Desperately Wanting

"Desperately Wanting" is a song by American alternative rock group Better Than Ezra. It was released in December 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, Friction, Baby, and became a chart hit in the United States, Australia and Canada.

"Desperately Wanting"
Single by Better Than Ezra
from the album Friction, Baby
ReleasedDecember 3, 1996
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:37
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Kevin Griffin
Producer(s)Don Gehman
Better Than Ezra singles chronology
"King of New Orleans"
(1996)		 "Desperately Wanting"
(1996)		 "Long Lost"
(1997)

Composition

In an interview with SongFacts.com, Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin, who wrote this song, explained: "'Desperately Wanting' is a song where someone is looking back on their childhood. Specifically that song is about when I used to camp out with my friends in the summer down in the South, and you'd stay up all night causing havoc, throwing rocks at passing cars, knocking over mailboxes and vandalizing, as red-blooded men are wont to do. And literally, you're running all through the neighborhood and through the yards, and there's the dew on the grass. It was about those nights spent with a friend running around, running through the wet grass. And then it's a story of two people who took divergent paths in life. One person made a lot of bad decisions and ended up having some mental issues. And then just how you lose touch with people. And how when you're young and you're running around all night, and life hasn't had its way with you, the playing field is equal and it's flat. And then life takes everybody on their own journeys. But there's a time where all your potential is untapped and the world hasn't had its way with you. That's an amazing time of promise, and that's what 'Desperately Wanting' is about."[1]

Track listings

US CD and cassette single[2][3]

  1. "Desperately Wanting" – 4:37
  2. "Palace Hotel" – 3:44

European CD single[4]

  1. "Desperately Wanting" (radio edit) – 4:01
  2. "Palace Hotel" – 3:44
  3. "In the Blood" (LP version) – 4:32

Chart performance

"Desperately Wanting" reached No. 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking on February 8, 1997.[5] The song was most successful on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at No. 10.[6] In Canada the single reached No. 13 on both the RPM Top Singles and Alternative 30 charts.[7][8] It also made a brief appearance on the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at No. 83.[9]

Charts
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 83
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 13
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[8] 13
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 48
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[10] 15
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[11] 37
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] 11
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[6] 10
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[13] 33

References
  1. http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/kevin_griffin_of_better_than_ezra/
  2. Desperately Wanting (US CD single liner notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 64228-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Desperately Wanting (US cassette single cassette notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 64228-4.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Desperately Wanting (European CD single liner notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 7559-64199-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. "Better Than Ezra Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  6. "Better Than Ezra Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3161." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  8. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9794." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  9. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  10. "Better Than Ezra Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  11. "Better Than Ezra Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  12. "Better Than Ezra Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  13. "Better Than Ezra Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
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