“Wanted U” by Joji

“Wanted U” by Joji “Wanted U” is a song by the Japanese-Australian singer, songwriter and ex YouTube star. Lyrically, “Wanted U” tells the tale of a broken-hearted man (Joji). He starts the song by telling how torn he is. But why is he torn? He’s extreme sadness comes from the fact that the woman he’s in love with isn’t requiting his love.

What even makes the narrator’s woes even worse is that the woman is 100% aware of his strong feelings towards her but consciously rejects them. This leads him to tell her in verse 3 of the song that she can go ahead and “punish” him. He further tells her he’s hanging on her noose. However, he pleads with her to save him.

It is noteworthy that the theme of unrequited love that runs throughout this song also runs throughout the album Ballads 1. Ballads 1 is the album on which this track appears.

Facts about “Wanted U”

• Joji (whose real name is George Miller) solely penned and produced “Wanted U”.
• The release date of this heartbreak song was October 26, 2018. It was released by the labels 88rising and 12Tone Music.
• Joji first performed “Wanted U” on December 13, 2017. This was several months before it was released.
• This song consists of three verses, two choruses and an outro.
• This tune is the fourth track on Ballads 1 (written in all caps).
• With a total length of four minutes and eleven seconds, “Wanted U” is the second longest track on the album. FYI: Ballads 1 is Joji’s second full-length album.
• The phrase “wanted you” (which happens to be the song’s title) appears only twice in the lyrics.
• Four days before the song officially came out, Joji performed it live along with Japanese singer and guitarist Miyavi at the Head in the Clouds Festival in Los Angeles.

Below is the video of Joji and Miyavi performing “Wanted U” live:

Was “Wanted U” released as a single from Ballads 1?

No. Ballads 1 produced four singles, including “Test Drive” and “Slow Dancing in the Dark“. This track wasn’t one of the singles from the album.

Did Joji shoot a music video for “Wanted U”?

The track was released without any accompanying music video. However on October 29, 2018, Joji dropped an official music video for “Wanted U”. The clip in question is shown below for your viewing pleasure.