“Do You Wanna Hold Me?” by Bow Wow Wow

When “Do You Wanna Hold Me?” was dropped, the vocalist was still in her mid-teens. So it’s kinda understandable where, in the first verse for instance, we are met with a couple of references to “Mickey Mouse”, who is generally understood as a children’s character. And it’s funny hearing what she has to say now in early 2020s, as these days, in the information age, criticisms of Disney and the type of socialization they are propagating via their product seem to be coming forth more regularly. 

But that said, calling Mickey Mouse “such a demon” and then following up that statement with the claim that “he’s as big as a house”, not only read as unrelated but also unsubstantiated claims. And so it is with the lyrics of “Do You Wanna Hold Me?”.

In the grand scheme of the song, that’s another way of saying that interpreting this piece requires imagination on the part of the listener. And in that regard, what the vocalist seems to be relaying, in part, is something like popular cartoons, such as Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry or Pinocchio, not being as innocent or even as fictional as they may appear. 

But that’s a story for another day because, as implied earlier, these lyrics really do seem to go off on tangents and don’t expound on what’s being implied through observations to these cartoons. Well that is except for the second verse to some degree, where the vocalist seems to be alluding to the notion that children spend too much time embroiled in fiction via cartoons.

“Do You Wanna Hold Me?”

Meanwhile the title is based on the vocalist obviously being in need of some type of emotional support. She also relatedly mentions ‘holding her there’ and ‘holding her tight’, which would imply that she’s posing the titular question to a romantic interest of some sort. 

And one theory that may be arguable is the reason she’s ‘crying all night’ is due to some trauma related to the aforementioned cartoons or what have you.

Deep Lyrics

Beyond all of that, there is also what can be termed a philosophical slant to this song.  That is to say that in the third verse, the vocalist instructs the “children” that “love and death ain’t no physical thing”. Out of all of the unusual statements made in this piece, that’s the one that’s probably the most esoteric, if you will. And understanding what Lwin and co. are talking about would probably require a deeper study into the religious and spiritual beliefs of the band.

But what’s more obvious is that Bow Wow Wow was not only new wave in sound but also in thought, in a manner of speaking. In fact this analysis can be concluded by arguing that “Do You Wanna Hold Me?” doesn’t even make discernible sense on an all-inclusive level and in some instances, such as the third verse, on the partial level either.

But what can be taken from this piece is that the vocalist is concerned for children since, as depicted, they are the victims of some type of wicked socialization and miseducation campaign. And more or less being a child herself, it would appear that the vocalist has also been negatively affected by these realities, or presumably something like that.

Facts about “Do You Wanna Hold Me?”

Bow Wow Wow (not to be confused with Lil Bow Wow) is a band of new wave musicians from London who came on the scene in 1980. Even though the act remains extant to this day they only got around to dropping two studio LPs, both products of RCA. The second of those albums is1983’s “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going”. It is from that project that we get “Do You Wanna Hold Me?”.

This song is one of the most widespread hits in Bow Wow Wow’s catalog, i.e. charting in both the UK and US, in addition to a few other countries. Where it appears to have performed most impressively is in the Netherlands and bordering Belgium.

Bow Wow Wow bandmates Matthew Ashman (1960-1995), Dave Barbarossa, Annabella Lwin and Leigh Gorman are credited with writing this song (with Gorman and Lwin still being active in the band as of this writing). The track’s producer is Mike Chapman, one of the most notable behind-the-scenes’ men of the new wave music era.

To note Annabella Lwin, who was recruited by the band at 13 years of age, was only 16 when this track came out.

Bow Wow Wow is a band that ascended from the ashes of a late-1970s’ rock group known as Adam and the Ants. As such, the style of this song is said to have been influenced by that act.

The “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” Album

England’s 80s sensation, Bow Wow Wow released the album, “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” in 1983 as their 2nd studio album.

Recording took place at the Sarm West Studios in the British capital, London. Mike Chapman, an Australian-American record producer is recognized as the album’s producer. Mike made a name for himself as a highly celebrated pop icon in the 1970s.

“When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” was officially released on Sony Music’s RCA Records. It became the final album from the English band to feature its original lineup.

In the United States, “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going” peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard 200.