"Wanna Be with You" is a song by R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire issued as a single in December 1981 by ARC/Columbia Records.[1] The single rose to No. 15 on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart, No. 7 on the UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles chart and No. 40 on the RPM Canadian Pop Singles Chart.[2][3][4]
| "Wanna Be with You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Earth, Wind & Fire | ||||
| from the album Raise! | ||||
| B-side | "*Kalimba Tree Instrumental (US)
| |||
| Released | December 1981 | |||
| Recorded | May 1981 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 3:55 (single version) 4:36 (album version) | |||
| Label | ARC/Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn | |||
| Producer(s) | Maurice White | |||
| Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Overview
edit"Wanna Be with You" was produced by Maurice White and composed by White with Wayne Vaughn. The single's US b-side was an instrumental of an interlude called Kalimba Tree with its UK b-side being a song called My Love. Wanna Be With You, Kalimba Tree and My Love came from EWF's 1981 studio album Raise!.[1]
Critical reception
editDon Palmer of Musician proclaimed that "Wanna Be with You" is a relaxed shuffle bump boogie based around a ten note piano vamp. The handclaps provide a solid back beat while the horns and altered vocal yelps exclaim the obvious".[5] Tim de Lisle of Smash Hits called Wanna Be with You "a pleasant surprise, an excellent melody given a fresh jazzy treatment.[6]
"Wanna Be with You" won a Grammy Award in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.[7]
Covers
editWanna Be with You was covered by the jazz group Urban Knights on their 1995 album Urban Knights I.[8]
Personnel
edit- Writing - Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn
- Producer - Maurice White
- Assistant producer - Larry Dunn, Verdine White
- Programmer - Larry Dunn
- Arranger - Jerry Hey
- Assistant engineer - Tom Perry
- Mixing engineer - Mick Guzauski, Tom Perry
- Recording engineer - Ken Fowler, Mick Guzauski, Ron Pendragon
Chart positions
edit| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 15 |
| U.S. Cashbox Top R&B Singles | 17[10] |
| UK Blues & Soul Top British Soul Singles | 7[3] |
| RPM Canadian Top Singles Chart | 40[4] |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 51 |
References
edit- ^ a b Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be With You. ARC/Columbia Records. December 1981.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be With You (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
- ^ a b Top British Soul Singles. Blues & Soul. April 20, 1982.
- ^ a b RPM Top Singles. Vol. 36. RPM. March 6, 1982 – via bac-lac.gc.ca.
- ^ Palmer, Don (January 1, 1982). RECORD REVIEWS: Earth, Wind & Fire. Musician. p. 83 & 84. ProQuest 962646665.
- ^ de Lisle, Tim (March 18, 1982). Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be with You. Smash Hits. p. 25.
- ^ "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
- ^ Pallow, Dennis (October 30, 1995). "Urban Knights Gallop Through A '70s Groove". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Jaxsta". jaxsta.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ "Cashbox Top R&B Singles". cashboxmagazine.com. Cashbox. February 27, 1982.