Throwback Thursday: The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me”
“Don’t You Want Me” by The Human League has one of those hooks that make for a good soundtrack for a commercial, and in the four decades since the song’s release, advertisers have certainly worn it out. Its simple, repetitive, and borderline silly hook goes well with just about any product. That being said, the hook belies a rather interesting dialogue that takes place in the song’s verses, which are basically a conversation between a big shot who thinks he’s owed love by a former waitress whose life he changed — and who then went parlayed her come-up into greater success independent of her sponsor.
In essence, this short and otherwise playful song explores the themes of sex, sexism and agency over a synth-y production. We just have to stan.
Released as the fourth single from the group’s third LP, Dare, “Don’t You Want Me” was almost never released as a single. After the success of the album’s first three singles, lead singer Philip Oakley was worried that a fourth single would be flirting with overexposure — especially one that he had considered a filler on the album.
Luckily, the band’s label, Virgin Records, insisted. The song went on to top the charts in both the US and the UK, and is largely credited as the seminal hit of the Second British Invasion.
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