I Wanna get next to you - wikipedia I Wanna get next to you `` I Wanna Get Next To You '' Single by Rose Royce from the album Car Wash : Original Motion Picture Soundtrack B - side `` Sunrise '' ( US ) `` Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is '' ( International ) Released December 1976 Format 7 '' single Recorded Genre Disco, soul Length 3 : 56 Label MCA / Whitfield Songwriter ( s ) Whitfield Producer ( s ) Whitfield Rose Royce singles chronology `` Car Wash '' ( 1976 ) `` I Wanna Get Next To You '' ( 1976 ) `` I 'm Going Down '' ( 1977 ) `` Car Wash '' ( 1976 ) `` I Wanna Get Next to You '' ( 1976 ) `` I 'm Going Down '' ( 1977 ) `` I Wanna Get Next to You '' is a 1976 soul single written, composed and produced by American songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield, and most famously sung by American R&B band Rose Royce. It is the third official single from the Car Wash soundtrack. The song has also become a staple on oldies radio and on adult contemporary stations. Contents 1 Background 2 Chart performance 2.1 Weekly charts 2.2 Year - end charts 3 In popular culture 4 References 5 External links Background The song talks about how a narrator pleads love for a beautiful woman, except that the young woman is unkind, and does not understand his affection for her, as he wastes his own money calling her, but she does not respond, regardless, he still wants to `` get next '' to her. Chart performance The song became the group 's second top 10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10, and peaking at number 3 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. The song was also successful worldwide, becoming their second Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. Weekly charts Charts ( 1976 - 77 ) Peak position Australia KMR 53 Canadian RPM Singles Chart 14 New Zealand Singles Chart 6 UK Singles Chart 14 US Easy Listening 9 US Billboard Hot 100 10 US Hot Soul Singles Year - end charts Chart ( 1977 ) Rank Australia 169 Canada 129 New Zealand 44 UK 148 US Billboard Hot 100 87 In popular culture The song was sung on the popular sitcom in 1995, Martin, in the season three episode, `` All the Players Came '', where Martin Lawrence 's character, Jerome, the pimp, sings the song to guest star Pam Grier as part of a competition, facing off with Dolemite and Huggy Bear ( played by Rudy Ray Moore and Antonio Fargas ) for Detroit 's `` Player of the Year '' award, as part of the competition he sings the song poorly which attracts Pam Grier, which he later in the episode wins unanimously. In the same year, the sound was also featured on the soundtrack to the popular movie Friday. In 1997, this song was covered by R&B singer Cherrelle, and the r&b duo Christian. The song was also featured on the movie Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. References Jump up ^ David Kent ( 1993 ). Australian Charts Book 1970 -- 1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Chartstats -- Artist -- Rose Royce ''. The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 2013 - 01 - 02. Retrieved 2010 - 09 - 21. Jump up ^ Australian-charts.com Archived 2014 - 10 - 06 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Top 200 Singles of ' 77 -- Volume 28, No. 11, December 31 1977 ''. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 1, 2016. Jump up ^ http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/?chart=3866 Jump up ^ `` Old - Charts ''. Old - Charts. Retrieved 2016 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ Musicoutfitters.com External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Rose Royce Gwen Dickey Kenny Copeland Kenji Brown Lequeint `` Duke '' Jobe Victor Nix Henry Garner Freddie Dunn Michael Moore Terry Santiel Michael Nash Studio albums Car Wash Rose Royce II : In Full Bloom Rose Royce III : Strikes Again ! Rose Royce IV : Rainbow Connection Compilation albums Greatest Hits Singles `` Car Wash '' `` I Wanna Get Next to You '' `` I 'm Going Down '' `` Wishing on a Star '' `` Ooh Boy '' `` Love Do n't Live Here Anymore '' `` Is It Love You 're After '' Related articles Discography Norman Whitfield Whitfield Records Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I_Wanna_Get_Next_to_You&oldid=792190232 '' Categories : 1977 songs 1977 singles Songs written by Norman Whitfield Rose Royce songs Song recordings produced by Norman Whitfield Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 25 July 2017, at 01 : 13. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who sings i wanna get next to you
Answer: most famously sung by American R&B band Rose Royce