I Don't Want You Back

I Don't Want You Back is the debut album by American R&B singer Eamon, released in the United States on February 17, 2004. Produced by Milk Dee and Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, the album spawned two singles which combined modern hip hop with classic doo wop: "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" and "I Love Them Ho's (Ho-Wop)". The album garnered a mixed reception from critics who found the production too predictable, and the repeated profanity wearing. The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 106,000 copies. It was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies.

This article is about the album. For the similarly-titled song from it, see Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back).

I Don't Want You Back
Studio album by Eamon
Released	February 17, 2004 (2004-02-17)
Recorded	2003
Studio	First Priority Labs Battery Studios (New York City)
Genre	R&B[1]
Length	48:55
Label	Jive
Producer	Milk Dee Roy "Royalty" Hamilton
Eamon chronology
I Don't Want You Back (2004) Love & Pain (2006)
Singles from I Don't Want You Back
"Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" Released: November 24, 2003 "I Love Them Ho's (Ho-Wop)" Released: July 26, 2004

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Entertainment.ie	[3]
The Guardian	[4]
People	[5]
Q	[6]
Robert Christgau	[7]
Rolling Stone	[1]
Slant Magazine	[8]
USA Today	[9]

I Don't Want You Back received generally mixed reviews from music critics who found the production by-the-numbers and felt that his potty-mouth gimmick wore thin. Johnny Loftus of AllMusic found a lot of filler in the album but said that it is "still quite promising, especially with such a statement-making single."[2] Entertainment.ie was mixed about the album's tracks with their depiction of women, concluding that "Eamon certainly has plenty of attitude and his album is undeniably good fun. But he also has a bit of growing up to do."[3] Rob Kemp of Rolling Stone said he saw promise in Eamon through the album's competent R&B production and the track "I Love Them Ho's (Ho-Wop)," concluding that "you wonder if this modestly gifted kid has something special inside him that perhaps Kanye West or R. Kelly could coax out."[1]

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine found Eamon's talent on the album limited, saying that the tracks that don't mix his dirty mouth with Motown and doo-wop melodies aren't "clever or well-constructed enough to transcend the misogyny and double-standards put on whorish display."[8] Despite praising Eamon's vocals, the album's beats and guest rap appearances, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian found the swearing crooner gimmick throughout the album wearing thin before it even ended.[4] Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud",[7] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."[10] Elysa Gardner of USA Today criticized the album for its lack of humor or irony throughout the tracklist, saying that "Eamon makes Eminem look like a standard-bearer for feminists."[9]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 106,000 copies.[11] It dropped to number nine in its second week with sales dropping 31% to 73,000 copies.[12] It was certified Gold by the RIAA and has sold 591,000 copies as of June 2006.[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro" (featuring Al Trautwig)	Eamon Doyle Mark Passy	M. Passy	0:15
2.	"I Love Them Ho's (Ho-Wop)"	E. Doyle Kirk Robinson Al Dubin Harry Warren	Milk Dee Eamon*	2:27
3.	"Somethin' Strange" (featuring Rap Legend Milk Dee)	E. Doyle K. Robinson	Milk Dee M. Passy	3:04
4.	"On & On"	E. Doyle K. Robinson Yared Williams	Milk Dee Y. Williams	3:27
5.	"Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)"	E. Doyle K. Robinson M. Passy	Milk Dee	3:45
6.	"Get off My Dick!" (featuring Rap Legend Milk Dee)	E. Doyle K. Robinson Y. Williams	Milk Dee	3:42
7.	"Girl Act Right"	E. Doyle Roy Hamilton	R. Hamilton	3:05
8.	"My Baby's Lost"	E. Doyle K. Robinson Y. Williams	Milk Dee Eamon*	2:59
9.	"I Want You So Bad"	E. Doyle K. Robinson M. Passy	Milk Dee M. Passy	3:30
10.	"4 the Rest of Your Life"	E. Doyle K. Robinson Y. Williams	Milk Dee Y. Williams	4:06
11.	"All Over Love"	Y. Williams A. Brito	Y. Williams Milk Dee*	3:16
12.	"Controversy"	E. Doyle Y. Williams	Y. Williams Milk Dee*	3:54
13.	"Lo Rida" (featuring N.O.R.E.)	E. Doyle Y. Williams Victor Santiago	Y. Williams	4:00
14.	"I'd Rather Fuck with You"	E. Doyle Bootsy Collins George Clinton Jr. Gary Cooper Eazy-E	R. Hamilton	3:25
15.	"Finally"	E. Doyle V. Jeffrey Smith	Milk Dee V. Jeffrey Smith	4:00

• (*) Denotes co-producer.

Sample credits

• "I Love Them Ho's (Ho-Wop)", samples "I Only Have Eyes For You" performed by The Flamingos, and written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren.
• "My Baby's Lost", samples "Top Billin'" performed by Audio Two, and written by Kirk Robinson.
• "I'd Rather Fuck with You", samples "I'd Rather Be With You" performed by Bootsy Collins, and written by Bootsy Collins, George Clinton Jr. and Gary Cooper and "I'd Rather Fuck You" performed by N.W.A., and written by Eazy-E.

Personnel

Adapted from the I Don't Want You Back liner notes.[14]

• Nat Robinson: executive producer
• Dave Kutch: mastering
• Crissy Gomez: make up artist
• Michelle 10: styling
• Anthony Cutajar: Milk Dee image
• Daniel Hastings: photography, art direction and graphic design

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 34 UK Albums (OCC)[16] 6 US Billboard 200[17] 7 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position US Billboard 200[19] 134 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 68

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[22]	Gold	591,000[13]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Kemp, Rob (March 10, 2004). "I Don't Want You Back : Eamon : Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
2. Loftus, Johnny. "I Don't Want You Back - Eamon". AllMusic. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
3. "Music Review | Eamon - I Don't Want You Back". Entertainment.ie. May 12, 2004. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
4. Sullivan, Caroline (April 30, 2004). "CD: Eamon, I Don't Want You Back". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
5. "Picks and Pans Review: I Don't Want You Back". People. Time Inc. March 8, 2004. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
6. "Eamon Rap - I Don't Want You Back CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
7. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Eamon". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
8. Cinquemani, Sal (March 3, 2004). "Eamon: I Don't Want You Back | Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
9. Gardner, Elysa (March 1, 2004). "Cee-Lo's 'Green' is gold; Black's 'Time' is well spent". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
10. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
11. Martens, Todd (February 25, 2004). "Jones Remains At 'Home' At No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
12. Martens, Todd (March 3, 2004). "Norah Makes Comfy 'Home' At No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
13. "Eamon Sharing 'Pain' On Sophomore Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. June 13, 2006. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
14. I Don't Want You Back (booklet). Eamon. Jive. 2004. 82876-58370-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
15. "Australiancharts.com – Eamon – I Don't Want You Back". Hung Medien.
16. "Eamon | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
17. "Eamon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
18. "Eamon Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
19. "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2004". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
20. "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2004". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
21. "British album certifications – Eamon – I Don't Want You Back". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 7, 2015. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type I Don't Want You Back in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
22. "American album certifications – Eamon – I Don't Want You Back". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 7, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.