I Really Want to Know You
| "I Really Want to Know You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 A-side of the single | ||||
| Single by Jack Jones | ||||
| from the album Where Is Love? | ||||
| B-side | "This World Is Yours" | |||
| Released | June 1968 | |||
| Recorded | Mid 1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor 47-9564[1] | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Ernie Altschuler | |||
| Jack Jones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Record World |   [2] |
| Billboard | Positive (Spotlight)[3] |
| Cashbox | Positive (Pick of the Week)[4] |
"I Really Want to Know You" is a 1968 song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and most notably performed by American singer and entertainer Jack Jones, who released the song as a single in June 1968.[5] His version was the lead single for his Where Is Love? LP released in August 1968. Another version by The Partridge Family appeared on their highly successful pop album The Partridge Family Album two years later. It was recorded on May 16, 1970.
Jack Jones version
Background
By 1968, Jones' chart performance had declined, but he still scored minor hits, and the main chart he had success with was the adult-oriented Easy Listening chart.[6] The new single followed "Follow Me", which reached adult-oriented No. 20 on the charts and No. 117 on pop charts.[7] "I Really Want to Know You" was the fourth of eight singles that he released that year. It was produced by Ernie Altschuler and arranged by Pat Williams, as on his previous single.[8] It was featured on his album released two months later, Where Is Love?.[9] By this time, Jones had been recording with RCA Victor for nearly a year,[10] although Kapp would reissue some of Jones' material later as well.[5]
Release and reception
"I Really Want to Know You" was released as a seven-inch single in late June 1968 by RCA Victor Records.[8] The track was recorded as a ballad.[3] It was backed by an upcoming song from the Columbia pictures technicolor war-themed film Anzio,[5] titled "This World Is Yours" on the B-side,[8] which would not be included on the same LP as "I Really Want to Know You".[9]
The single received a positive critical reception. Record World put the single in its "Four Stars" singles section, believing that "Buyers of all ages will really want to have this Mann-Weil ballad." They stated that "Jack does it just right."[2] Cashbox chose it as a "pick" for adult stations, and said that it's a "Particularly tempting side from Jack Jones gains listener curiosity from the start by juxtaposing snappy folk-country flavored guitar work in the slower framework of the Mann-Weil ballad." The publication noted that "Interplay on the volume levels gives a novel punch to the single, and the spectacular vocal performance make this a candidate for easy listening showcases and top forty sales."[4] Billboard magazine reviewed the single on June 29, 1968, stating that "The fine voice of Jones, with top ballad material from Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil make this a top programmer with sales sure to follow."[3]
Chart performance
The track did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it reached the adult-oriented charts instead.[7] It was ranked high on the Billboard Easy Listening survey, reaching number 15 during a nine-week run on it starting on July 13, 1968.[6] "I Really Want to Know You" appeared on the Record World Top-Non Rock survey as well, reaching number 11 in August during a seven-week run on it.[11]
Track listing
- "I Really Want to Know You" – 2:51
- "This World Is Yours" – 3:00
Charts
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Easy Listening[6] | 15 |
| US Record World Top Non-Rock[11] | 11 |
References
- ↑ Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records, Krause Publications.
- 1 2 "Record World "Four Stars"" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 22, no. 1099. June 29, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved March 31, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 3 "Spotlight: Singles predicted to reach the top 60 of the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 26. June 29, 1968. p. 51. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Albert, George (June 29, 1968). "Record Reviews: The Cashbox Pick of the Week" (PDF). Cashbox. Vol. XXIX, no. 48. pp. 20, 68. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2026. Retrieved March 31, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- 1 2 3 Jack Jones, "Our Song Single Release Retrieved March 31, 2026
- 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn presents Billboard top adult songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis. : Record Research Inc. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7.
- 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 366. ISBN 0898201551.
- 1 2 3 4 "I Really Want to Know You"/"This World Is Yours" (7" vinyl single) (Media notes). Jack Jones. RCA Victor Records. June 1968. 47-9564.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - 1 2 "Where Is Love?: Jack Jones, review". The Valley News. Van Nuys, California. August 30, 1968. p. 26. Retrieved April 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 684/5. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- 1 2 "Record World Chart: Top Non-Rock" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 22, no. 1108. August 31, 1968. p. 33. Retrieved March 31, 2026 – via worldradiohistory.com.