Singer Mari Wilson has spoken to the Guardian about the making of her 1982 hit Just What I Always Wanted, recalling how the song, its distinctive sound and her towering beehive hairstyle came together at the height of her fame. The track, produced by Tony Mansfield, became her biggest-selling single, reaching the UK Top 10 and marking a departure from the retro soul style she and her band, the Wilsations, had been known for.

The song began as a tune Wilson improvised on a Steinway piano during a BBC Radio 1 session, with lyrics inspired by a shopping-list idea she developed on the bus home; songwriter Tot Taylor helped rework early lyrics referencing band members into lines about luxury items. Despite some radio critics feeling the synth-heavy production strayed too far from her retro image, the single spent three weeks in the Top 10. Wilson also described her beehive hairstyle, which took over 45 minutes to style and grew larger as her fame increased, and recalled recording vocals at Pete Townshend's Eel Pie Studios while still dressed for a prior interview.