The Human League – Don’t You Want Me

The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” is one of the defining recordings of British synth-pop, combining a deceptively bright electronic arrangement with a tense story of ambition, jealousy and a relationship falling apart. Released in 1981 on the album Dare, the song was written by Philip Oakey, Jo Callis and Philip Adrian Wright, and produced by Martin Rushent and The Human League.

The song began as a male solo number, with Oakey’s lyrics inspired partly by a photo-story in a teenage magazine. After watching “A Star Is Born”, he decided the story would work better as a confrontation between two characters. Susan Ann Sulley was brought into the recording as his vocal counterpart, while Joanne Catherall provides additional backing vocals. The contrasting perspectives give the song its distinctive dramatic quality, with neither character entirely accepting responsibility for what has happened.

Musically, its crisp synthesizers, programmed rhythm and instantly recognisable melody helped establish the sleek electronic sound associated with the early 1980s. Interestingly, Oakey initially disliked the softened, more pop-oriented version produced by Rushent and regarded it as one of the weaker tracks on Dare. Its enduring appeal ultimately proved just how wrong that judgement was.

The song peaked at No. 01 in the UK singles chart on the 12th December 1981.