Wikipedia

Because We Want To

"Because We Want To" is a song performed by English pop singer Billie. The song was written by Dion Rambo, Jacques Richmond, Wendy Page, and Jim Marr and produced by Marr and Page for Billie's debut album, Honey to the B (1998). It was released as her debut single on 29 June 1998 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number one in July 1998, making Billie the youngest artist to debut at number one, at age 15. It also reached the top 10 in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The song was the official theme of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.[1]

"Because We Want To"
Single by Billie
from the album Honey to the B
B-side"G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T."
Released29 June 1998 (1998-06-29)
Studio
GenrePop
Length3:48
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jim Marr
  • Wendy Page
Billie singles chronology
"Because We Want To"
(1998) 		"Girlfriend"
(1998)

Chart performance

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Selling over 80,000 copies during its opening week,[2] "Because We Want To" made Billie the youngest artist to debut at number one on the UK Singles Chart, aged 15. However, Helen Shapiro still holds the record as the youngest solo female singer to have topped the UK Singles Chart; "You Don't Know" rose to number one in 1961, when Shapiro was 14 years and 10 months old.[3][4][5] Outside the United Kingdom, the song became a top-10 hit in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden, peaking at numbers nine, nine, and eight, respectively.[6] Although the song became a hit in Canada, peaking at number 14 on the Canadian Singles Chart and number 30 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart in September 1998, it did not chart in the United States.[7][8][9]

Music video

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The video (directed by Phil Griffin[10]) starts in a run-down street in London, where the ground is violently shaking. The reason is soon seen: A UFO is flying just metres from the ground. Billie is then seen teleporting from the ship and down onto the street. She starts singing and dancing and soon gathers huge crowds of supporters. In the video, cut scenes of Billie and her friends walking down side streets are seen. In one scene, she melts a bin which transforms into a dancing humanoid and in another scene she graffitis "Billie" on a billboard and an animated character then jumps from the billboard and dances along with the humanoid made from the melted bin. Later in the video, she and her friends sneak into a warehouse and have a party.

Track listings

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Credits and personnel

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Credits are lifted from the Honey to the B album booklet.[17]

Studios

Personnel

  • Dion Rambo – writing
  • Jacques Richmond – writing
  • Wendy Page – writing, backing vocals, vocal arrangement, production, mixing
  • Jim Marr – writing, keyboards, programming, production, mixing
  • Billie Piper – vocals
  • Roger Jackson – additional keyboards
  • Yak Bondy – additional programming
  • Pete Craigie – recording, mixing
  • Steve Cooper – assistant engineering (Ridge Farm)
  • Michelle Barry – assistant engineering (Marcus)
  • Matt Tait – assistant engineering (Metropolis)

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Silver 319,000[2]

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 29 June 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
[30]
Japan 11 November 1998 CD [31]

References

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  1. ^ "Drama – People Index Billie Piper". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b Copsey, Rob (6 July 2017). "Official Chart Flashback 1998: Billie Piper's record-breaking debut at Number 1 with Because We Want To". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  3. ^ Pidd, Helen (4 January 2008). "Profile: Billie Piper | Television & radio". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Helen Shapiro". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. ^ Jones, Alan (11 July 1998). "Chart Commentary". Music Week. p. 10.
  6. ^ a b "Billie – Because We Want To". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. ^ a b "Hits of the World: Canada". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 37. 12 September 1998. p. 74.
  8. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7932." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Billie Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Because We Want To" by Billie (mvdbase.com)
  11. ^ Because We Want To (UK CD1; Canadian & Australasian CD single liner notes). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. SINCD2, 7243 895123 2 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Because We Want To (Japanese CD single liner notes). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. VJCP-12115.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Because We Want To (UK CD2 liner notes). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. SINDX2, 7243 895124 0 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Because We Want To (European cassette single sleeve). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. SINC2, 7243 895123 4 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Because We Want To (European CD single liner notes). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. SINCDE2, 7243 895140 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Because We Want To (US 12-inch single sleeve). Billie. Virgin Records. 1998. 7087 6 13624 1 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Honey to the B (UK CD album booklet). Billie. Innocent Records, Virgin Records. 1998. CDSIN1, 7243 8 46614 0 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ "Billie – Because We Want To" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  19. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 29. 18 July 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (20.8–27.8. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 21 August 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Because We Want To". Irish Singles Chart.
  22. ^ "Billie – Because We Want To". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  24. ^ "Billie – Because We Want To". Singles Top 100.
  25. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  26. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1998". ARIA. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  29. ^ "British single certifications – Billie – Because We Want To". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  30. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 27 June 1998. p. 27. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  31. ^ "ビコーズ・ウイ・ウォント・トゥ | ビリー" [Because We Want To | Billie] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
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