Mari Wilson's 1982 single 'Just What I Always Wanted' reached the UK Top 10 and stayed there for three weeks, a success that its co-writer Tot Taylor says 'exceeded all expectations'. The song, which became Wilson's biggest seller, was produced by Tony Mansfield and featured a synth trumpet solo, despite its Motown-inspired sound.
The song's origins and recording
The track had been in Wilson's live set with different verses, referencing her backing band the Wilsations. When it came to recording, Wilson asked Tot Taylor, who wrote most of her early singles including 'Love Man' and 'Baby It's True', to change the lyrics. 'We can't sing that because no one will know who they are,' she recalled. 'What about, "A mink from Paris, a ring from Rome, a whole new wardrobe in my home?"' Taylor, whom she calls 'such a brilliant writer', took it from there.
Tony Mansfield, known for his work with New Musik on hits like 'Living by Numbers' and 'This World of Water', produced the song and Wilson's debut album 'Showpeople'. 'He brought a modern feel but captured our warmth and sense of fun,' Wilson said. The trumpet solo was actually a synth, as was the timpani, while drummer Paul Bultitude recorded his loud snare fills in a studio corridor. Wilson noted she sings at the top of her range at the end of the middle eight, a technique Motown artists used to make the voice sound more plaintive.
The beehive and the look
Wilson's iconic beehive hairstyle, inspired by her older sister, took more than 45 minutes to style. She first got it in 1980 and remembers walking through Brent Cross shopping mall with everyone staring. 'It wasn't long after punk and no one wanted that look. However, the more famous I became, the bigger it got!' she said. 'The hair backcombed to buggery – it was like architecture really. I was trying to bring back some glamour.'
When she recorded the vocal at Pete Townshend's Eel Pie Studios, she had just come from an interview and was already in character, wearing a crimplene dress. Because of her beehive, the headphones had to go under her chin. The single and album artwork was inspired by classic Julie London and Peggy Lee LPs from the 1950s.
Radio reaction and chart success
Wilson's earlier singles reflected her love of 60s soul. While in the studio with the Wilsations, the band heard 'Just What I Always Wanted' discussed on BBC Radio 1's Round Table. 'We were excited and had the broadcast relayed through the speakers, but they were saying: "She's meant to be retro, but she's gone synthy,"' she recalled. 'Fortunately, the public were more enthusiastic and it became my biggest seller.'
Taylor knew the song was taking off when he walked from his local Post Office to Tesco and heard it playing in both places. The single was released on his label, the Compact Organization, which operated out of a cupboard in his one-bedroom flat with a tiny backroom office off Portland Place in London. Mari's previous single 'Beat the Beat' had been an airplay hit, and Taylor thought 'Just What I Always Wanted' might be a likely UK indie hit, 'if lucky'. But massive radio play and a Top 10 position for three weeks exceeded all expectations.
The song's structure and legacy
The initial idea for the song came to Taylor while the band were at the BBC for a Radio 1 live session. He sat down at a Steinway grand piano during a tea break and a short-phrased tune came to him. He played it over and over to remember it. On the bus home, he got the lyric idea for a shopping list of best things, including 'A tune from Teddy' (his songwriting pseudonym, Teddy Johns) and 'An Ashworth snap' (referring to photographer Pete Ashworth, who took the sleeve photos).
Taylor believes the song did well because it followed the list formula, as with Cole Porter's 'You're the Top'. 'It brings a natural structure,' he said. 'Tony Mansfield's outer space and out of sight production sounded good – and loud – on the radio. And Mari's vocal is so figured out and "up" attitude-wise. It really shows off her velvet sound.'
Wilson later shifted to jazz, and her new album 'Girl About Town' combines pop, jazz and soul. She plays Cadogan Hall in London on 4 October, then tours.
