Desperately Wanting

"Desperately Wanting"
"Desperately Wanting"
Single by Better Than Ezra
from the album Friction, Baby
Released	December 3, 1996
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	4:37
Label	Elektra
Songwriter	Kevin Griffin
Producer	Don Gehman
Better Than Ezra singles chronology

"Desperately Wanting" is a song by American alternative rock group Better Than Ezra. It was released in December 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, Friction, Baby, and became a chart hit in the United States, Australia and Canada.

Composition

In an interview with SongFacts.com, Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin, who wrote this song, explained: "'Desperately Wanting' is a song where someone is looking back on their childhood. Specifically that song is about when I used to camp out with my friends in the summer down in the South, and you'd stay up all night causing havoc, throwing rocks at passing cars, knocking over mailboxes and vandalizing, as red-blooded men are wont to do. And literally, you're running all through the neighborhood and through the yards, and there's the dew on the grass. It was about those nights spent with a friend running around, running through the wet grass. And then it's a story of two people who took divergent paths in life. One person made a lot of bad decisions and ended up having some mental issues. And then just how you lose touch with people. And how when you're young and you're running around all night, and life hasn't had its way with you, the playing field is equal and it's flat. And then life takes everybody on their own journeys. But there's a time where all your potential is untapped and the world hasn't had its way with you. That's an amazing time of promise, and that's what 'Desperately Wanting' is about."^[1]

Music video

The video for "Desperately Wanting" was filmed at Los Angeles International Airport.^[2]

Track listings

US CD and cassette single^[3]^[4]

"Desperately Wanting" – 4:37
"Palace Hotel" – 3:44

European CD single^[5]

"Desperately Wanting" (radio edit) – 4:01
"Palace Hotel" – 3:44
"In the Blood" (LP version) – 4:32

Chart performance

"Desperately Wanting" reached No. 48 on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking on February 8, 1997.^[6] The song was most successful on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it peaked at No. 10.^[7] In Canada the single reached No. 13 on both the RPM Top Singles and Alternative 30 charts.^[8]^[9] It also made a brief appearance on the Australian Singles Chart, peaking at No. 83.^[10]

Weekly charts

Chart (1996–1997)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[10]	83
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[8]	13
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[9]	13
US Billboard Hot 100^[6]	48
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[11]	37
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[7]	10
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[12]	33
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[13]	11
US Triple-A (Billboard)^[14]	15

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[15]	29
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[15]	29

References

^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
^ Roos, John (October 11, 1996). "Cooking With 'Friction' : Better Than Ezra's Spicy Rock Stew Erupts From Bayou Country, but It's No Cajun Leftover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
^ Desperately Wanting (US CD single liner notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 64228-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Desperately Wanting (US cassette single cassette notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 64228-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Desperately Wanting (European CD single liner notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 7559-64199-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ^a ^b "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. February 8, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. January 25, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3161." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9794." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
^ "Adult Pop Airplay". Billboard. September 13, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ "Pop Airplay". Billboard. February 22, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. January 4, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ "Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. March 8, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "The Year in Music 1997". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-73. Retrieved February 17, 2025.

[songfacts-1] "ShieldSquare Captcha". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.

[2] Roos, John (October 11, 1996). "Cooking With 'Friction' : Better Than Ezra's Spicy Rock Stew Erupts From Bayou Country, but It's No Cajun Leftover". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-08-17.

[3] Desperately Wanting (US CD single liner notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 64228-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[4] Desperately Wanting (US cassette single cassette notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 64228-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[5] Desperately Wanting (European CD single liner notes). Better Than Ezra. Elektra Records. 1996. 7559-64199-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[hot100-6] "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. February 8, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[usmr-7] "Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. January 25, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[can-8] "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3161." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2019.

[canrock-9] "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9794." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2019.

[aus-10] Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.

[11] "Adult Pop Airplay". Billboard. September 13, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[12] "Pop Airplay". Billboard. February 22, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[13] "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. January 4, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[14] "Adult Alternative Airplay". Billboard. March 8, 1997. Retrieved October 15, 2023.

[YE-83-15] "The Year in Music 1997". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-73. Retrieved February 17, 2025.

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v t e Better Than Ezra
Kevin Griffin Tom Drummond James Arthur Payne Jr. Michael Jerome Joel Rundell Cary Bonnecaze Travis McNabb
Studio albums	Deluxe Friction, Baby How Does Your Garden Grow? Closer Before the Robots Paper Empire All Together Now Super Magick
Live albums	Live at the House of Blues, New Orleans
Singles	"Good" "In the Blood" "Rosealia" "King of New Orleans" "Desperately Wanting" "Extra Ordinary" "A Lifetime" "Our Last Night" "Juicy" "Absolutely Still"
Videos	Live at the House of Blues, New Orleans
Related articles	Discography
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