"I Want to Hear It from You" is a song by British band Go West, which was released in 1987 as the second single from their second studio album Dancing on the Couch. It was written by Peter Cox and Richard Drummie, and produced by Gary Stevenson. "I Want to Hear It from You" reached No. 43 in the UK and remained on the charts for four weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single.
Critical reception On its release, Ian Cranna of Smash Hits praised the "unexpectedly splendid start" of the track, with its " thumping beat and spangling guitar", but felt the rest of it was "Go West back to business as usual with massed synthesisers and 'soulful' vocal". He concluded that the song was "utterly average".Smash Hits magazine - Review: singles - Ian Cranna - 6–19 May 1987 - page 56 DJ Janice Long, as guest reviewer for Number One commented that Go West "certainly [have] something, even if they do sound little too slick at times". She added, "I'd have thought they'd have come back with a stormer but instead this is just a continuation of what they were doing first time around."Number One magazine - Singles - Janice Long - 9 May 1987 - page 24
Neil Taylor of New Musical Express described the song as a "staggeringly vacuous cut", a "really weak, synthetic sound thrown on the skeleton of a very flimsy song" and "evidence of the inanity of contemporary pop". In a retrospective review of Dancing on the Couch, Dan LeRoy of AllMusic felt the song was one of a small number that "make any sort of impression" and described it as "R&B-tinged opener, with Cox and guest Mo Birch adding a little heat to Gary Stevenson's synth-heavy production".
Track listing 7-inch single "I Want to Hear It from You" - 3:49 "Crossfire" - 4:29
12-inch single "I Want to Hear It from You (A Day in Aarhus)" - 4:50 "I Want to Hear It from You (Album Version)" - 3:49 "Crossfire" - 4:29
CD single (UK release) "I Want to Hear It from You (A Day in Aarhus)" - 4:50 "True Colours (The Snake Charmer Mix)" - 5:01 "Crossfire" - 4:29 "I Want to Hear It from You" - 3:49 "XL5" - 2:51
Personnel Go West Peter Cox - lead vocals, keyboards, percussion Richard Drummie - guitar, keyboards, percussion
Additional musicians Alan Murphy - guitar Dave West - keyboards Tony Beard - drums Mo Birch - backing vocals
Production Gary Stevenson - producer John Gallen - recording engineer Julian Mendelsohn - mixing engineer
Other Nick Knight - photography John Pasche - design
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1987) PeakpositionAustralian Singles Chart 80Italy Airplay (Music & Media) 15New Zealand Singles Chart 26UK Singles Chart 43
References