbreaker, he finally got the house back on its track."[11]

Clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked the song number 98 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time" list in 1996[12] and included it in their "The Biggest Drops in Dance Music" in 2020. They wrote, "Its neon stabs perfect for cutting shapes to in a field or warehouse wherever dance music was taking hold and kicking off. It soups up Jomanda's vocal and launches into a universe of smiley faces, baggy fits and getting home at breakfast time."[13]

Track listings

Charts and sales

Cover versions

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 July 1992. p. 19. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ "The 100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time". Mixmag. 1996. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  3. ^ Nonato, Pedro. "Dance Music 101: DJ Felix". Rio Music Conference. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  4. ^ Foster, Allen. "Felix releases celebratory remix bundle of historic 'Don't You Want Me'". axs.com. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "The story behind "Don't You Want Me" with Felix". Muzikxpress. YouTube. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  6. ^ Flick, Larry (11 July 1992). "Dance Trax: A Little More Stansfield; Erasure Heads For Covers" (PDF). Billboard. p. 23. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 33. 19 August 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Chart Newcomers" (PDF). Music Week. 8 August 1992. p. 9. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  9. ^ Needs, Kris (1 August 1992). "Vibes: Groove Check". NME. p. 20. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  10. ^ Hamilton, James (8 May 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Jock On His Box: Jon the Dentist" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 11 November 1995. p. 5. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  12. ^ "The 100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time". Mixmag. 1996. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  13. ^ Seb Wheeler; Dave Turner; Patrick Hinton (17 April 2020). "The Best Drops In Dance Music, According To You". Mixmag. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 5. 30 January 1993. p. 44. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 46. 14 November 1992. p. 23. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  19. ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 40. 3 October 1992. p. 23. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  20. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  21. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 44. 31 October 1992. p. 22. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  24. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't You Want Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 48. 28 November 1992. p. 24. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  26. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me". VG-lista. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  29. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 35. 28 August 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  30. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  31. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Felix – Don't You Want Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  33. ^ a b c "Felix: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 8 August 1992. p. 20. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  35. ^ "Felix Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  36. ^ "Felix Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Felix Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  38. ^ "Felix: Don't You Want Me" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  40. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  41. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 43. 26 October 1996. p. 17. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  43. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1992 (61–100) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 152)". ARIA. Retrieved 13 October 2016 – via Imgur.
  44. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1992" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  45. ^ "1992 Year-End Sales Charts – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 14 November 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  46. ^ "1992 Year-End Airplay Charts: European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 20. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  47. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  48. ^ "Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  49. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  50. ^ "Year End Charts: Top Singles". Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 8.
  51. ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  52. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  53. ^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 1993" (in German). Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  54. ^ "French single certifications – Felix – Don't You Want Me" (in French). InfoDisc. Select FELIX and click OK. 
  55. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Felix; 'Don't You Want Me')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  56. ^ "British single certifications – Felix – Don't You Want Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 July 2021.