Girl U Want

"Girl U Want"
Single by Devo
from the album Freedom of Choice
B-side"Mr. B's Ballroom"
ReleasedApril 24, 1980
GenreNew wave, synth-pop
Length2:56
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale
Producer(s)Devo, Robert Margouleff
Devo singles chronology
"Gut Feeling"
(1979) 		"Girl U Want"
(1980) 		"Whip It"
(1980)
Music video
"Devo - Girl U Want (Video)" on YouTube

"Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by American new wave band Devo. It was the first single released from their third studio album, Freedom of Choice (1980).

Composition

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"Girl U Want" was allegedly inspired by the song "My Sharona" by the Knack,[1] although Devo bassist and co-writer Gerald Casale has denied this claim.[2] The lyrics, in typical Devo style, describe a relationship marked by unrequited love/lust for a woman. "Girl U Want" was first performed in December 1979 in a similar arrangement to the album version.

Music video

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In the music video, Devo performs for a group of young women in the style of a performance from The Ed Sullivan Show, with two robotic backup dancers, one male and one female. Further implying the televised nature of the performance, the color in the video is deliberately altered to make the red of the band's energy dome headgear look almost purple. The band wears the silver naugahyde suits from the cover of Freedom of Choice, and mime the song with Moog Liberation synthesizers.

During the video, the camera focuses on the girls in the audience exaggeratedly enjoying the performance, including one girl who is visually implied to "wet" herself, which transitions to a scene of General Boy controlling the backup dancers. At one point, Mark Mothersbaugh pulls aside the curtain behind the band to show an overweight man on a vibrating exercise machine, attempting to drink a milkshake to the ecstatic reaction of the audience. As the video ends, girls in the audience are shown holding signs with icons, including an electrical outlet.

Critical reception

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Record World said that "A snakey guitar winds around the boisterous lead vocals that proclaim the winning hook."[3]

Steve Huey of AllMusic noted the song in a review of the album, stating: "Several tunes – like the oft-covered 'Girl U Want' – have a geeky (but pragmatic) romantic angst that was new to Devo albums, although the band's view of relationships is occasionally colored by their cultural themes of competition and domination." Huey also highlighted "Girl U Want" as an album standout by labeling it an AMG Pick Track.[4] Greg Prato of AllMusic reviewed the song itself, stating it was "definitely one of the most overlooked gems to surface from the early-'80s new wave movement".[5]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated "Girl U Want" as Devo's 7th best song, saying that the song is "about as catchy as Devo songs come" and that "the lyrics are a typical balance of the traditional crashing into the unexpected."[6]

Robert Palmer version

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"Girl U Want"
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Honey
B-side"No Fuss"
Released1994
StudioLogic Studios (Milan, Italy)
Genre
Length2:23
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert Palmer
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Witchcraft"
(1992) 		"Girl U Want"
(1994) 		"Know by Now"
(1994)
Audio video
"Girl U Want" on YouTube

In 1994, "Girl U Want" was covered by English singer Robert Palmer. Produced solely by Palmer, the song was released as the lead single from his twelfth studio album Honey and reached number 57 in the UK Singles Chart.[7]

A music video was filmed and directed by Howard Greenhalgh to promote the single.[8] Palmer also performed the song on the UK music show Top of the Pops on June 16, 1994.[9][10]

Critical reception

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In a review of Honey, Lesley Mathew of AllMusic said, "Palmer himself sounds as inhumanly suave as ever, though much of the material is a prescription for déjà vu. Tracks like the funk-lashed cover of Devo's 'Girl U Want' are dead ringers for the stuff on the Riptide album."[11] People described Palmer's version as "head-banging new wave".[12]

Track listing

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7-inch single

  1. "Girl U Want" – 2:23
  2. "No Fuss" – 3:11

CD single (UK/Netherlands release)

  1. "Girl U Want" – 2:23
  2. "Girl U Want (The Pinaxa Mix)" – 3:02
  3. "No Fuss" – 3:11

CD single (Japan release)

  1. "Girl U Want" – 2:23
  2. "Know by Now" – 4:10
  3. "Girl U Want (The Pinaxa Mix)" – 3:02

Personnel

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Production

  • Robert Palmer – producer
  • Pino "Pinaxa" Pischetola – mixing, remixer of "The Pinaxa Mix"

Sleeve

  • Howard Greenalgh – art montage
  • Nigel Parry – photography
  • Bill Smith Studio, London – design

Charts

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Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 118
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[7] 57

Alternate versions and covers

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In 1981, Devo recorded an instrumental easy listening version of the song for a fan club distributed cassette tape. This version was popular enough to be performed live, with vocals, on the 1982 tour. In 1992, Soundgarden recorded the song. In 1995, a reunited Devo, joined by Bulimia Banquet vocalist Jula Bell, recorded a slowed-down version for the action comedy film Tank Girl.[14] The version with Bell and Devo singing is heard in the film's opening sequence, but the version on the soundtrack album is Devo without Bell. That same year, "Girl U Want" played during the ending credits of the parody film Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. Another re-recording of "Girl U Want" was used for the music videogame Rock Band. In 2006, Devo re-recorded the song once again for Radio Disney's Devo 2.0 project, the track appearing as "Boy U Want", featuring 13-year-old Nicole Stoehr singing altered lyrics over the familiar backing tracks by Devo.[15][16] Freelance Whales recorded a slow ballad version of "Girl U Want" in 2011 as the B-side of the rare vinyl-exclusive Split 7" EP in collaboration with Foals.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Prato, Greg. "Girl U Want". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  2. ^ Ivan, DJ (July 2005). "Interview with Gerald Casale of DEVO (6-12-05)". earcandymag.com.
  3. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. July 26, 1980. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  4. ^ Huey, Steve. "Freedom of Choice - Devo : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
  5. ^ Prato, Greg. "Girl U Want - Devo". AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Swanson, Dave (July 11, 2013). "Top 10 Devo Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  7. ^ a b "ROBERT PALMER - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Robert Palmer - Girl U Want". YouTube. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  9. ^ "BBC Online - Top of the Pops - Video Archive". Bbc.co.uk. 1994-06-16. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  10. ^ "Top of the Pops - Videoclips". Bbc..co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  11. ^ Mathew, Leslie. "Honey – Robert Palmer". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  12. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Honey". People.com. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2015-07-15". Imgur. Archived from the original on 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  14. ^ veorens (7 August 2009). "Tank Girl Opening Credits (OP)". YouTube. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  15. ^ "The Strange Saga of Disney's Preteen Devo Cover Band". Nerdist.com. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Are They Not Kids? Yes, They Are — And They're Giving Devo A Disney Makeover". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Foals / Freelance Whales – Split (2011, Clear Vinyl, Vinyl) - Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
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