"Do You Wanna Hold Me?" by Bow Wow Wow

Song#:  1421
Date:  04/23/1983
Debut:  85
Peak:  77
Weeks:  4
Genre:  New Wave



Pop Bits:  The band's first US chart entry, "I Want Candy" (#62), wasn't a major success at the time, but the quirky song had legs and over time it grew to become an 80s new wave favorite. They would follow the tune up with a new album, "When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going," and issue this lead single. Unfortunately, the song couldn't gain an audience and disappeared after a month on the chart. The album also faded quickly. After an extensive tour that resulted in exhaustion and even injuries, the band decided to take a little break before heading back out. However, the respite ended up being the end of the group as three of its members decided to ditch lead singer Annabella Lwin to start their own band. After her ousting, Lwin decided to carry on as a solo artist and issued the 1986 album "Fever." Over the years, various incarnations of the band (with and without Lwin) have regrouped and toured under the Bow Wow Wow name.

ReduxReview:  The band's Burundi-style beats continued on this song, but the original tune just didn't have the punch that their "I Want Candy" remake did. The song chugs along quite well with Lwin turning in a more restrained vocal (sounding like Debbie Harry's younger sister), but there is nothing here that would attract a large pop audience. They were a unique band that flamed out quickly, which might have been for the best as their sound kind of pinned them in a corner. Their style was their identity. A change in that would most likely have been detrimental anyway. They made a big splash and crawled out of the pool before drowning.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Film director Sofia Coppola has said that Bow Wow Wow's lead singer Annabella Lwin provided inspiration for the lead character in her 2006 biopic "Marie Antoinette." Coppola loved Lwin's new romantic style and saw parallels between the teenager and the young Antoinette. The film's soundtrack boasts three Bow Wow Wow tracks.

_________________________________________________________________________________