Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover

"Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" is a song written, composed, recorded, and released by singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins. Released in 1992 from her debut album Tongues and Tails, the song achieved success in many countries worldwide; in the United States, it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway. In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Hawkins' second-most successful song on that chart after "Right Beside You", which reached number 13 in 1994.[2]

"Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"
Single by Sophie B. Hawkins
from the album Tongues and Tails
B-side"Don't Stop Swaying"
ReleasedMarch 31, 1992
Recorded1991
GenrePop rock[1]
Length5:23 (Album Version)
4:08 (Radio/Video Edit)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Sophie B. Hawkins (lyricist and composer)
Producer(s)Rick Chertoff, Ralph Schuckett
Sophie B. Hawkins singles chronology
"Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"
(1992)		 "California Here I Come"
(1992)

Song information

The song's lyrics are written from the perspective of a woman who is observing another woman in an abusive relationship. Her partner has her "chained up" in a "twisted cage" and the narrator is having a difficult time seeing her "black and blue". The narrator dreams of rescuing this abused woman and making her happy, taking away her pain, and being physically intimate with her ("If I was your girl believe me / I'd turn on the Rolling Stones / We could groove along and feel much better / Let me in / I could do it forever and ever and ever and ever / Give me an hour to kiss you / Walk through heaven's door I'm sure") ("I lay by the ocean making love to her with visions clear")[3]. Hawkins has explicitly stated that she is what she terms "omnisexual", which means that a lover's gender does not matter to her.[4] The song encourages people to be open-minded about this as well, with the line "Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed", which is meant to combat homophobia and queerphobia. The homoerotic nature of the song was rare at the time, as not many songs dealt with the erotic or romantic love between two women, but it was not picked up on by a large group of listeners, and it is still glossed over in many articles discussing lesbian representation in love songs.[5] [6]

Music video

The original music video for the song featured Hawkins lying on her back in a flowing, light-fabric outfit while singing the song, interspersed with scenes of dancers and of Hawkins kneeling down while wearing a combination of a tube top and essentially a diaper. At the time, television network MTV banned the original version for its erotic content;[7] moreover, Sony Music Entertainment (SME) was still repeatedly banning it from YouTube "on copyright grounds" as of late June 2017. A new video was shot, after the MTV ban, that showed Hawkins in a more conservative outfit of jeans and a flannel shirt, performing the song on a stage together with a band. While the new video was shot entirely in black and white, a significant portion of the original video was in colour (though there were scenes in black and white as well, with some artificial colouring used to artistically enhance the material). A portion of this original video is featured in the documentary The Cream Will Rise.[8] Both video versions used the shorter radio version.

Track listings

CD maxi

  1. "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (radio edit) – 4:08
  2. "Don't Stop Swaying" – 5:32
  3. "Listen" – 3:32

CD single

  1. "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" – 5:21
  2. "Don't Stop Swaying" – 5:32

7" single

  1. "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (radio edit) – 4:08
  2. "Don't Stop Swaying" – 5:32

12" maxi

  1. "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (radio version) – 4:08
  2. "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (long version) – 5:22
  3. "Listen" – 3:31
  4. "Don't Stop Swaying" – 5:32

Personnel
  • Mixed by David Leonard and Steve Churchyard
  • Produced by Ralph Schuckett and Rick Chertoff

Charts and certifications

Cover versions

References
  1. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover by Sophie B. Hawkins (Single, Pop Rock): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music
  2. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  3. "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" lyrics
  4. {{cite web|url=http://www.gomag.com/article/an_interview_with_sophie_/%7Ctitle=An Interview With Sophie B. Hawkins|work=GO Magazine|date=July 10, 2008|accessdate=July 14, 2012
  5. "A Brief History of Songs About Lesbian Sex"
  6. "30 Lesbian Love Songs: Women Singing About Women"
  7. Fitzharris, Dustin (July 10, 2008). "An Interview With Sophie B. Hawkins". GO Magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2012. ...she burst onto the scene with her debut album Tongues and Tails 15 years ago and released “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” with an erotically charged music video that was banned by MTV...
  8. Creme de la Creme by Todd Martinez-Padilla Simmons (Retrieved March 6, 2008)
  9. "Australian-charts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2172." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  11. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1959." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  12. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 40. October 3, 1992. p. 26. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  13. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 33. August 15, 1992. p. 19. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  14. "Lescharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  16. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 27. July 4, 1992. p. 24. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  20. "Charts.nz – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  21. "Norwegiancharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". VG-lista. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  22. "Notowanie nr549" (in Polish). LP3. August 28, 1992. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  26. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  27. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  28. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1992". ARIA. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  29. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56 no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 8. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  30. "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 51/52. December 19, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  31. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  32. "End of Year Charts 1992". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  33. "Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  34. "1992 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  35. CD Baby Online Music Store "http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mattpalmer2"
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.