"Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on the B-side of the single "William, It Was Really Nothing" in 1984 and later featured on the compilation albums Hatful of Hollow and Louder Than Bombs. It has been covered by several other artists. The song was also included on the soundtrack album of the 1986 film Pretty in Pink and featured in the film Never Been Kissed. An instrumental cut of the cover from The Dream Academy was featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off during the art museum sequence when Cameron is viewing the pointilist painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".

Background

Johnny Marr wrote the music to "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" shortly after its eventual A-side, "William, It Was Really Nothing". Marr commented, "Because that was such a fast, short, upbeat song, I wanted the B-side to be different, so I wrote 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want' on Saturday in a different time signature—in a waltz time as a contrast". Marr has also noted that the music was an attempt to "capture the ... spookiness and sense of yearning" in Del Shannon's "The Answer to Everything", a song his parents played for him as a child. The band's label, Rough Trade, initially was concerned about the song's short length. Morrissey recalled, "When we first played it to Rough Trade, they kept asking, 'Where's the rest of the song? Morrissey, who characterized the song "a very brief punch in the face," argued, "Lengthening the song would, to my mind, have simply been explaining the blindingly obvious". "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" was released as a B-side to "William, It Was Really Nothing". Morrissey commented, "Hiding it away on a B-side was sinful" and remarked "I feel sad about it now". The song also appeared on the compilation Hatful of Hollow, an inclusion Morrissey considered "by way of semi-repentance".

Cover versions

The Dream Academy version

The Dream Academy covered "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" in 1985. This version of the song peaked at number 83 on the UK Singles Chart. An instrumental version of this cover was used in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off in 1986. Though Morrissey originally indicated his dislike for this version, he later used it as intermission music during late period Smiths concerts. He commented after the band's breakup, "I mean, I liked the Dream Academy version of that old Smiths song. Everyone despised it and it got to number 81, which is nearly a hit".

Track listing

7-inch version 12-inch version

Chart performance

Slow Moving Millie version

English actress and songwriter Slow Moving Millie released a cover version of the song, adding commas to its title. It was released on 11 November 2011 as a download from her debut studio album Renditions. Her version was selected as the soundtrack to a John Lewis advertisement.

Track listing

Chart performance

Release history

Other cover versions

Certifications

The Smiths version