1982 No. 1 Duet, Ranked Among 'Best Party Songs Ever Made,' Has One of the Catchiest Choruses of the Decade
If you're a karaoke fan, then you know there are certain songs that get played more than others: "Sweet Caroline," "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Livin' on a Prayer," just to name a few. Of course, duets are always popular karaoke picks, too, and one of the most time-honored choices would have to be "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982.
Written by Human League founder Phil Oakey, "Don't You Want Me" was initially inspired by a photo-story in a teen magazine (presumably about a cocktail waitress). Oakey didn't originally mean for the song to be a duet, but after watching the James Mason version of A Star Is Born he decided to turn it into a conversation of sorts.
Since keyboard players Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh had left the band to form Heaven 17, Oakey hired a pair of teenage singers to take their place. One of them, Susan Ann Sulley, took the female part in "Don't You Want Me."
As Oakley told Variety in April 2026, he didn't expect "Don't You Want Me" to be a hit.
"We were on a circuit with Joy Division and everything and we thought that our long-term appeal would be a bit moodier than that," he explained.
"So when that song sort of formed itself, which is what they seem to do, I was a little bit shocked," Oakley said. "As usual, the radio people called it right and we took the LP out to radio and they all said that's the single, release that, and being daft punks we took a while to realize that. I think Joanne [Catherall] and Susan knew straight away. They're cleverer than me anyway."
'Don't You Want Me' is still in-demand for TV and movies
"Don't You Want Me," of course, went on to be the Human League's signature song. Time Out New York ranked it among the "Best Party Songs Ever Made," praising the track's "sauropod-size synth riffs" and the "chorus's devastatingly effective vocal hook" while pointing out that it's a "bit strange that ‘Don't You Want Me' has become one of the world's most played party tunes: Lyrically, it's the rather depressing tale of a gal who's outgrown a guy, and a guy who implies (somewhat disturbingly) that something bad will happen if the gal doesn't come back. Probably best to gloss over the lyrics and enjoy that enormous chorus."
All these years later, Oakley said he still gets more requests to use "Don't You Want Me" more than any other song, though said the band tries to be a "bit careful not to overuse it."
In 2024, the frontman shared a humble take on Human League's successful career with Music Radar, saying, "We're not musicians. We never trained."
"We've managed to continue as a band by always just feeling lucky about everything we've ever done," he continued. "I have never been the greatest songwriter in this group. I've never been the best singer in this group. I'm not a very good frontman or anything, we just do our best and hope that the audience will fill in the rest."
Related: 1963 Hit Ranked Among 'Greatest Songs of All Time' Became the Ultimate Party Anthem
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 6:26 PM.