Don’t You Want Me

Walking on Sunshine movie promo

I’m participating in Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday today, and he asks for a song about depending on, relying on, leaning on, and/ or trusting another person. One of my favorite musical movies is Walking on Sunshine (2014), in which dependence is a major theme. Taylor, the main character, is scared of trusting anyone or depending upon anyone but herself, so she abandons her love and devotes herself solely to getting a degree. In contrast, Taylor's sister Maddie flings herself from one man to another because she's afraid of being alone. She admits that she's "in love with love." As the story opens at an Italian beachside resort, Maddie is about to be married and goes to the market where she runs into an ex-boyfriend, Doug. We discover that Doug chases after Maddie whenever she drifts away from him ~ he believes she "owes" him because he helped her way back when. Maddie and Doug sing "Don't You Want Me" from the Human League (1981).

You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar

When I met you

I picked you out, I shook up and turned you around

Turned you into someone new

Now five years later on, you've got the world at your feet

Success has been so easy for you

But don't forget, it's me who put you where you are now

And I can put you back down too

Maddie agrees that Doug was good to her once upon a time and that she depended upon him, but now she must live life independently, not that she's really doing that, seeing as she jumped into a new relationship/ engagement immediately after leaving Doug.

I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar

That much is true

But even then, I knew I'd find a much better place

Either with or without you

The five years we have had have been such good times

I still love you

But now, I think it's time I live my life on my own

I guess it's just what I must do

Doug stalks Maddie back to the villa where she's staying with Taylor and a family friend. The viewer can tell that Maddie is a bit ambivalent about Doug at this point, but she tries to be strong and get rid of him. For his part, Doug can't believe she's really rejecting him, since she always gave in before.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I don't believe you

When you say that you don't need me

It's much too late to find

You think you've changed your mind

You'd better change it back, or we will both be sorry

The movie concludes with both sisters realizing that they want to change their behavior. Maddie truly does need to be on her own for a while and learn to rely upon herself, and Taylor decides she is ready to open her heart up to trust in love, even though that means she'll be vulnerable to getting hurt.

"Don't You Want Me" was written by: Franne Golde, Jody V. Watley, and David Paul Bryant. You can listen to the movie version here.