I want you back

* When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around

Those pretty faces always make you stand out in a crowd
But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance is all it took
Now it's much too late for me to take a second look

Oh baby, give me one more chance
(To show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me back in your heart
Oh darlin', I was blind to let you go
(Let you go, baby)
But now since I've seen you it is on
(I want you back)
Oh I do now
(I want you back)
Ooh ooh baby
(I want you back)
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
(I want you back)
Na na na na

Trying to live without your love is one long sleepless night
Let me show you, girl, that I know wrong from right
Every street you walk on, I leave tear stains on the ground
Following the girl I didn't even want around

Let me tell ya now
Oh baby, all I need is one more chance
(To show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me back in your heart
Oh darlin', I was blind to let you go
(Let you go, baby)
But now since I've seen you it is on

All I want
All I need
All I want!
All I need!

Oh, just one more chance
To show you that I love you
Baby baby baby baby baby baby!
(I want you back)
Forget what happened then
(I want you back)
And let me live again!

Oh baby, I was blind to let you go
But now since I've seen you it is on
(I want you back)
Spare me of this cost
(I want you back)
Give me back what I lost!

Oh baby, I need one more chance, hah
I'd show you that I love you
Baby, oh! Baby, oh! Baby, oh!
I want you back!
I want you back!

* More songs from The Jackson 5
* More songs that were sampled into hits
* More songs that were an artist's first hit
* More songs about reconciliation or forgiveness
* More songs that had different titles when they started
* More songs covered by the Glee cast
* More songs used in Guardians of the Galaxy movies
* More songs used in movies
* More songs from 1969
* I Want You Back Songfacts

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### Comments: 14

* Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 21st 1970, the Jackson 5 performed "I Want You Back" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
At the time the song was at #4 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and just under a month earlier on January 25th, 1970 it peaked at #1 for one week {See post below}...
Though they didn't perform it on this 'Bandstand show, their next release, "ABC", would entered the Top 100 fifteen days later on March 8th at position #41.
* Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 14th 1969, the Jackson 5 performed "I Want You Back" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
At the time the song was at #17 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and on January 25th, 1970 it peaked at #1 {See next post below}...
And on January 4th, 1970 it also reached #1 {for 4 weeks} on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
\* On the Top 100 it replaced "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" by B.J. Thomas at #1; "Raindrops" had been in the top spot for four weeks.
* Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 18th 1969, the Jackson 5 performed "I Want You Back" on the ABC-TV program 'Hollywood Palace' {it was their U.S. national television debut}...
Twenty-two days later on November 9th, 1969 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 at position #90; eleven weeks later on January 25th, 1970 it peaked at #1 {for 1 week} and spent 19 weeks on the Top 100...
As stated above in Fact #1 the quintet's next three releases also reached #1 on the Top 100, and then their next two records both peaked at #2, "Mama's Pearl" for 2 weeks and "Never Can Say Goodbye" for 3 weeks.
* Heilige Bimbam from London, United KingdomDominick, where did you hear that Michael got injections to stop his voice breaking? Please give us the exact evidence, since you seem to believe it.These rumours were never substanciated, and his most comprehensive biographers found no evidence, after the most thorough research. Besides it would have amounted to medical malpractice, as well as grievous bodily harm, assault, and child abuse.Criminal charges would have been brought, believe me. So let us hear the source of your information.
* Erin from Boston, Massachusetts, MaIt's impossible to NOT move as you listen to this song. I miss Michael. RIP MJ 7/3/09
* Talya from Manchester, United KingdomJust to answer to Punkanelly's comment, I think this song basicly says that he used to be with a girl, and did not apreciate her very much( he says: "Following the girl
I didn't even want around")
and used to call her ugly and what not. And then when she realised she was being mis-treated she left him. He is now realising how much he misses her when she goes off with another man.
* Dominick from New York, NyIn the song, "I'll Be There," he makes a mistake when he sings, "Just look over your shoulders, honey," but they kept it in. The mistake is he was supposed to sing "shoulder" not "shoulders." You can't look over both shoulders at the same time. So maybe the "pretty faces" line was a mistake, too.

Also, the Jackson 5 patterned themselves after Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Lymon was also a child singing sensation. When he reached puberty, his voice got deeper and his career was over. I believe he died in his early 20s from a heroine overdose.

That's the reason Michael Jackson starting getting doctor's injections so his voice wouldn't change as he got older. Now, he's turned into a full-fledged weirdo.
* Al from New York, NyThis is for punk, cause those lyrics bothered me for a while as well. What the lyrics means is that the girl in this song is not that pretty, so when she was in a crowd of pretty girls she stood out because she was less attractive. Then another man saw her true beauty.

Considering that this is the single greatest song ever recorded, it bears mentioning.
* Punkanelly from Lake Charles, LaWell I viewed the lyrics. I'm 42 years old and to this day I still don't understand what's meant by the line "those pretty faces always made you, stand out in a crowd". It makes no sense. Shouldn't they have written the song to say: Your pretty face it always made you, stand out in a crowd? Doesn't that sound more the they way the writers probably intended it to sound? Did something get confused during the studio recording process. Did Michael sing it the wrong way or did Berry Gordy make one of his last minute in-studio changes? I'd like to know the story behind the writing of that strange line in this song. If there is a story.
* Anne from Dodge City, KsIf a guy ever told me that those pretty faces always made me stand out in a crowd... I think I would have to pass at taking him back. However I do love this song.
* Caitlin from Upper Township, Njthis was my jazz dance in a recital when i was 6. i love it! its one of my favorite old songs
* Nathan from From The Country Of, Canadavery catchy song classic jackson 5 song
* Bill from Boston, United Statescheck out the Grahm Parker version STUNNING
* Taal from Brisbane, AustraliaThe music for the song was also used by Rappin 4Tay in the song "Message for your Mind" which featured in the Dangerous Minds soundtrack.

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