Only Wanna Be with You

Not to be confused with I Only Want to Be with You.

"Only Wanna Be With You"
Single by Hootie & the Blowfish
from the album Cracked Rear View
Released	July 17, 1995
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Pop rock, roots rock
Length	3:46
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Mark Bryan, Bob Dylan, Dean Felber, Darius Rucker, Jim Sonefeld
Producer(s)	Don Gehman
Hootie & the Blowfish singles chronology
"Let Her Cry" (1994) "Only Wanna Be with You" (1995) "Time" (1995)
Music video "Only Wanna Be With You" on YouTube

"Only Wanna Be with You" is a song by American rock group Hootie & the Blowfish. It was released in July 1995 as the third single from their breakthrough album, Cracked Rear View. It peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, number one on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart, number 3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Track listings

CD single
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Only Wanna Be with You" (Radio Edit)	3:46
2.	"Use Me" (Live)	5:11
3.	"Only Wanna Be with You" (Live)	4:00

Content

One verse of the song describes "[putting] on a little Dylan." The verse then references three songs on the first side of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks album. The lyric "sittin' on a fence" quotes Dylan's "You're a Big Girl Now." The song then references and quotes extensively from the next song on the album, Dylan's "Idiot Wind". The song then mentions Dylan's "Tangled up in Blue." Apparently, however, Dylan felt that the references to his works infringed on his original work, causing him to sue Hootie for unauthorized use of his lyrics. VH1 reported that Dylan received a large, out-of-court settlement in 1995.

Also mentioned in the bridge of the song is a reference "that the Dolphins make me cry," alluding to Darius Rucker's favorite football team and their championship drought.

Music video

The music video, similar to the song, had a sports theme, incorporating many elements from ESPN SportsCenter. The video featured appearances by (then-current) SportsCenter anchors Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Mike Tirico, Charley Steiner and Chris Berman, reporting on the band playing in games with several professional athletes, including Dan Marino, Fred Couples, Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues, Alex English, Walt Williams, and Charles Smith. Rucker said the video was his idea, adding, "It was just a way to meet all our idols."

Cover versions

• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song as a bonus track for their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks. This version also appears on the 2011 video game Alvin and the Chipumunks: Chipwrecked.

Parodies

Bob Rivers recorded a parody of the song, "Three Inch Tool", as part of his 1997 compilation album Best Of Twisted Tunes Vol. 1.

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	40
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)	1
Germany (Official German Charts)	65
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	17
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	44
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	17
Scotland (Official Charts Company)	83
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	87
US Billboard Hot 100	6
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	3
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
Canadian RPM Singles Chart	2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	33
Chart (1996)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	99

In December 2007, VH1 placed it at No. 45 on their countdown for the "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s".