I Want to Have Your Babies
Encyclopedia
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" is a pop
song written by Natasha Bedingfield
, Steve Kipner
, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins
for Bedingfield's second album, N.B.
(2007). The song's musical-style and production was inspired by hip hop music
, and its lyrics
discuss a woman's battle to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to be the father of her children.
The song was released as the album's first single
in the second quarter of 2007
. The track received mixed reviews from pop music critics, who generally found it to be less impressive than past singles. It entered the top forty in Germany, Ireland and The Netherlands, and became Bedingfield's fourth United Kingdom top ten single release.
, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins
in Los Angeles, California
. During one of their sessions, they penned "I Wanna Have Your Babies", which was inspired by a year-and-a-half of touring across the United States. Bedingfield had never been away from her family and friends for an extended period of time and "realised how important relationships are". She wanted to write songs that matched who she was, commenting that her "first album was about independence and opportunism. I’m in a different place now. I've been dating, searching for a partner, looking for Mr Right."
In the song, Bedingfield discusses a woman's fight to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to father her children. Bedingfield stated that she does not want to have children at this point in time, but that she is thinking about it. According to her, "the song is about pacing yourself and taking everything slowly."
described it as a "well thought out pop record", and Paul Taylor of the Manchester Evening News
said it had a "sing-song melody" and "ragged hip-hop beats". Tony Cummings called the song's "R&B pop confection hugely catchy".
Online magazine
Drowned in Sound
ridiculed the track, writing that it is "polluting the airwaves with its beyond-banal lyrics." The song's music video was also described in the review as "unforgivable". The BBC
was equally unimpressed with the song, claiming it stole the melody of The Jackson 5
song "I Want You Back
".
The music video for "I Wanna Have Your Babies" was mocked in an article written by Anna Pickard and published in The Guardian
. Pickard made fun of Bedingfield's "clean-cut, straight-toothed, good Christian
girl" image, writing that the video was an effort by Bedingfield and her management to be provocative to sell more records.
The music video
was directed by Dave Meyers
and filmed in Los Angeles
, California
in January 2007. The video opens with a scene of Bedingfield working out in a gym
with a male instructor. Bedingfield and the instructor are then shown running through a park, when a baby stroller suddenly appears. Frightened, the instructor runs away from Bedingfield and the baby. She is next shown playing tennis
and flirting with another man. The two are then shown riding on a boat with a toddler, in a race with another couple. The third scene features Bedingfield at a nightclub
flirting with yet another man, before they are shown together at his home. In the final scene, she meets a man working at a coffee shop. They are shown in a play room with multiple babies. The video ends with Bedingfield hugging the coffee shop worker, who appears not to be deterred by her thoughts about having babies.
Nadine Coyle
, member of the pop group Girls Aloud
, makes a cameo appearance
in the nightclub scene. The complete version of "I Wanna Have Your Babies" featured in the music video has been released commercially through CD single
s and digital download
s, and some include remixes by Snowflakers. The video debuted on Bedingfield's official Bebo
website on 6 March 2007. On 21 May 2007, the video debuted in North America on Bedingfield's official U.S. website under the title "Babies".
on 2 April 2007, two weeks before its physical release. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number twenty-five on 8 April 2007, on download sales only. A week after its physical release the song reached the top ten, rising from number fifteen to number seven. In Ireland the song debuted at number thirty-six on the singles chart
and peaked at number eight. "I Wanna Have Your Babies" proved popular on Irish radio, charting at number fourteen.
The single had moderate success in Europe. After three weeks on the European Hot 100 Singles
chart, the track peaked at number twenty-three. The single reached the top fifty in Italy, the Netherlands
and Sweden
. In Australia, the song debuted on the singles chart
at number fifty on 21 May 2007. The track was more successful on the Physical Singles chart, debuting at number thirty-seven.
Australian CD Maxi
(82876886432; Released 12 May 2007)
UK CD single
(82876886422; Released 16 April 2007)
This is the only physical format available in the United Kingdom
International Maxi CD single
(Released 16 April 2007)
German CD single
(Released 27 April 2007)
German Maxi CD single
(Released 27 April 2007)
Digital single
(Released 2 April 2007)
Official remixes
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song written by Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
, Steve Kipner
Steve Kipner
Steve Kipner is a multi-platinum-selling songwriter and record producer with hits spanning over a 40 year history, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Chicago's Grammy-nominated "Hard Habit to Break", "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera, for which he won an...
, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins
Wayne Wilkins
Wayne Wilkins is a classically trained pianist, Record producer, songwriter, record engineer, and record mixer born in the southeast London neighborhood of Croydon...
for Bedingfield's second album, N.B.
N.B. (album)
N.B. is the second studio album released by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the UK on 30 April 2007 through Phonogenic Records. Upon release the album was praised for Bedingfield's vocals and the fun theme to the records however some critics were disappointed...
(2007). The song's musical-style and production was inspired by hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, and its lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
discuss a woman's battle to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to be the father of her children.
The song was released as the album's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the second quarter of 2007
2007 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
. The track received mixed reviews from pop music critics, who generally found it to be less impressive than past singles. It entered the top forty in Germany, Ireland and The Netherlands, and became Bedingfield's fourth United Kingdom top ten single release.
Background and writing
In 2006, Bedingfield began writing and recording material with previous collaborators Steve KipnerSteve Kipner
Steve Kipner is a multi-platinum-selling songwriter and record producer with hits spanning over a 40 year history, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Chicago's Grammy-nominated "Hard Habit to Break", "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera, for which he won an...
, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins
Wayne Wilkins
Wayne Wilkins is a classically trained pianist, Record producer, songwriter, record engineer, and record mixer born in the southeast London neighborhood of Croydon...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. During one of their sessions, they penned "I Wanna Have Your Babies", which was inspired by a year-and-a-half of touring across the United States. Bedingfield had never been away from her family and friends for an extended period of time and "realised how important relationships are". She wanted to write songs that matched who she was, commenting that her "first album was about independence and opportunism. I’m in a different place now. I've been dating, searching for a partner, looking for Mr Right."
In the song, Bedingfield discusses a woman's fight to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to father her children. Bedingfield stated that she does not want to have children at this point in time, but that she is thinking about it. According to her, "the song is about pacing yourself and taking everything slowly."
Reception
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" had a polarizing effect on music critics. Britain's Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
described it as a "well thought out pop record", and Paul Taylor of the Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
said it had a "sing-song melody" and "ragged hip-hop beats". Tony Cummings called the song's "R&B pop confection hugely catchy".
Online magazine
Online magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
ridiculed the track, writing that it is "polluting the airwaves with its beyond-banal lyrics." The song's music video was also described in the review as "unforgivable". The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
was equally unimpressed with the song, claiming it stole the melody of The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
song "I Want You Back
I Want You Back
"I Want You Back" was released in 1969 and in early 1970s became a number-one hit single recorded by The Jackson 5 for the Motown label. The song, along with a b-side cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You", was the only single from the first Jackson 5 album, Diana Ross Presents...
".
The music video for "I Wanna Have Your Babies" was mocked in an article written by Anna Pickard and published in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Pickard made fun of Bedingfield's "clean-cut, straight-toothed, good Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
girl" image, writing that the video was an effort by Bedingfield and her management to be provocative to sell more records.
Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by Dave Meyers
Dave Meyers (director)
David "Dave" Meyers is an American music video director.-Career:Meyers has directed over 200 music videos including: P!nk's "There You Go", "Most Girls", "You Make Me Sick", "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Feel Good Time", "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand", "So What", "Please Don't...
and filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in January 2007. The video opens with a scene of Bedingfield working out in a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
with a male instructor. Bedingfield and the instructor are then shown running through a park, when a baby stroller suddenly appears. Frightened, the instructor runs away from Bedingfield and the baby. She is next shown playing tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and flirting with another man. The two are then shown riding on a boat with a toddler, in a race with another couple. The third scene features Bedingfield at a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
flirting with yet another man, before they are shown together at his home. In the final scene, she meets a man working at a coffee shop. They are shown in a play room with multiple babies. The video ends with Bedingfield hugging the coffee shop worker, who appears not to be deterred by her thoughts about having babies.
Nadine Coyle
Nadine Coyle
Nadine Coyle is an Irish singer, songwriter, actress, and model who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the band Six before becoming a member of successful girl-group Girls Aloud. The group amassed a joint fortune of £25 million by May 2009...
, member of the pop group Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, makes a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the nightclub scene. The complete version of "I Wanna Have Your Babies" featured in the music video has been released commercially through CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
s and digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
s, and some include remixes by Snowflakers. The video debuted on Bedingfield's official Bebo
Bebo
Bebo is a social networking website launched in July 2005. It is currently owned and operated by Criterion Capital Partners after taking over from AOL in June 2010....
website on 6 March 2007. On 21 May 2007, the video debuted in North America on Bedingfield's official U.S. website under the title "Babies".
Chart performance
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" was officially solicited to radio in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2007. The song was released as a downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on 2 April 2007, two weeks before its physical release. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number twenty-five on 8 April 2007, on download sales only. A week after its physical release the song reached the top ten, rising from number fifteen to number seven. In Ireland the song debuted at number thirty-six on the singles chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
and peaked at number eight. "I Wanna Have Your Babies" proved popular on Irish radio, charting at number fourteen.
The single had moderate success in Europe. After three weeks on the European Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...
chart, the track peaked at number twenty-three. The single reached the top fifty in Italy, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In Australia, the song debuted on the singles chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number fifty on 21 May 2007. The track was more successful on the Physical Singles chart, debuting at number thirty-seven.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of minor single releases of "I Wanna Have Your Babies".Australian CD Maxi
(82876886432; Released 12 May 2007)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
- "What If's"
- "UnwrittenUnwritten (song)"Unwritten" is a song by English singer Natasha Bedingfield. Bedingfield, Danielle Brisebois, and Wayne Rodriguez wrote it for her debut album, Unwritten. The single was released as the album's third UK single and second US single...
" (Live at The Nokia Theatre, New York) - "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (Snowflakers Rub)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" music video
UK CD single
(82876886422; Released 16 April 2007)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
- "Unwritten" (Live at The Nokia Theatre, New York)
This is the only physical format available in the United Kingdom
International Maxi CD single
(Released 16 April 2007)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
- "What If's"
- "Unwritten" (Live at The Nokia Theatre, New York)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (Snowflakers Rub)
German CD single
(Released 27 April 2007)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
- "Unwritten" (Live at The Nokia Theatre, New York)
German Maxi CD single
(Released 27 April 2007)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
- "What If's"
- "Unwritten" (Live at The Nokia Theatre, New York)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (Snowflakers Rub)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" music video
Digital single
(Released 2 April 2007)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (Radio Promo Mix)
Official remixes
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (Kardinal Beats Mix)
- "I Wanna Have Your Babies" (Soul Avengerz Mix)
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... ) |
8 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 7 |
External links
- NatashaBedingfield.com — Official website
- IWannaHaveYourBabies.com — Official single microsite