Mari Wilson, lead and backing vocals
Just What I Always Wanted had already been in our live set, but with different verses. When we’d gone on David Essex’s Showcase earlier in 1982, in the middle eight I sang “A wink from Wilbur, a kiss from Kurt, don’t tell Hank, he might get hurt” – all names of my backing band the Wilsations. But when it came to recording, I said to Tot Taylor, who wrote most of my early singles, including Love Man and Baby It’s True, “We can’t sing that because no one will know who they are. What about, ‘A mink from Paris, a ring from Rome, a whole new wardrobe in my home?’” Tot, such a brilliant writer, took it from there.
We’d brought in Tony Mansfield, whose futuristic New Musik had enjoyed hit singles with Living by Numbers and This World of Water, to produce the song and my debut album Showpeople. He brought a modern feel but captured our warmth and sense of fun. The trumpet solo was actually a synth, as was the timpani, but Paul Bultitude recorded his very loud snare drum fills in a studio corridor. I’m at the top of my range at the end of the middle eight – something a lot of Motown artists did to make the voice sound more plaintive.
My older sister had a beehive which I’d loved. When I first got mine in 1980, I remember walking through Brent Cross shopping mall and everyone staring. It wasn’t long after punk and no one wanted that look. However, the more famous I became, the bigger it got! It took more than 45 minutes to style, the hair backcombed to buggery – it was like architecture really. I was trying to bring back some glamour.
I’d just come from an interview when I laid down the vocal part in Pete Townshend’s Eel Pie Studios, so I was already in character. I was wearing a crimplene dress and because of my beehive, the headphones had to go under my chin.
The artwork for the single and album covers was inspired by classic Julie London and Peggy Lee LPs of the 1950s. I never wanted to be just an 80s pop singer and later I shifted to jazz. Some people come to my shows and say: “I didn’t know you could sing like that.” My new album combines pop, jazz and soul – a hybrid of what I’ve been performing live all my life.
My earlier singles had reflected my love of 60s soul. I remember being in a studio with the Wilsations when Just What I Always Wanted was 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.” Fortunately, the public were more enthusiastic and it became my biggest seller.
Tot Taylor, songwriter, backing vocals, piano
I knew something was up when I walked from my local Post Office to Tesco and heard the single playing loud and clear over the sound systems in both places. Mari and her 12-piece band had been playing live in London for around a year. We’d released a couple of – now rare – singles on my record label the Compact Organization. This operated out of a cupboard in my one-bedroom flat, with a tiny backroom office off Portland Place in London. One of Mari’s singles, Beat the Beat, was an airplay hit and we thought Just What I Always Wanted was probably a likely UK indie hit, if lucky.
But massive radio play and a Top 10 position for three weeks exceeded all expectations. The initial idea for the song came to me when the band were at the BBC for a Radio 1 live session. I sat down at their beautiful Steinway grand piano in a tea break and out of nowhere this short-phrased tune came floating by. I grabbed it, and played it over and over so I could remember it.
Then, on the bus going home, I got a lyric idea for a shopping list of best things – real-life items, or examples of things that were happening to Mari. “A tune from Teddy,” came from my songwriting pseudonym, Teddy Johns. “An Ashworth snap,” referred to Pete Ashworth, the cult photographer who took the – much imitated – photos for the sleeve.
I’ve always believed the song did so well because it followed the list formula, as with Cole Porter’s You’re the Top. It brings a natural structure. 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.
• Mari Wilson’s new album Girl About Town is out now. She plays Cadogan Hall, London on 4 October, then tours
