Because We Want To

"Because We Want To" is a song performed by English pop singer Billie. The song was written by Dion Rambo, Jacques Richmond, Wendy Page, and Jim Marr and produced by Marr and Page for Billie's debut album, Honey to the B (1998). It was released as her debut single on 29 June 1998 and entered the UK Singles Chart at number one in July 1998, making Billie the youngest artist to debut at number one, at age 15. It also reached the top 10 in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The song was the official theme of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Chart performance

Selling over 80,000 copies during its opening week, "Because We Want To" made Billie the youngest artist to debut at number one on the UK Singles Chart, aged 15. However, Helen Shapiro still holds the record as the youngest solo female singer to have topped the UK Singles Chart; "You Don't Know" rose to number one in 1961, when Shapiro was 14 years and 10 months old. Outside the United Kingdom, the song became a top-10 hit in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden, peaking at numbers nine, nine, and eight, respectively. Although the song became a hit in Canada, peaking at number 14 on the Canadian Singles Chart and number 30 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart in September 1998, it did not chart in the United States.

Music video

The video (directed by Phil Griffin) starts in a run-down street in London, where the ground is violently shaking. The reason is soon seen: A UFO is flying just metres from the ground. Billie is then seen teleporting from the ship and down onto the street. She starts singing and dancing and soon gathers huge crowds of supporters. In the video, cut scenes of Billie and her friends walking down side streets are seen. In one scene, she melts a bin which transforms into a dancing humanoid and in another scene she graffitis "Billie" on a billboard and an animated character then jumps from the billboard and dances along with the humanoid made from the melted bin. Later in the video, she and her friends sneak into a warehouse and have a party.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Honey to the B album booklet.

Studios

• Recorded at Ridge Farm (Surrey, England) and Marcus Studios (London, England)
• Mixed at Metropolis Studios (London, England)

Personnel

• Dion Rambo – writing
• Jacques Richmond – writing
• Wendy Page – writing, backing vocals, vocal arrangement, production, mixing
• Jim Marr – writing, keyboards, programming, production, mixing
• Billie Piper – vocals
• Roger Jackson – additional keyboards
• Yak Bondy – additional programming
• Pete Craigie – recording, mixing
• Steve Cooper – assistant engineering (Ridge Farm)
• Michelle Barry – assistant engineering (Marcus)
• Matt Tait – assistant engineering (Metropolis)

Charts

Certifications

Release history