Want to Want Me

Album: Everything Is 4 (2015)
Charted: 1 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The first single from Jason Derulo's fourth full-length album finds him unable to erase a girl from his mind as he lies awake at night. So obsessed is the singer that he flops out of bed and hops into a cab so that he can be with her:

    Girl you're the one I want to want me
    And if you want me, girl you got me
    There's nothing I, no nothing I wouldn't do
    Just to get up next to you


    According to some reports the feel-good track was written with reference to Derulo's former girlfriend Jordin Sparks. The couple dated for three years before their relationship crumbled.
  • Derulo co-wrote the song with Ian Kirkpatrick, Sam Martin, Lindy Robbins and Mitch Allan. Kirkpatrick, who also produced the track, has successful singles with Neon Trees ("Animal") and Breathe Carolina ("Blackout") on his resumé.
  • The steamy video follows the song's storyline as a restless Derulo grabs a cab over to his lover's house in the middle of the night. The clip was premiered on dating app Tinder. "Social media and dating together is the new wave," explained the singer. "It is the source of one half of the relationships in 2015, and I'm all about being part of the new wave. A lot of my friends and family members are on Tinder."
  • Jason Derulo explained to The Metro the meaning behind this song. "It's about the obsession with wanting that one person to want you back," he said, "and how you can't sleep, can't eat, unless they're with you."
  • This was Jason DeRulo's fourth UK #1, following 2010's "In My Head," the following year's "Don't Wanna Go Home" and 2013's "Talk Dirty."
  • Jason Derulo was inspired by seasons while creating the title for his Everything Is 4 album. "I actually wanted to involve four seasons," he told Entertainment Tonight. "Four is the number that follows us around. There's four legs on a chair, representing a strong foundation, and foundation is important to me because I come from a Haitian family and we literally started from the bottom and to where I am right now is just crazy. I'll always remember my foundation, I'll always remember where I came from and four seasons represents change."
  • The song was turned down by several artists, including Carly Rae Jepsen and One Direction; Chris Brown even cut a version before Derulo agreed to record the tune. "The process of 'Want to Want Me' becoming a single, was like, eight months of waiting and not knowing," Ian Kirkpatrick told Spin.
  • Derulo and his team were undecided between his song and "Broke" for Everything Is 4's lead single. "We were so stressed out about it, that by the time we found out it was the single, it was just like, okay," said Kirkpatrick.
  • Jason Derulo believes this was a smash hit because of its '80s influences, which meant it appealed to all ages. "It's one that got everybody, y'know?" he told ABC Radio. "I think songs that are able to just cross genres and [have] your grandma be able to sing it, and then your sister be able to sing it, those are the songs that I feel like are the biggest songs."

Comments: 1

  • Emmanuella from Ghana(teshie Lascala)I like jason derulo's songs their realy good but my fave is want to want me.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.