Luke James, I Want You | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 5^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “I Want You” performed by Grammy-nominated R&B artist, Luke James.  

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, it’s that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 5^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024) we dive into “I Want You”,  the one hit wonder by Luke James.

“It’s crazy how your heart just has a mind of its own / Like when a smile, that makes the choice on its own…” Did you know that Luke James has been nominated for three Grammys? One of those three Grammy nominations was for “I Want You”, a highlight from his debut album, Luke James.  With “I Want You,” James showed the world how talented he was as a singer.  Made for R&B, his falsetto is hella ripe in the tuneful chorus where he sings, “I Want you, baby, ooh / I want you, baby, ooh, ooh.”  It’s understandable how the handsome musician earned the critics seal of approval.  He wrote “I Want You” alongside Britney Jackson, Kadis, Nasri Atweh, Danja, and Sean Marshall. Kadis & Sean (Kadis and Sean Marshall) produce this gem. 

Even though “I Want You” is a highlight and the song to beat from the Luke James catalog, it wasn’t even a big hit. “I Want You,” sadly, didn’t even chart on the Billboard Hot 100 🤯. To date, this is James’ only song to chart on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at a modest (or tepid) no. 85 in 2012.  Basically, “I Want You” peaked long before Luke James saw the light of day in Fall 2014.  Sad.  Even when Luke James arrived, it peaked at no. 54 on the Billboard 200, spending just one week on the chart.  In the context of his career, and song of true, dedicated love – “I found music when I found you” – this is his hit. The thing is, James deserves to be an even more prolific one-hit wonder than he is.  “I Want You” deserved much wider recognition, and Luke certainly does as a musician.

🎙 Luke James • 💿 Luke James • 🏷 Island • 🗓 2014

Luke James, I Want You: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 5 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Island; Elias Souza from Pexels; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]