Meshell Ndegeocello & Cat Power – “Don’t You Want Me” (The Human League Cover)
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Meshell Ndegeocello and Cat Power have released a cover of The Human League’s 1982 hit “Don’t You Want Me”. Their version transforms the synthpop original into a slower, reggae-influenced duet, giving the song a different emotional tone and adding new meaning through its same-gender perspective.
The track is the latest preview of Ndegeocello’s forthcoming covers album, Synonym, due on 2 October via Blue Note. The album features collaborators including ANOHNI, Chaka Khan, Nick Hakim and Bill Callahan; its lead single paired Ndegeocello with Cynthia Erivo on “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”.
- Ndegeocello and Cat Power cover “Don’t You Want Me”.
- The version recasts the hit as a reggae duet.
- Synonym arrives on 2 October via Blue Note.
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Meshell Ndegeocello is an American musician known for blending jazz, soul, funk and rock, often as a bassist, singer and songwriter. Cat Power is the stage name of American singer Chan Marshall, whose sparse, expressive interpretations of other artists’ songs have made her a prominent covers performer.
“Don’t You Want Me” was originally released by British synthpop group The Human League in 1981 and became a major international hit the following year. The original uses two singers to present different sides of a relationship that has ended, over an electronic pop arrangement typical of the period.
Ndegeocello’s new album, Synonym, is built around reinterpretations of existing songs with guest vocalists. Blue Note, the label releasing it, is a long-established American record company closely associated with jazz, though it also works with artists across other styles.
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