"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group The Human League,… Read Full Bio ↴"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group The Human League, released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album Dare.

It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date. In 1981 it was the Christmas number one in the UK, where it has since sold over 1,560,000 copies, making it the 23rd most successful single in UK Singles Chart history. It later topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the US on 3 July 1982 where it stayed for three weeks.

The title is frequently misprinted by the media and by covering artists as "Don't You Want Me Baby", which is a prominent lyric in the song's chorus.

Don't You Want Me
Human League Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, when I met you
I picked you out, I shook you up
And turned you around, turned you into someone new

Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet
Success has been so easy for you
But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now
And I can put you back there too

Don't, don't you want me?
You know I can't believe it
When I hear that you won't see me
Don't, don't you want me?
You know I don't believe you
When you say that you don't need me
It's much to late to find
When you think you've changed your mind
You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?

I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
That much is true
But even then I knew I'd find a much better place
Either with or without you

The five years we have had have been such good times
I still love you
But now I think it's time I live my life on my own
I guess it's just what I must do

Don't, don't you want me?
You know I can't believe it
When I hear that you won't see me
Don't, don't you want me?
You know I don't believe you
When you say that you don't need me
It's much to late to find
When you think you've changed your mind
You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?

Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?
Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?

Don't you want me, oh?
Don't you want me, baby?

Overall Meaning

Human League's "Don't You Want Me" is a captivating synth-pop song with a haunting melody that embodies the 80s. The song relays a story of a romantic relationship between two individuals. The lyrics describe how the singer met the subject of the song, a waitress working in a cocktail bar, who he turned into a new person, successful and confident. The singer believes that he is the one responsible for the success of the subject, who now has the "world at her feet." However, the relationship has ended, and the subject claims that she doesn't need him anymore. The singer is still in love with her and asks, "Don't you want me, baby?"

The song can be interpreted in several ways, but it mainly deals with relationship power struggles. The singer feels that he's the reason for the subject's success but doesn't want to be left out of the picture, indicating his hurt ego. The subject, on the other hand, wants to move on from the relationship and be independent, indicating her displeasure with the singer's controlling behavior.

Overall, "Don't You Want Me" is a relatable song for many people who've experienced relationship struggles and power dynamics.

Line by Line Meaning

You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, when I met you
I met you when you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar

I picked you out, I shook you up
I noticed you and made you feel special

And turned you around, turned you into someone new
I helped you change from who you were to someone better

Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet
You have achieved great success after five years

Success has been so easy for you
You have achieved success effortlessly

But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now
Remember that I am the one who helped you reach where you are now

And I can put you back there too
And I can easily bring you back to where you were

Don't, don't you want me?
Do you not want me anymore?

You know I can't believe it
I cannot believe that you do not want me

When I hear that you won't see me
When I hear that you are refusing to see me

You know I don't believe you
I cannot believe that you do not need me

When you say that you don't need me
When you say that you do not require my presence

It's much to late to find
It's too late for you to realize

When you think you've changed your mind
When you think you have altered your opinion

You'd better change it back or we will both be sorry
You must go back to thinking otherwise we both will regret it

I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar
I worked as a waitress in a cocktail bar

That much is true
That is the truth

But even then I knew I'd find a much better place
But even back then, I knew I could find a better place

Either with or without you
With or without your support

The five years we have had have been such good times
Our five years together were great times

I still love you
I still have love for you

But now I think it's time I live my life on my own
But now I believe it's time for me to live independently

I guess it's just what I must do
I suppose this is what I must do