Who Did It Better? I Want To Do It With You/I Wanna Do It With You

Who Did It Better? 

I Want To Do It With You/I Wanna Do It With You

I love songs which creep around the edges of popular music. Oh, they may not break into the Top Ten the world over, but they do have a winning way with the public, making a huge impression in a given market. Such is the case with today's Who Did It Better? selection, a slice of vintage 1950's pop with verve to spare.

I Want To Do It With You (aka: I Wanna Do It With You) is a song written by James Layng Martine Jr.

For four decades, Martine's compositions have appeared on the country and pop music charts. His writing credits include Elvis Presley's million-selling Way Down; The Pointer Sisters' Top Ten Should I Do It and Trisha Yearwood's I Wanna Go Too Far. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Country Song, for co-writing Reba McEntire's The Greatest Man I Never Knew and in 2013, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Pointer Pointer Sisters first recorded I Want To Do It With You during sessions with producer Richard Perry for their 1982 album So Excited!. However, despite the fact that the trio had enjoyed a Top Ten hit with Martine's Should I Do It on their previous album, I Want To Do It With You wouldn't make the final cut and ended up being released as the B-side to their Top 20 single, American Music. 

Two years later, their version of the song would find new life as part of the the soundtrack of the 1984 movie Grandview U.S.A. starring Patrick Swayze, Jamie Lee Curtis and C. Thomas Howell. Despite the high profile cast, and the popularity of such albums at the time, a soundtrack album for the film was never released. The film featured over 20 songs - many of which remain unreleased to this day, such as the title theme performed by Air Supply. 

A few months later, the song, retitled I Wanna Do It With You, was recorded by Barry Manilow for his ninth studio album, 1982's Here Comes The Night, which in the UK would go by the title I Wanna Do It With You. It was released as a single and hit #8 in the UK, #3 in Ireland and #35 in Australia. 

1982 found Manilow, a proven hitmaker, at a bit of a crossroads. Diminishing sales in the US and lackluster chart action for his previous two albums were of grave concern for Clive Davis and the folks at Arista Records, so Manilow was encouraged to change with the times and adopt a more Top 40 friendly musical persona. The move proved to be an awkward fit. In addition to the slightly edgier Here Comes The Night, that year would also find him releasing an EP full of similar, upbeat pop fair, Hey, Julie. Neither attempt restored Manilow to his former Top 40 glory.

Diane Richards would record a version for her 1983 self-titled album on Zoo York Records. The album included cover versions of Diana Ross' You Got It (You Got It All) and Barry White's It's Ecstasy When you Lay Down Next To Me. It also included the #44 R&B hit Listen To Your Heart. Richards would go on to serve as Executive Director of the Harlem Writers Guild and write Sowa’s Red Gravy which was produced in 2012 by the New Federal Theater. In addition, she is a published poet, fiction writer and theatrical producer.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: I Want To Do It With You/I Wanna Do It With You

The Competitors: The Pointer Sisters vs. Manilow vs. Richards 

I Want To Do It With You - The Pointer Sisters

I Wanna Do It With You - Barry Manilow

I Want To Do It With You - Diane Richards

The Pointer Sisters

First, sorry about using the video version of this song, but it's the only version available on YouTube. So, do your best to ignore Patrick and Jamie and simply listen to the sisters.

This recording is two years before Cyndi Lauper would break big driving a similar sound. I think that's June on lead, and her sound is ear-piercingly pointed.

This is fun. The energy might be a bit forced, but its a joyous homage to a great sound. Even with the modern instrumentation, Perry and the sisters still found the right feeling. The backing harmonies are as solid as they are vintage.

I must say, I'm surprised this wasn't released as single in its own right. This is a great fit for the sisters, as they built their career on mining vintage sounds. Set it next to their hit, Fire, and it makes for a great companion piece.

I'm enjoying the depth and chunkiness of the arrangement. Even that rather standard sax solo isn't dimming my enthusiasm for this. The more I listen to this, the more I am convinced this was a lost opportunity.

Solid work!

Barry Manilow

I never bought Barry Manilow wearing a leather jacket, much less leather pants. It was like the science nerd trying to be 'cool'. He looked uncomfortable. It seemed an odd fit visually, and also telegraphed how out of sync this musical move was in relationship to who Manilow was as a singer, songwriter and musician. But Clive Davis always got his way, even to the detriment of the artists he was overseeing.

So, the arrangement strikes me as a bit standard and not as much fun as the sisters' version, but still, plenty of energy there. Manilow sounds good, too... but he's not this type of singer. He's a crooner and doesn't quite understand that he needs to clip words. He's singing full phrases using his full voice, lovely, but not what's required for this 1950's bit of pop fluff. Listen to how he fully sings each word - he ends up dragging the pop edge. 

That said, his energy is great. He sounds invigorated. Unfortunately, when we reach the chorus, the arrangement and mix is all wrong. We get an acoustic piano line for the counter melody and it lacks the punch and crunch of a guitar. It brings to mind Springsteen's E Street Band sound, but there's an interplay with the guitar and organ that's lacking. And the backup vocals strike me as a bit pedestrian - again, this should be a lot of campy fun, playing off of well-worn 1950's archetypes - instead, we get something rather underwhelming and staid. 

Second verse, its okay, but, again, his vocal choices are killing the edge. It's pleasant, but... it's like what used to happen when Pat Boone would take on a hot R&B number, getting the hit, but sanding off all the edges of the song in the process. 

I guess I should keep in mind what a dramatic departure this was for Manilow. 

When we hit the C-section, all I can think about is how Sean Cassidy would have hit this out of the park. Manilow acquits himself well, though I don't understand the treated vocals as he hits the top of his range. Maybe that's what's wrong with the overall sound on this... it lacks a 'live' element. It's homogenized; with everything being tightly-controlled and carefully packaged. Not exactly what 1950's rock 'n roll was all about. 

As for the sax solo, I prefer the sister's. Manilow's sounds pointed and squawky. 

And... a key change. Why? Because it's a Barry Manilow record. 

Manilow seems in the spirit of things and sounds great on the fade out. 

This was pleasant. Not lively enough, but nice enough.

Diane Richards

Production seems a little weak, flattened and muffled. That guitar lead is mummified.

Her voice brings to mind Anita Ward, who had a #1 with the last disco hit, Ring My Bell.

And, while a great fit for this, Richards doesn't have the pop chops necessary to deliver the goods. She's unable to dig in and find the doo-wop fun of the piece, singing it far too straight. In the end, she just sort of skates on the surface of the song without inhabiting its spirit.

And slipping into spoken word? It rarely works.

The backing vocals are mixed in the middle and they're too solid, so they threaten to overwhelm the lead. The arrangement strikes me as by-the-book, with all the instrumentation mixed at the same level and at the bottom.

There's a natural trill to Richard's voice and that would have been the key to making this memorable - had the producer played that up and gotten Richards to ham it up a bit. As is? This in not a lot of fun.

You can hear how she's steps away from capturing some of the spritely magic which Diana Ross effortlessly brings to such numbers, but, for Richards, they seem a step too far - she lacks the pop smarts to bridge that gap. 

And, no whacky sax, instead, we get that mellowed-out vanilla pudding guitar lead. Meh. It gets better as it goes on, but I'm ready for this whole thing to fade out before the guitarist hits his stride. 

Instead, we have to sit through 45 seconds of more pedestrian-sounding tepidness. 

Sigh.

The Verdict

This belongs to the sisters. They, and Perry, get it right.

Theirs is energetic and vintage enough to find all the modern joy in this slight slice of pop. And the girls are in great form, fully-engaged and on board. I really do think this could have been a hit for them - at least Top 20. 

Manilow's version is much like that oversized leather coat he dons for the cover of the album - its a nice piece, but ill-suited. I think if someone had coached Manilow and gotten him to adopt some smarter pop chops - this could have worked better. As is, it's a pleasant read, but not his best moment. It's simply too weighed down to be much fun.

Richards is handed a thin arrangement lacking character and fails to bring any sense of fun to the proceedings herself. The backing vocals are the liveliest part of her version, which is actually quite sad.

So, for me - it's The Pointer Sisters all the way! Super fun. Super refreshing.

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And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn - you know what to do; leave your thoughts and choice in the comments section. 

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

I Wanna Do It With You - Barry Manilow