Don’t You Want Me – Jody Watley | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#6), R&B (#3) & Hot Dance (#1); 1987

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

Chicago-born Jody Watley landed in Los Angeles with her mom in the wake of her parent’s divorce. Jody, like many young African-Americans, loved Soul Train, and dreamed of dancing on the show. She turned her fantasy into reality through persistence, eventually becoming a regular. Soul Train ultimately spun off its own record label and a studio group called Shalamar. Whwn Shalamar morphed into a real group, Jody was on board; a gig she held for seven years. In 1984, Jody moved to England and the slow lane for a couple of years. Upon her return to the States, Jody put together a solo project complete with demos and commitments from producers. MCA Records liked what they heard and so did DJ’s and pop music fans. Five tracks from Jody Watley blasted onto radio and trade charts, including Don’t You Want Me. A s a reward for such overwhelming success, Jody took home the 1987 Grammy for Best New Artist.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

  • Bernard Edwards

Lyrics Written by:

  • Franne Golde
  • David Paul Bryant
  • Jody Watley

Check Out all the Song Meanings of the 80s
Top 100 Songs Of The 1980s

Ed Osborne

Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).