On my first listen to Jason Derulo’s lead single from his fourth album, I thought, Man, this sounds like the ’80s. My second time through, I figured out exactly why. Not only is Derulo’s falsetto (which he uses throughout the song) eerily reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s, the synthesized chord progression in his chorus is practically a sample from Whitney Houston’s 1987 smash “Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Then there are the lyrics, the titular lines of which echo Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me.” (OK, that song’s live version charted in 1979, but it’s close enough.)
Derulo’s “Want to Want Me” mixes ‘n’ mingles all those throwback elements in an admittedly catchy next-gen pop song. Fine. But does that earworm appeal really have to serve up another heaping helping of his lust?
It begins with Derulo sleepless (and clothes-less) in bed: “It’s too hard to sleep/I got the sheets on the floor/Nothing on me/And I can’t take it no more/It’s a hundred degrees.”
That simmering ambient air temperature apparently amplifies Derulo’s internal heat, which is near the boiling point: “I got one foot out the door/ … I’m in the back of the cab/ … Get me there fast/ … I got your body on my mind/I want it bad.”
The chorus: “Girl, you’re the one I want to want me/And if you want me, girl, you got me/There’s nothin’ I, no, I wouldn’t do, wouldn’t do/To get up next to you.”
And then the second verse: “You open the door/Wearing nothing but a smile fell to the floor/And you whisper in my ear, ‘Baby, I’m yours’/Ooh, just the thought of you gets me high, so high.”
Leaving even less to the imagination is the song’s video. As it opens, we see Derulo’s bare torso as he writhes and churns and caresses himself in bed. (His midsection is strategically covered.) His girl, clad in skimpy lingerie, is going through similarly sexual motions on her own.
Until Derulo arrives, that is.
The temperature in the room at this point? Let’s just say its hotter as they thrust and grope and paw each other. Seriously steamy stuff, that. To answer the song’s plea for a sensual partnership, there’s no absolutely question about whether his girlfriend really wants him or not—or what “wanting” looks like in action.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.
