Wanna Be with You

"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)
  • My Love (UK)"
ReleasedDecember 1981
RecordedMay 1981
GenreR&B
Length3:55 (single version) 4:36 (album version)
LabelARC/Columbia
Songwriter(s)Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn
Producer(s)Maurice White
Earth, Wind & Fire singles chronology
"Let's Groove"
(1981)		 "Wanna Be with You"
(1981)		 "I've Had Enough"
(1982)

Overview

"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

Don 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

Wanna Be with You was covered by the jazz group Urban Knights on their 1995 album Urban Knights I.[8]

Personnel
  • Writing - Maurice White, Wayne Vaughn
  • Producer - Maurice White
  • Assistant producer - Larry Dunn, Verdine White
  • Programmer - Larry Dunn

Engineers[9]
  • Assistant engineer - Tom Perry
  • Mixing engineer - Mick Guzauski, Tom Perry
  • Recording engineer - Ken Fowler, Mick Guzauski, Ron Pendragon

Chart positions
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
  1. Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be With You. ARC/Columbia Records. December 1981.
  2. "Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be With You (Hot Soul Songs)". billboard.com. Billboard.
  3. "Top British Soul Singles". No. 382. Blues & Soul. April 20, 1982. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  4. "RPM Top Singles". bac-lac.gc.ca. Vol. 36, no. 4. RPM. March 6, 1982.
  5. Palmer, Don (January 1, 1982). "RECORD REVIEWS: Earth, Wind & Fire". Musician. No. 39. p. 83 & 84. ProQuest 962646665.
  6. de Lisle, Tim (March 18, 1982). Earth, Wind & Fire: Wanna Be with You. Smash Hits. p. 25.
  7. "Earth, Wind & Fire". grammy.com. The Recording Academy.
  8. Pallow, Dennis (October 30, 1995). "Urban Knights Gallop Through A '70s Groove". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune.
  9. "Jaxsta". jaxsta.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  10. "Cashbox Top R&B Singles". cashboxmagazine.com. Cashbox. February 27, 1982.
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