I Want You Back
Encyclopedia
"I Want You Back" was released in 1969 and in early 1970s became a number-one hit single recorded by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...

 for the Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...

 label. The song, along with a b-side cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You
Who's Lovin' You
"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence Trent-D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham,...

", was the only single from the first Jackson 5 album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 is the debut album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band The Jackson 5, released on the Motown label in December 1969...

. It went to number one on the soul singles chart for four weeks and held the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 singles chart for the week ending January 31, 1970.

Production

Originally considered for Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...

 and later for Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

, as "I Wanna Be Free", "I Want You Back" explores the theme of a lover who decides that he was too hasty in dropping his partner. An unusual aspect about "I Want You Back" was that its main lead vocal was performed by a preteen
Preteen
Preadolescence is a stage of human development following early childhood and prior to adolescence. It may be defined as ending with the beginning of puberty or with the beginning of the teenage stage, the time frames in which adolescence is considered to begin. In terms of age in years,...

, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

.

The single was a notable first in many respects: it was the first Jackson 5 single to be released on Motown the first of four Jackson 5 number-ones released in a row (the others being "ABC
ABC (song)
"ABC" is a 1970 number-one hit song by The Jackson 5. "ABC" was written with the same design as "I Want You Back", and was first heard on American Bandstand in February 1970. "ABC" knocked The Beatles song "Let It Be" out of the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970...

", "The Love You Save
The Love You Save
"The Love You Save" is a 1970 number-one hit single recorded by The Jackson 5 for the Motown label. It held the number-one spot on the soul singles chart for six weeks. It held the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for two weeks, from June 27 to July 4, 1970...

", and "I'll Be There"), and the first song written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

 and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 by The Corporation, a team comprising Motown chief Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...

, Freddie Perren
Freddie Perren
Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...

, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards
Deke Richards
Deke Richards, also known as Dennis Lussier and Deke Lussier, is a songwriter and record producer, one of many white musicians/songwriters who were affiliated with Motown...

.

"I Want You Back" was also the first Jackson 5 song recorded in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

; the quintet had previously been recording Bobby Taylor
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers were a soul band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Briefly signed to Motown Records in the late 1960s, they had one top 30 hit single, "Does Your Mama Know About Me". As a producer and solo artist, Bobby Taylor contributed to several other soul recordings, both inside...

-produced covers, including "Who's Lovin' You
Who's Lovin' You
"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence Trent-D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham,...

", the B-side to "I Want You Back", at Hitsville U.S.A.
Hitsville U.S.A.
"Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters. A former photographers' studio located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, it was purchased by Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1959 and converted into both the record label's administrative building and recording...

 in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

.

Although Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...

 and Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers had been the ones to bring the Jackson brothers to Motown, Motown credited Ross with discovering them, not only to help promote the Jackson 5, but also to help ease Ross' transition into a solo career., a career begun soon after the Jackson 5 became a success.

Live performances

The Jackson 5 performed "I Want You Back" during all of their world tours, either as the full song or as a part of the Jackson 5 Medley, which also included "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There". "I Want You Back" was performed along with Sly & the Family Stone's
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...

 "Sing a Simple Song," The Delfonics'
The Delfonics
The Delfonics are a pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ", "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come "...

 "Can You Remember," and James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

's "There Was a Time" during their first television appearance on The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace is an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly on ABC from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970. It began as a mid-season replacement for the short-lived Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show which had lasted only three months...

 in an episode hosted by Diana Ross & the Supremes.

Michael Jackson, after leaving the Jackson 5, performed the song as part of his "Jackson 5 Medley" during all of his world tours, which included the Bad World Tour
Bad World Tour
The Bad World Tour was the first solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson that visited Japan, Australia, the United States and Europe. Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries...

, the Dangerous World Tour
Dangerous World Tour
The Dangerous World Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. The tour, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, included 69 performances to an audience of 3.5 million. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own "Heal the World Foundation". The...

 and the HIStory World Tour
HIStory World Tour
The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts and was attended by approximately 4.5 million fans, beating his previous Bad Tour...

. The last time the song was performed live was during the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special was a 2001 New York City revue show by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. It took place on September 7, 2001 and September 10, 2001...

, which was also the first time the group performed together since 1983. The song was due to be performed during the "Jackson 5 Medley" at Michael Jackson's This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)
This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...

 tour, but was cancelled due to his sudden death.

Reception

It has sold 6 million copies worldwide. In 1999, "I Want You Back" was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

"I Want You Back" ranks number 120 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

s list of the '500 Greatest Songs of All Time'. It also ranks ninth on Rolling Stone's list of the '100 Greatest Pop Songs since 1963'.

In 2006, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 named it the second best song of the 1960s, adding that the chorus contains "possibly the best chord progression in pop music history." A June 2009 article by The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

 called it "arguably the greatest pop record of all time".

Charts

Chart (1970) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...

77
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

2
US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

1
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 53
French Digital Singles Chart 26
Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

34
Swedish Singles Chart 47
UK Singles Chart 43

Personnel

  • Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

    , Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson
  • Background vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson
    Tito Jackson
    Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson is an American singer and lead guitarist and original member of The Jackson 5. He is the older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.-Early life and rise to stardom:...

    , Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson
  • Written, produced and arranged by The Corporation
  • Keyboards by Freddie Perren
    Freddie Perren
    Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...

  • Piano by Joe Sample
    Joe Sample
    Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an American pianist, keyboard player and composer.He is one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 .- Biography :Sample began playing the piano...

  • Guitar by David T. Walker, Louis Shelton and Don Peake
  • Bass guitar by Wilton Felder
    Wilton Felder
    Wilton Lewis Felder is both a saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of The Crusaders, initially called the Jazz Crusaders. Felder, Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, and Stix Hooper founded the group while in high school in Houston...

  • Drums by Gene Pello
  • Tambourine by Sandra Crouch
    Sandra Crouch
    Sandra Crouch is an American Gospel music performer, drummer and songwriter.-Musical career:She won a Grammy Award in 1985 for "Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female"....


Cover versions

  • A "live" version by Graham Parker and The Rumour
    Graham Parker
    Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...

     garnered mild success in 1979; its title is sometimes shown as "I Want You Back (Alive)". David Ruffin
    David Ruffin
    Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...

     recorded a version with The Funk Brothers at Hitsville in Detroit with the familiar Motown sound. It was to be included on his unreleased LP "David".
  • Canadian girl group West End Girls
    West End Girls (Canadian band)
    West End Girls were a Canadian pop band and girl group in the early 1990s.-History:The band was formed in Vancouver by producers John Dexter and John Livingston, and consisted of three teenaged girls, Camille Henderson, Aimee MacKenzie and Silvana Petrozzi...

     had a top-10 single in 1991 with their cover.
  • Latin Freestyle singer George Lamond
    George Lamond
    George Lamond, born George Garcia, is an American Freestyle music singer, who is of Puerto Rican descent.-Career:George Lamond began singing backup for various artists before landing a solo deal with Columbia Records...

     recorded a semi-successful cover version that appeared on his 1992 album, In My Life
  • British girl group Cleopatra
    Cleopatra (band)
    Cleopatra are a platinum-selling, BRIT Awards and MOBO Awards nominated, R&B/pop girl group from the UK whose members are sisters Cleo, Yonah, and Zainam Higgins.The girls were signed to Madonna's Maverick record label...

     released their cover version from their album Comin' Atcha!, which reached number four in the UK official top 40 in 1998.
  • In 2004, R&B/Pop singer Jay-Kid covered the song on his album "Bringing You the Magic!"
  • The Mexican cumbia
    Mexican cumbia
    Mexican cumbia is a musical subgenre of cumbia which was re-invented from Mexico.- Origins of Mexican Cumbia :The history of Cumbia in Mexico is almost as old as Cumbia in Colombia. In the 1940s Colombian singer Luis Carlos Meyer Castandet emigrated to Mexico where he worked with the Mexican...

     band Los Super Reyes
    Los Super Reyes
    Los Super Reyes are a Mexican cumbia music group from Corpus Christi, Texas created by Cruz Martínez after he and A.B. Quintanilla had arguments over Martínez selling the group they were both in at the time, Los Kumbia Kings. A.B. Quintanilla left the group, which he had created, along with other...

     covers the track in Spanish with the title "Quédate Más (I Want You Back)" on their 2007 debut album El Regreso De Los Reyes
    El Regreso De Los Reyes
    El Regreso De Los Reyes is the debut studio album by Cruz Martínez Y Los Super Reyes. It was released on August 14, 2007. A special edition was released on September 16, 2008...

    .
  • Allister
    Allister
    Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1996 and were one of the first bands to sign to Drive-Thru Records...

     recorded of cover of this song for their 2010 album "Countdown To Nowhere
    Countdown to Nowhere
    Countdown to Nowhere is the fourth full-length studio album from Allister, a pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois, released in Japan on June 16, 2010. It will be the band's first full-length album released in five years, and their first album released since the conclusion of their three-year...

    ."
  • The band Discovery
    Discovery (band)
    Discovery is the American indie rock, electronic, funk recording project of Rostam Batmanglij, the keyboardist from Vampire Weekend, and Wesley Miles, the vocalist from Ra Ra Riot, friends who began recording together in the summer of 2005.-History:...

    , featuring of Wesley Miles of Ra Ra Riot
    Ra Ra Riot
    Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band from Syracuse, New York, consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, cellist Alexandra Lawn , violinist Rebecca Zeller, and drummer Kenny Bernard.-History:...

     and Rostam Batmanglij
    Rostam Batmanglij
    Rostam Batmanglij is a producer and multi-instrumentalist of New York-based indie rock band Vampire Weekend and co-founder of electro-soul group Discovery.-Background:...

     of Vampire Weekend
    Vampire Weekend
    Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...

    , cover the track on their 2009 debut album, LP
    LP (Discovery album)
    LP is the first album by the band Discovery, released July 7, 2009 on vinyl and July 14, 2009 on CD via XL Recordings.-Reception:Initial critical response to LP was generally favorable...

    .
  • Korean singer 박봄 (Park Bom) from 2NE1
    2NE1
    Both the song and the group became popular online: Fire topped Mnet's online chart and 2NE1 became a popular search term. The group was awarded three Cyworld Digital Music Awards; "Lollipop" and "Fire" both won "Song of the Month" and the group won "Rookie of the Month" for May 2009...

     sang "I Want You Back" on KBS's sketchbook as a solo.
  • Richie Kotzen
    Richie Kotzen
    Richie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.At a young age, Richie Kotzen was taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by the band KISS to learn the electric guitar...

     ex-member of the bands Poison
    Poison (band)
    Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...

     and Mr. Big
    Mr. Big (band)
    Mr. Big is an American rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1988. The band is a quartet composed of Eric Martin , Paul Gilbert , Billy Sheehan , and Pat Torpey ; Mr. Big also included Richie Kotzen, a reputable blues-based guitarist who replaced Gilbert in 1999...

     made a cover in the 2009 Japanese version of his album Peace Sign.
  • The John Butler Trio performed the song on the Triple J
    Triple J
    triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

     segment Like a Version
    Like A Version
    Like a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show...

     in January 2010.
  • Virginia-based powerpop/rock band The Bigger Lights
    The Bigger Lights
    The Bigger Lights are a five-piece rock band based in Vienna, Virginia. The band signed with Doghouse Records less than one year after forming. Fiction Fever was released on October 7, 2008. Their self-titled debut album was released on March 30, 2010...

     made a cover of this song available on their MySpace on December 15, 2009.
  • It was performed on American Idol during Hollywood Week's Group Night of Season 8 by "White Chocolate" a group containing Kris Allen
    Kris Allen
    Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...

     and Matt Giraud
    Matt Giraud
    Matthew Scott "Matt" Giraud is a dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Michigan and the fifth place finalist of the eighth season of the reality television series American Idol.-Early life:...

    .
  • The song has been sung by Motown legend, Smokey Robinson
    Smokey Robinson
    William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...

    , on his 2009 album "Time Flies When You're Having Fun".
  • French salsa
    Salsa music
    Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...

     band Afincao in 2009, spanish/spanglish version : "I Want You Regreses"
  • Pop punk band A Loss for Words
    A Loss For Words
    A Loss for Words is an American pop-punk band from Abington, Massachusetts.They recorded their album The Kids Can't Lose at Playwork Productions in Pennsylvania...

     covered "I Want You Back" on their cover album "Motown Classics" released in May 2010
  • Colbie Caillat
    Colbie Caillat
    Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...

     covered the song for her iTunes Session in January 2010.
  • The song appears as a bonus track on Sheryl Crow
    Sheryl Crow
    Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...

    's 2010 CD 100 Miles from Memphis
    100 Miles from Memphis
    -Commercial performance:In the United States, 100 Miles From Memphis was the Billboard 200's second-highest debut. The album which started at number #3 with sales of 55,000 copies is the singer's eighth top 10 album. In its second week, the album droped to number #8, with sales of 24,000 copies. In...

    .
  • Ayọ
    Ayo
    "Ayo!" is an R&B/Go-go song by American singer-songwriter Mýa and features DJ Kool. The track was produced by Chris Henderson for Harrison fourth studio album Liberation. Ayo! was written by Chris Henderson, Mýa, and Charlie Smalls....

     covered the song and released as a bonus track for her 2011 album Billie-Eve
    Billie-Eve
    Billie-Eve is the third studio album by Nigerian-German singer–songwriter Ayọ. The album is named after her daughter and was recorded in New York with the cooperation of musicians like Craig Ross , the rapper Saul Williams, Matthieu Chedid and Gail Ann Dorsey, bass player of David Bowie. The...

    .
  • The Nickelodeon
    Nickelodeon (TV channel)
    Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...

     TV show Victorious
    Victorious
    Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...

     featured the song on their TV film/episode Locked Up, which is included in its soundtrack
    Victorious (soundtrack)
    -Charts:-Personnel:*C.J. Abraham - Composer, Engineer, Keyboards, Programming, Vocals *Backhouse Mike - Additional Production, Drums, Engineer, Instrumentation, Keyboards, Producer, Programming*Rob Bacon - Guitar*Drake Bell - Composer...

    , released on August 2, 2011. Also, the star of the show, Victoria Justice
    Victoria Justice
    Victoria Justice is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious...

     has performed the song on her tour stops.

Live covers

  • The British singer Mika
    Mika (singer)
    Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...

     sang the song during one of his Europeans tours, and the song appears on the Live in Cartoon Motion
    Live in Cartoon Motion
    Live in Cartoon Motion is Mika's first live DVD. It is a recording of the French leg of his tour, at L'Olympia Paris on 30 June 2007. The DVD also features a documentary, all Mika video clips to date and extra TV performances.-Live:...

     DVD.
  • Guns N' Roses
    Guns N' Roses
    Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

     played a short version of the song in Tokyo
    Tokyo
    , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

    , 2009, on their Chinese Democracy
    Chinese Democracy
    Chinese Democracy is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released in November 2008 on Geffen Records. It is the band's first studio album since "The Spaghetti Incident?" , released exactly 15 years before Chinese Democracy, and their first album of original studio...

     World Tour.
  • Sugarland performs the song in a mashup of Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
    Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
    "Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...

     and Party in the U.S.A.
    Party in the U.S.A.
    "Party in the U.S.A." is a pop song performed by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The song was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly, and Jessie J and produced by Dr. Luke. It was released on August 11, 2009, by Hollywood Records, as the lead single from Cyrus' first extended play The Time of Our...

     on their Incredible Machine Tour.
  • A progressive bluegrass
    Progressive bluegrass
    Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker. Musicians and bands John Hartford, New Grass Revival, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Dillards, Boone Creek, Country Gazette, and the...

     version of "I Want You Back", featuring mandolin and guitar, was performed by American acoustic
    Acoustic music
    Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...

     trio Nickel Creek
    Nickel Creek
    Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...

     on their "Farewell (For Now) Tour" in 2007.
  • Victoria Justice
    Victoria Justice
    Victoria Justice is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious...

     & The Cast Of Victorious
    Victorious
    Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...

     performed it on their Walmart performance.

Sampled and remixed versions

The song has been repeatedly sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

, with notable uses by Kris Kross
Kris Kross
Kris Kross was an American rap duo of the 1990s comprising Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo are best known for their hit 1992 song "Jump", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single...

 ("Jump
Jump (Kris Kross song)
"Jump" is a 1992 song by the hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was released as a single in early 1992 from their album Totally Krossed Out. It achieved great success in many countries where it topped the charts, including Australia, Switzerland and the U.S....

", 1992), Tamia
Tamia
Tamia Hill , and known professionally as Tamia, is a four-time Grammy-nominated Canadian R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, model, entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as an occasional actress.She is best known for her 2000 hit "Stranger In My House" and Fabolous' 2003...

 ("Imagination, 1998), Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...

 ("Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
"Izzo " is a single released by Jay-Z from his sixth album The Blueprint. It is among his most popular singles. This was the second song released off The Blueprint, after the diss track "Takeover", but the lead single from it. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S...

" and the mash up "Izzo/In The End" with Linkin Park, 2001), and Lil Romeo ("My Baby", 2001). The song was interpolated
Interpolation (music)
Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...

 by BLACKstreet
BLACKstreet
Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what...

 and Mya featuring Ma$e and Blinky Blink for the remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 of "Take Me There
Take Me There (Blackstreet song)
"Take Me There" is a Pop/R&B song by American quartet Blackstreet and Mýa and features Bad Boy rappers Ma$e and Blinky Blink. The track was produced by Teddy Riley for the soundtrack for the motion picture film The Rugrats Movie and featured on Blackstreet's fourth studio album Finally...

" from the Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film, produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Movies. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998....

 soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...

. A lesser-known sample was the one used in "Fantastic" by will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...

. The song was also used in a mash-up alongside Semi-Charmed Life
Semi-Charmed Life
"Semi-Charmed Life" is Third Eye Blind's first single off their self-titled debut album, released in 1997. It was a major hit of the 1990s, reaching number four in the U.S., number one on the Modern Rock Tracks and the Top 40 in the UK. Furthermore, it has had a pervasive cultural impact, being...

 by Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...

 for the game DJ Hero
DJ Hero
DJ Hero is a music video game, developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision as a rhythm game spin-off of the Guitar Hero franchise. It was released on October 27, 2009 in North America and on October 29, 2009 in Europe...

.
  • The single was re-issued in the UK in 1988 as a remix by Pete Waterman
    Pete Waterman
    Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...

    's PWL label. They remixed the song to include a snippet of "ABC
    ABC (song)
    "ABC" is a 1970 number-one hit song by The Jackson 5. "ABC" was written with the same design as "I Want You Back", and was first heard on American Bandstand in February 1970. "ABC" knocked The Beatles song "Let It Be" out of the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970...

    ". The remix reached #8 in the UK.
  • The song was performed by the cast of Victorious
    Victorious
    Victorious is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega , a teenager who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts High School, after taking her older sister Trina's place in a showcase while getting into...

    in the special Victorious: Locked Up.

External links

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