What You Want (Evanescence song)
Encyclopedia
"What You Want" is a song by American rock
band Evanescence
. The freedom-themed song was written by Amy Lee
, Terry Balsamo
and Tim McCord
and was included on their self-titled third studio album Evanescence
(2011). It was described as the heaviest and most different Evanescence song and according to Lee, the song talks about the experiences with her fans and her realizations about the things that she should do. Musically "What You Want" is an up-tempo song which uses several instruments in its music, notably guitars, synthesizers and drums. Lyrically, the song talks about a relationship that can't work despite the love between the pair together.
A snippet of the song premiered on MTV News
in July, and the song was released on August 9, 2011 through Wind-up Records
as the first single from the album. Upon its release, "What You Want" spawned mostly positive review from music critics who praised its loud sound, Lee's powerful and soaring vocals during the song and the musical hook. However, some reviewers noticed that the song was not a big departure from their old material. The song charted at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100
and in several component charts. It also charted at number 55 on the Canadian Hot 100.
The accompanying music video
for "What You Want" started filming on July 30, 2011 in Brooklyn
, New York
, and it was directed by Meiert Avis
. It shows the band performing the song live in a small warehouse and Lee running in various locations. Upon its release on the Internet on September 9, 2011, the video received positive response from music critics who generally praised the imagery and noted similarities with Evanescence's music video for "Bring Me to Life
" (2003). "What You Want" was performed live for the first time on MTV and later on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
, Terry Balsamo
, and Tim McCord
in New York City
, New York
. During an interview with MTV News
, Lee talked about the first single from Evanescence's third self-titled album. She said "So, the song that I think is the first single is the song that wraps it all up. It's got a cool meaning, a lot of great lyrics going on, it also just smacks you right in the face and it's heavy and it's great ... I think that there's a couple songs that meet that same criteria." She added that "What You Want" was totally different for the band and they wanted the new single to be more than a hit. Later the band revealed that there were a lot of songs which could be released as a single, but it was a natural choice to release "What You Want". Lee has stated the song is about her relationship with her fans, and the realization that "this is what I'm supposed to do".
In an interview with MTV News
, she explained her inspiration behind the song, "It's about freedom — that's definitely a constant theme on the record — but, it's like Evanescence, and me, and my relationship with the music and the fans, and coming to that realization of 'This is what I'm supposed to do ... I want to do this,' And when it says, 'Remember who you really are,' that's exactly everything you could assume it means." Another inspiration for the song came from Lee's life, "That song is me talking to myself about not being afraid and coming back to this thing and living the life I was born to live. Sometimes, it takes a lot to do this. And I do love it very much, but there is always that fear of putting yourself under the microscope."
She explained that the song was very danceable and the band had fun while recording it. "I had a lot of moments where we were smiling, we were having a great time [making it]. We had a lot of time.[...] this was where we did our pre-production and wrote some of these songs, finished them off. 'What You Want,' for example" - says Lee. In an interview with MTV News, she revealed the recording process for the song. She said that the band was "just jamming, recording demos" and the song has grown a lot since then. She wrote a chorus for the song which according to her was epic and massive and played it on the piano. When Tim McCord and Terry Balsamo heard the song they were very satisfied saying, "Do that. Whatever you just did, that's an awesome melody."
Amy Lee has said that she was initially embarrassed when she came up with the chorus for the song. Speaking to NME, she said that she felt self conscious about singing the hook of the song for McCord and Balsamo. She explained: "I remember being a little bit embarrassed when I wrote the verse [to the song] and the melody even; 'Do what you, what you want'. I was like 'they're going to make fun of me and think I'm Janet Jackson
or something but, screw it, I'm going to show it them anyway. (But) they were like 'no, that's cool, the hook is what is cool about it!'" During an interview with M Music & Musicians
Lee revealed that she wouldn't have recorded the song if it was brought to her before the recording of Evanescence: "I would have thought, 'That's stupid'." Lee further described her vocals in the song as "fun and snappy and it gives a cool dynamic [to the song]."
on July 11, 2011. During that time it was reported that the new single will be released in early August. The whole song was performed live by the band on August 8, at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV. After the performance the album version was shown on MTV. The song was digitally released on August 9, 2011 exclusively on iTunes, and to all other digital retailers on August 16. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on August 21, and a CD single of the song is scheduled for release on September 9, 2011 in Germany. To promote the single, the band has partnered with SoundTracking and GetGlue
. Fans who identified an Evanescence song using the SoundTracking application and shared it to Twitter
(using the hashtag #Evcomeback) entered themselves to win an album from the band. If fans checked in to Evanescence using GetGlue, they unlocked an exclusive sticker.
The song was well received by the fans. After James Montgomery from MTV News
showed the snippets of the song, he asked Evanescence's fans on Twitter
to share their opinions about it. According to the fans tweets, the new songs were well received and praised. Kara Klenk of the same publication also confirmed the positive reception adding, "In the fast-paced music world where artists need to constantly reinvent themselves and pump out music, videos, appearances, and tours to keep their fans happy and interested, it's rare for a band to take a multi-year hiatus and come back to legions of fans who have anxiously awaited their return." On August 22, 2011 Lee went to Toronto
's Liberty Studios
, to preview 5 mastered songs from Evanescence to a selected crowd of thirty people. "What You Want" was one of the five previewed songs.
and soon moves into a danceable guitar-driven mode, accompanied by synthesizer
s. Then, those sounds are followed by hard rock
guitar which according to Pop Crushs Scott Shetler, "define Evanescence's sound." The chorus contains "crashing cymbals", guitars and keyboards. Scott Shetler from Pop Crush described "What You Want" as a "polished production, with piano, strings and a few industrial rock
effects also finding their way into the mix." According to Bill Lamb of the website About.com, the "piano flourishes maintain the gothic feel that has always lurked in the music of Evanescence". Laurie Tuffrey of NME
said that the song is "standard goth-pop fare, full of rapid drum breaks, swathes of fuzzy riffing and a catchy, chant-friendly chorus." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy found "stadium-shaking drums" and "thrashing, high-wired rawk guitars". A writer of Rolling Stone compared the song with the other material by Evanescence saying that it contained baroque metal
with a pop
hook. Dane Prokofiev of PopMatters
found nu-metal influences on "What You Want" and similarities with Korn
's songs. Rick Florino of Artistdirect
said that the song was similar to works by Depeche Mode
and concluded that it has a repetition drawing on classic synthpop
. IGN
's Chad Grischow wrote that "The slamming beat and odd blend of twinkling piano and electro-pop dance elements toil with thrashing guitars for a cluttered, but uplifting listen as Lee pleads for freedom of expression on the oddly poppy vocal of 'What You Want'." Marc Hirsh of The Boston Globe
found a "metallic lurch playing off of Lee's goth-empress vocals" in the song.
Lyrically, "What You Want" is filled with the angst of a relationship that just can't quite work out despite the presence of love binding the pair together. The song begins with Lee singing "Do what you, what you want / If you have a dream for better / Do what you, what you want / 'Til you don't want it anymore." In the chorus she sings the lines "Hello, hello, remember me? I’m everything you can’t control / Somewhere beyond the pain there must be a way to believe we can break through." At the end of the song Lee shouts "Do what you, what you want," with an echo that fades away. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
said that in the song, Lee is "trying to convince a romantic partner to stop 'spiraling down, down, down' and help her find a new beginning." Steve Beebee
of rock magazine Kerrang!
wrote that Lee reaches a conclusion that "Love will guide you home." Talking about the lyrical content of the song, Laurie Tuffrey of NME concluded: "It's quite hard to tell what the song's about, with lots of references to 'the unknown' and 'the pain', and it confusingly switches between suggesting people 'do what you want you want, if you have a dream for better' in the first verse and the decidedly creepier final chorus where Lee seemingly gets an ex-lover on the blower, only to tell them 'Hello, hello, it’s only me, infecting everything you love'."
Scott Shetler of Pop Crush described the song as a "forceful rock track that reminds fans why the group was one of the most successful crossover acts of the past decade." He added that the riff used in the song is accompanied by Lee's "strong-but-pretty vocals." James Montgomery from MTV News, praised the song saying that the "elastic-yet-lock-step energy not only makes the song the perfect comeback single for a band that's been gone for far too long, but it manages to capture the very essence of what inspired them to press on." A writer for NME
praised the guitar riff in the song "built around Amy Lee's pseudo operatic vocals." Tom Goodwyn of the same publication wrote: "A big thumping drumbeat and driving guitar riff kick things off, before giving way to a stomping chorus written with NFL stadiums in mind." Karen Bliss of the magazine Rolling Stone
praised Lee's "haunting" and "crystalline" vocals in the "industrial-strength sound" of "What You Want". Nick Catucci of the same publication gave the song three stars writing, "Amy Lee trades anguish for defiance, goosing her wail with welcome sass. Still, she's nearly overrun by the music, a collision of two-ton guitars, strings and piano." Steven Hyden of The A. V. Club wrote: "Lee really can sing, and the opener 'What You Want' shows she has the pipes (and even the submerged spunk) to become the new Pat Benatar
this generation desperately needs."
However, while reviewing their third album, Catucci called the song "pummeling but pretty." In another review for the same publication, Matthew Perpetua wrote that the "heaviness is less top-heavy" in the song before adding that the band "never sounded so brisk and dynamic." Bill Lamb of the website About.com
gave the song four and a half stars out of five, praising its powerful and danceable rock beat, Lee's soaring vocals and lyrics of pain and heartbreak. Lamb also added that the song was set in "engaging melody that will inspire listeners to join in on the 'Hello hello' choruses." He finished his review writing that the song "is a perfect single to continue the band's legacy." Rick Florino of Artistdirect
gave the song five out of five stars saying that it had one of the "best hooks of the band's career to date" which made it "so instantly unforgettable." Florino ended his review calling the song "another classic from Evanescence" which will revive rock music again.
Andy Battaglia of Spin
wrote that "What You Want", "careens through lots of dramatic crashes and crescendos". She added that the line which were talking about freedom, could "be [a] tricky language when pushed out by politicians, but presumably through the mouth of a rocker it's a good thing?" Camille Dodero of the same publication called "What You Want" a "hair-blowingly grandiose" song. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly
gave the song a B rating and said, "the song's grinding guitars, massive drums, goth-princess piano frills, and warrior-grrrl vocal rage feel like 2007 all over again." Melinda Newman of HitFix
praised the line "Hello Hello, it's only me, infecting everything you love" in the song saying that "it should have been the theme song to the movie 'Contagion
.'" Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
put the song in his list of "10 tracks you need to hear" adding, "'What You Want' is a hefty slab of dramatic rock which includes the band's trademark electric guitars with melodic choruses." Later, in another review, he gave the song four stars out of five stating "electro it certainly ain't, but the result is as dancefloor-friendly as it is mosh pit-ready." He further praised the "catchy-as-cholera
" chorus and gave a mixed review about the lyrics and the title saying "fortunately their words seemed to have been a touch overzealous; though it's clear from the trailer for the group's third album that they've been spending a night or two on the tiles."
Lewis Corner of the same publication concluded: "'What You Want' proved on its unveiling this summer, the band's melodious rock sensibilities remain firmly in tact. 'Hello, hello, remember me?/ I'm everything you can't control,' Amy Lee declares over roaring guitars and classical strings, reinforcing their medieval influences as opposed to the electronic sound they've been purporting." Tamar Anitai of MTV Buzzyworthy, Theon Weber of Spin, Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic and Edna Gundersen of USA Today
chose the song as an album highlight. Los Angeles Times
Mikael Wood wrote that "'What You Want' rides its central riff with a bulldozer's efficiency." While reviewing Evanescence's third self-titled album, Entertainment Weeklys Kyle Anderson put the song in his list of songs to download from the album describing it as "fierce". Marc Hirsh of The Boston Globe called "What You Want" a "strong declaration" that the band is back.
chart, selling more than 78,000 copies according to SoundScan
. The song also debuted at number 32 on the Billboard Rock Songs
becoming the "Greatest Gainer" of the week on the same chart. Later, during the digital release of Evanescence, it moved from number 15 to number 13. It debuted at number 35 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States. As of November, 2011, it has sold more than 112,000 digital downloads. On the Canadian Hot 100
, "What You Want" debuted at number 55. On September 3, the song debuted at number one on the UK Rock Chart
, removing Evanescences own single "My Immortal
" (2003) from the top spot. That achievement helped the song to debut at number 72 on the main UK Singles Chart
.
The music video
for "What You Want" started filming on July 30, 2011 in a warehouse
in Brooklyn
, New York
, and it was directed by Meiert Avis
. The video featured their fans who were playing a crowd on a concert by Evanescence. During an interview, Lee revealed that the music video for the song was one of their most real videos that the band has ever made adding, "this is more a personal video. We've done a lot in the past that [were] very 'fantasy,' and this is sort of the real us.[...] I just wanted to do something that really felt personal for a change. Obviously, I'm wearing crazy makeup, and that's not my everyday, but, you know, I want ... to connect with the fans again. We all do. We miss them. A lot of this record is about them, and that's why they're going to be here and be in it, too." In an interview with MTV News, she described the concept of the video:
However, before the filming of the video, the band was still finishing the album and when it came time to shoot the video Lee didn't had an idea about how it should look like. Because the song was different for the band, she knew that they didn't want to "go the classic, sort of fantastic, epic [thing]. I mean it's still epic, but we didn't want to go the classic route — I wanted to do something different." Lee asked her sister Carrie to help her around the concept of the video. Her sister said that they should film the video for the song in New York and Lee thought it would be great, "She just started saying things that were right on. She was like, 'This should be in New York. You guys need to do something different, this song feels different.' And she started talking about running across the Brooklyn Bridge, and it being where I live, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is great.'" However, the final shot of the video filmed at Coney Island
was her idea. The shot represented the band coming back in the world and "heading into the unknown, coming into a new world". Lee said that the final shot was difficult because Terry Balsamo "especially did not want to get in the water." She added, "It was a little cold. I loved it though. I think the guys did, too."
. During the bridge
of the song, Lee runs through the Brooklyn Bridge and jumps on the other side, landing perfectly on her feet. At the end of the video, the band meet up and walk to the beach where they walk into the sea. The final shot shows the band walking in the sea as the video fades out which symbolizes a new beginning for them. A twenty-two second teaser of the video was released on September 9. The video for the song officially premiered on the Internet on September 13, 2011. It was also made available for digital download on iTunes Store
the same day.
James Montgomery from MTV News, said that the video was a departure for the band "eschewing the dark fantasy worlds they've created in previous videos in favor of good old-fashioned realism: the blood, sweat and tears that not only took them to the top, but have fueled their current comeback, too." Later, he added that the video "recalls the halcyon days of big-ticket rock videos" and some "claustrophobic, cathartic performance footage." He called it "a true band clip; it's artfully autobiographical and, perhaps most notably, features all of Evanescence." Entertainment Weeklys Grady Smith, called the video "heavy goth-rock head-banger" and added that the shots of Lee falling from the bridge were similar to the music video for "Bring Me to Life
" (2003). Melinda Newman of the website HitFix compared the video with the movies The Crow
(1994) and Run Lola Run
(1998). She further praised the lighting, the photographs and the mood which according to her, were "perfection, especially the city scapes at night and the intense looks on the fans faces, as they are enraptured by Lee. It's a big budget shoot, the kind we don't see that much of anymore." Jason Lipshutz of the magazine Billboard praised the video with its "crystal-clear" shots of the concert and the "hazy" shots of Lee running through New York. A more negative review of the video was given by Laurie Tuffrey of NME who called the video "uninspiring". He further found CCTV
effects and concluded that Lee was "looking for some love to infect" while running through Brooklyn streets. Nicole James of MTV Buzzyworthy simply said "rock videos + themes = the only kind of math I like" referring to the music video for "What You Want".
festival on October 2, 2011. On October 15, 2011, Evanescence performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. They later added the song to the set list
on their third worldwide tour in support of Evanescence performing "What You Want" during the encore of the show. While reviewing a concert by the band, Rick Florino wrote that Lee sounded "pristine and powerful" during the chorus of the song. He further praised Tim McCord's bass and Terry Balsamo's guitar, "volleying with Troy McLawhorn as Evanescene's methodical metallic theatrics hypnotized." He concluded that the song "proved to be an undeniable anthem echoed throughout the room by every voice present." While reviewing a concert during Evanescence's tour, Serene Dominic of The Arizona Republic
noted that the band "rocking a lot harder than you might expect" opened the show "with the new headbanger of a single 'What You Want'."
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
. The freedom-themed song was written by Amy Lee
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
, Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
and Tim McCord
Tim McCord
Timothy McCord was announced as Evanescence's bass player in August 2006. He replaced bassist Will Boyd who left the band in mid-2006...
and was included on their self-titled third studio album Evanescence
Evanescence (Evanescence album)
Evanescence is the self-titled third studio album by American rock band Evanescence. The album was released on October 11, 2011, through Wind-up Records. The band started the writing process for the album in June 2009. The release of the album was changed several times...
(2011). It was described as the heaviest and most different Evanescence song and according to Lee, the song talks about the experiences with her fans and her realizations about the things that she should do. Musically "What You Want" is an up-tempo song which uses several instruments in its music, notably guitars, synthesizers and drums. Lyrically, the song talks about a relationship that can't work despite the love between the pair together.
A snippet of the song premiered on MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
in July, and the song was released on August 9, 2011 through Wind-up Records
Wind-Up Records
Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...
as the first single from the album. Upon its release, "What You Want" spawned mostly positive review from music critics who praised its loud sound, Lee's powerful and soaring vocals during the song and the musical hook. However, some reviewers noticed that the song was not a big departure from their old material. The song charted at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and in several component charts. It also charted at number 55 on the Canadian Hot 100.
The accompanying 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...
for "What You Want" started filming on July 30, 2011 in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and it was directed by Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory and Josh Groban amongst many others....
. It shows the band performing the song live in a small warehouse and Lee running in various locations. Upon its release on the Internet on September 9, 2011, the video received positive response from music critics who generally praised the imagery and noted similarities with Evanescence's music video for "Bring Me to Life
Bring Me to Life
"Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was written by Amy Lee, Ben Moody and David Hodges and produced by Dave Fortman. It also features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. Wind-up released "Bring Me to Life" in 2003 as the lead single from Evanescence's...
" (2003). "What You Want" was performed live for the first time on MTV and later on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Background and recording
"What You Want" was written by Amy LeeAmy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
, Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
, and Tim McCord
Tim McCord
Timothy McCord was announced as Evanescence's bass player in August 2006. He replaced bassist Will Boyd who left the band in mid-2006...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. During an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, Lee talked about the first single from Evanescence's third self-titled album. She said "So, the song that I think is the first single is the song that wraps it all up. It's got a cool meaning, a lot of great lyrics going on, it also just smacks you right in the face and it's heavy and it's great ... I think that there's a couple songs that meet that same criteria." She added that "What You Want" was totally different for the band and they wanted the new single to be more than a hit. Later the band revealed that there were a lot of songs which could be released as a single, but it was a natural choice to release "What You Want". Lee has stated the song is about her relationship with her fans, and the realization that "this is what I'm supposed to do".
In an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, she explained her inspiration behind the song, "It's about freedom — that's definitely a constant theme on the record — but, it's like Evanescence, and me, and my relationship with the music and the fans, and coming to that realization of 'This is what I'm supposed to do ... I want to do this,' And when it says, 'Remember who you really are,' that's exactly everything you could assume it means." Another inspiration for the song came from Lee's life, "That song is me talking to myself about not being afraid and coming back to this thing and living the life I was born to live. Sometimes, it takes a lot to do this. And I do love it very much, but there is always that fear of putting yourself under the microscope."
She explained that the song was very danceable and the band had fun while recording it. "I had a lot of moments where we were smiling, we were having a great time [making it]. We had a lot of time.[...] this was where we did our pre-production and wrote some of these songs, finished them off. 'What You Want,' for example" - says Lee. In an interview with MTV News, she revealed the recording process for the song. She said that the band was "just jamming, recording demos" and the song has grown a lot since then. She wrote a chorus for the song which according to her was epic and massive and played it on the piano. When Tim McCord and Terry Balsamo heard the song they were very satisfied saying, "Do that. Whatever you just did, that's an awesome melody."
Amy Lee has said that she was initially embarrassed when she came up with the chorus for the song. Speaking to NME, she said that she felt self conscious about singing the hook of the song for McCord and Balsamo. She explained: "I remember being a little bit embarrassed when I wrote the verse [to the song] and the melody even; 'Do what you, what you want'. I was like 'they're going to make fun of me and think I'm Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
or something but, screw it, I'm going to show it them anyway. (But) they were like 'no, that's cool, the hook is what is cool about it!'" During an interview with M Music & Musicians
M Music & Musicians
M Music & Musicians is an American magazine based out of Redondo Beach, California, that covers the music industry. It was established in November 2009...
Lee revealed that she wouldn't have recorded the song if it was brought to her before the recording of Evanescence: "I would have thought, 'That's stupid'." Lee further described her vocals in the song as "fun and snappy and it gives a cool dynamic [to the song]."
Release
A snippet of "What You Want" premiered on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
on July 11, 2011. During that time it was reported that the new single will be released in early August. The whole song was performed live by the band on August 8, at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV. After the performance the album version was shown on MTV. The song was digitally released on August 9, 2011 exclusively on iTunes, and to all other digital retailers on August 16. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on August 21, and a CD single of the song is scheduled for release on September 9, 2011 in Germany. To promote the single, the band has partnered with SoundTracking and GetGlue
GetGlue
GetGlue is an entertainment-based social networking website for mobile devices. Users "check-in" to the entertainment that they consume using a website, mobile website, or a device-specific application....
. Fans who identified an Evanescence song using the SoundTracking application and shared it to Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
(using the hashtag #Evcomeback) entered themselves to win an album from the band. If fans checked in to Evanescence using GetGlue, they unlocked an exclusive sticker.
The song was well received by the fans. After James Montgomery from MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
showed the snippets of the song, he asked Evanescence's fans on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to share their opinions about it. According to the fans tweets, the new songs were well received and praised. Kara Klenk of the same publication also confirmed the positive reception adding, "In the fast-paced music world where artists need to constantly reinvent themselves and pump out music, videos, appearances, and tours to keep their fans happy and interested, it's rare for a band to take a multi-year hiatus and come back to legions of fans who have anxiously awaited their return." On August 22, 2011 Lee went to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Liberty Studios
Liberty Studios
Liberty Studios is the longest-running production house in continuous operation in New York City producing films, video, advertising and e-commerce productions. The studio was founded in 1963 by Anthony Lover. Liberty Studios has received both Emmy and Academy Award nominations.Liberty's most...
, to preview 5 mastered songs from Evanescence to a selected crowd of thirty people. "What You Want" was one of the five previewed songs.
Composition
"What You Want" opens with drumsDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and soon moves into a danceable guitar-driven mode, accompanied by synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s. Then, those sounds are followed by hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
guitar which according to Pop Crushs Scott Shetler, "define Evanescence's sound." The chorus contains "crashing cymbals", guitars and keyboards. Scott Shetler from Pop Crush described "What You Want" as a "polished production, with piano, strings and a few industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
effects also finding their way into the mix." According to Bill Lamb of the website About.com, the "piano flourishes maintain the gothic feel that has always lurked in the music of Evanescence". Laurie Tuffrey of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
said that the song is "standard goth-pop fare, full of rapid drum breaks, swathes of fuzzy riffing and a catchy, chant-friendly chorus." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy found "stadium-shaking drums" and "thrashing, high-wired rawk guitars". A writer of Rolling Stone compared the song with the other material by Evanescence saying that it contained baroque metal
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
with a pop
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...
hook. Dane Prokofiev of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
found nu-metal influences on "What You Want" and similarities with Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
's songs. Rick Florino of Artistdirect
ARTISTdirect
Founded in 1994, Artistdirect, Inc. is an online digital media entertainment company. It owns several websites including Artistdirect.com, UBL.com and the Artistdirect Network...
said that the song was similar to works by Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and concluded that it has a repetition drawing on classic synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Chad Grischow wrote that "The slamming beat and odd blend of twinkling piano and electro-pop dance elements toil with thrashing guitars for a cluttered, but uplifting listen as Lee pleads for freedom of expression on the oddly poppy vocal of 'What You Want'." Marc Hirsh of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
found a "metallic lurch playing off of Lee's goth-empress vocals" in the song.
Lyrically, "What You Want" is filled with the angst of a relationship that just can't quite work out despite the presence of love binding the pair together. The song begins with Lee singing "Do what you, what you want / If you have a dream for better / Do what you, what you want / 'Til you don't want it anymore." In the chorus she sings the lines "Hello, hello, remember me? I’m everything you can’t control / Somewhere beyond the pain there must be a way to believe we can break through." At the end of the song Lee shouts "Do what you, what you want," with an echo that fades away. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
said that in the song, Lee is "trying to convince a romantic partner to stop 'spiraling down, down, down' and help her find a new beginning." Steve Beebee
Steve Beebee
Steve Beebee is a journalist, author and broadcaster, best known for his work with Kerrang! magazine. Beebee is one of the magazine's longest serving writers. He is known for championing bands for their genuine entertainment qualities as opposed to their tendency to fit in with present fashions and...
of rock magazine Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
wrote that Lee reaches a conclusion that "Love will guide you home." Talking about the lyrical content of the song, Laurie Tuffrey of NME concluded: "It's quite hard to tell what the song's about, with lots of references to 'the unknown' and 'the pain', and it confusingly switches between suggesting people 'do what you want you want, if you have a dream for better' in the first verse and the decidedly creepier final chorus where Lee seemingly gets an ex-lover on the blower, only to tell them 'Hello, hello, it’s only me, infecting everything you love'."
Critical reception
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
praised the guitar riff in the song "built around Amy Lee's pseudo operatic vocals." Tom Goodwyn of the same publication wrote: "A big thumping drumbeat and driving guitar riff kick things off, before giving way to a stomping chorus written with NFL stadiums in mind." Karen Bliss of the magazine Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
praised Lee's "haunting" and "crystalline" vocals in the "industrial-strength sound" of "What You Want". Nick Catucci of the same publication gave the song three stars writing, "Amy Lee trades anguish for defiance, goosing her wail with welcome sass. Still, she's nearly overrun by the music, a collision of two-ton guitars, strings and piano." Steven Hyden of The A. V. Club wrote: "Lee really can sing, and the opener 'What You Want' shows she has the pipes (and even the submerged spunk) to become the new Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
this generation desperately needs."
However, while reviewing their third album, Catucci called the song "pummeling but pretty." In another review for the same publication, Matthew Perpetua wrote that the "heaviness is less top-heavy" in the song before adding that the band "never sounded so brisk and dynamic." Bill Lamb of the website About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the song four and a half stars out of five, praising its powerful and danceable rock beat, Lee's soaring vocals and lyrics of pain and heartbreak. Lamb also added that the song was set in "engaging melody that will inspire listeners to join in on the 'Hello hello' choruses." He finished his review writing that the song "is a perfect single to continue the band's legacy." Rick Florino of Artistdirect
ARTISTdirect
Founded in 1994, Artistdirect, Inc. is an online digital media entertainment company. It owns several websites including Artistdirect.com, UBL.com and the Artistdirect Network...
gave the song five out of five stars saying that it had one of the "best hooks of the band's career to date" which made it "so instantly unforgettable." Florino ended his review calling the song "another classic from Evanescence" which will revive rock music again.
Andy Battaglia of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
wrote that "What You Want", "careens through lots of dramatic crashes and crescendos". She added that the line which were talking about freedom, could "be [a] tricky language when pushed out by politicians, but presumably through the mouth of a rocker it's a good thing?" Camille Dodero of the same publication called "What You Want" a "hair-blowingly grandiose" song. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the song a B rating and said, "the song's grinding guitars, massive drums, goth-princess piano frills, and warrior-grrrl vocal rage feel like 2007 all over again." Melinda Newman of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
praised the line "Hello Hello, it's only me, infecting everything you love" in the song saying that "it should have been the theme song to the movie 'Contagion
Contagion (film)
Contagion is a 2011 American medical thriller disaster film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film has an ensemble cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Bryan Cranston. Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal...
.'" Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
put the song in his list of "10 tracks you need to hear" adding, "'What You Want' is a hefty slab of dramatic rock which includes the band's trademark electric guitars with melodic choruses." Later, in another review, he gave the song four stars out of five stating "electro it certainly ain't, but the result is as dancefloor-friendly as it is mosh pit-ready." He further praised the "catchy-as-cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
" chorus and gave a mixed review about the lyrics and the title saying "fortunately their words seemed to have been a touch overzealous; though it's clear from the trailer for the group's third album that they've been spending a night or two on the tiles."
Lewis Corner of the same publication concluded: "'What You Want' proved on its unveiling this summer, the band's melodious rock sensibilities remain firmly in tact. 'Hello, hello, remember me?/ I'm everything you can't control,' Amy Lee declares over roaring guitars and classical strings, reinforcing their medieval influences as opposed to the electronic sound they've been purporting." Tamar Anitai of MTV Buzzyworthy, Theon Weber of Spin, Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic and Edna Gundersen of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
chose the song as an album highlight. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Mikael Wood wrote that "'What You Want' rides its central riff with a bulldozer's efficiency." While reviewing Evanescence's third self-titled album, Entertainment Weeklys Kyle Anderson put the song in his list of songs to download from the album describing it as "fierce". Marc Hirsh of The Boston Globe called "What You Want" a "strong declaration" that the band is back.
Chart performance
On the chart issue dated August 20, 2011, "What You Want" debuted at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, selling more than 78,000 copies according to SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. The song also debuted at number 32 on the Billboard Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
becoming the "Greatest Gainer" of the week on the same chart. Later, during the digital release of Evanescence, it moved from number 15 to number 13. It debuted at number 35 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States. As of November, 2011, it has sold more than 112,000 digital downloads. On the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
, "What You Want" debuted at number 55. On September 3, the song debuted at number one on the UK Rock Chart
UK Rock Chart
The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales....
, removing Evanescences own single "My Immortal
My Immortal
"My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on December 8, 2003 as the third single from their debut studio album Fallen. The song was entirely written by former guitarist Ben Moody, with the exception of the bridge, which was later added by Amy Lee, and it was...
" (2003) from the top spot. That achievement helped the song to debut at number 72 on the main 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 ...
.
Background and development
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...
for "What You Want" started filming on July 30, 2011 in a warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and it was directed by Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory and Josh Groban amongst many others....
. The video featured their fans who were playing a crowd on a concert by Evanescence. During an interview, Lee revealed that the music video for the song was one of their most real videos that the band has ever made adding, "this is more a personal video. We've done a lot in the past that [were] very 'fantasy,' and this is sort of the real us.[...] I just wanted to do something that really felt personal for a change. Obviously, I'm wearing crazy makeup, and that's not my everyday, but, you know, I want ... to connect with the fans again. We all do. We miss them. A lot of this record is about them, and that's why they're going to be here and be in it, too." In an interview with MTV News, she described the concept of the video:
"This video is sort of, like, the history of the band. This club [set] is emulating old shows we used to play in the beginning — we used to play this club called Vino's in Little Rock [ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
] — it's sort of like back then, the gritty, dirty club, sweaty. And basically, it's also [about] New York, where I've been, [and] where [bassist] Tim [McCord] lived in the past few years since we've been gone. And it's sort of about escaping New York and.[...] coming back out into the world."
However, before the filming of the video, the band was still finishing the album and when it came time to shoot the video Lee didn't had an idea about how it should look like. Because the song was different for the band, she knew that they didn't want to "go the classic, sort of fantastic, epic [thing]. I mean it's still epic, but we didn't want to go the classic route — I wanted to do something different." Lee asked her sister Carrie to help her around the concept of the video. Her sister said that they should film the video for the song in New York and Lee thought it would be great, "She just started saying things that were right on. She was like, 'This should be in New York. You guys need to do something different, this song feels different.' And she started talking about running across the Brooklyn Bridge, and it being where I live, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is great.'" However, the final shot of the video filmed at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
was her idea. The shot represented the band coming back in the world and "heading into the unknown, coming into a new world". Lee said that the final shot was difficult because Terry Balsamo "especially did not want to get in the water." She added, "It was a little cold. I loved it though. I think the guys did, too."
Synopsis and reception
The video begins with shots of several skyscrapers in New York, which are followed by scenes of the band performing in a warehouse that has been converted into a stage (similar to Vino's bar which is where the band used to regularly perform before they became popular). The crowd on the concert is singing along with the band as Lee waves her hair in front of them. The video continually cuts Amy Lee walking through Brooklyn in a dark dress and makeup. She walks through a train station, streets and the Brooklyn BridgeBrooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
. During the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
of the song, Lee runs through the Brooklyn Bridge and jumps on the other side, landing perfectly on her feet. At the end of the video, the band meet up and walk to the beach where they walk into the sea. The final shot shows the band walking in the sea as the video fades out which symbolizes a new beginning for them. A twenty-two second teaser of the video was released on September 9. The video for the song officially premiered on the Internet on September 13, 2011. It was also made available for digital download on iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
the same day.
James Montgomery from MTV News, said that the video was a departure for the band "eschewing the dark fantasy worlds they've created in previous videos in favor of good old-fashioned realism: the blood, sweat and tears that not only took them to the top, but have fueled their current comeback, too." Later, he added that the video "recalls the halcyon days of big-ticket rock videos" and some "claustrophobic, cathartic performance footage." He called it "a true band clip; it's artfully autobiographical and, perhaps most notably, features all of Evanescence." Entertainment Weeklys Grady Smith, called the video "heavy goth-rock head-banger" and added that the shots of Lee falling from the bridge were similar to the music video for "Bring Me to Life
Bring Me to Life
"Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was written by Amy Lee, Ben Moody and David Hodges and produced by Dave Fortman. It also features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. Wind-up released "Bring Me to Life" in 2003 as the lead single from Evanescence's...
" (2003). Melinda Newman of the website HitFix compared the video with the movies The Crow
The Crow (film)
The Crow is a 1994 American action film based on the 1989 comic book of the same name by James O'Barr. The film was written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, and directed by Alex Proyas...
(1994) and Run Lola Run
Run Lola Run
Run Lola Run is a 1998 German crime thriller film written and directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Franka Potente as Lola and Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni. The story follows a woman who needs to obtain 100,000 German marks in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend's life...
(1998). She further praised the lighting, the photographs and the mood which according to her, were "perfection, especially the city scapes at night and the intense looks on the fans faces, as they are enraptured by Lee. It's a big budget shoot, the kind we don't see that much of anymore." Jason Lipshutz of the magazine Billboard praised the video with its "crystal-clear" shots of the concert and the "hazy" shots of Lee running through New York. A more negative review of the video was given by Laurie Tuffrey of NME who called the video "uninspiring". He further found CCTV
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
effects and concluded that Lee was "looking for some love to infect" while running through Brooklyn streets. Nicole James of MTV Buzzyworthy simply said "rock videos + themes = the only kind of math I like" referring to the music video for "What You Want".
Live performances
Evanescence performed the song live for the first time, on August 8, at 7:54 p.m. ET on MTV. MTV called the entire event "MTV First: Evanescence". After the performance the band had an exclusive interview. James Montgomery from MTV News described Lee's vocals as "powerful" during the performance. Evanescence performed the song during their performance at the 2011 Rock in RioRock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in three cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal and Madrid in Spain.Four incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2011, four in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and two in Madrid in 2008 and 2010....
festival on October 2, 2011. On October 15, 2011, Evanescence performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. They later added the song to the set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
on their third worldwide tour in support of Evanescence performing "What You Want" during the encore of the show. While reviewing a concert by the band, Rick Florino wrote that Lee sounded "pristine and powerful" during the chorus of the song. He further praised Tim McCord's bass and Terry Balsamo's guitar, "volleying with Troy McLawhorn as Evanescene's methodical metallic theatrics hypnotized." He concluded that the song "proved to be an undeniable anthem echoed throughout the room by every voice present." While reviewing a concert during Evanescence's tour, Serene Dominic of The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
noted that the band "rocking a lot harder than you might expect" opened the show "with the new headbanger of a single 'What You Want'."
Track listing
- Digital download
- "What You Want" - 3:40
- CD Single
- "What You Want" - 3:40
- "What You Want" (Elder Jepson Remix) - 3:18
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Brazil (Billboard Brasil Billboard Brasil Billboard Brasil is a monthly Brazilian magazine launched on October 10, 2009, with a print-run of over 40,000 copies. It is distributed nationwide by Brazil's biggest distributor Dinap... ) |
30 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
84 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... ) |
58 |
| South Korea (Gaon Chart Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... ) |
59 |
| UK Rock Chart (The Official Charts Company UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... ) |
1 |
| US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
10 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... (Billboard) |
11 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | August 9, 2011 | 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... |
| Austria | ||
| Belgium | ||
| Denmark | ||
| Finland | ||
| France | ||
| Germany | ||
| Greece | ||
| Italy | ||
| Mexico | ||
| Netherlands | ||
| Norway | ||
| Portugal | ||
| Spain | ||
| Sweden | ||
| Switzerland | ||
| United States | ||
| New Zealand | ||
| Germany | September 9, 2011 | CD single |
| United Kingdom | October 2, 2011 | Digital download |
External links
- Official lyrics of "What You Want" at Evanescence.com
- Official music video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....