Maura Magazine | Want

Want

In 2009 Natalie Imbruglia (yes, that one) released “Want,” a sumptuous disco song that came complete with a Chris Martin co-write. It did nothing in the States, which isn’t a surprise given the ever-younger skewing of radio on this side of the Atlantic. (It did go gold in Italy, and I saw its video on MTV Hits’s UK analogue while on a trip to Dublin.) But its string-tinged bitterness ricocheted around my head as I prepared this issue; this is in part because it’s an incessantly catchy track that opens itself up a bit more with each listen, but it’s also because on the chorus Imbruglia repeats the seemingly well-intentioned wish “I hope you get all that you want,” only waiting until the very end to sullenly add, “‘Cause I didn’t.” The pieces in this issue all have longing at their core, whether it’s the desire to figure out one’s place in the world or a deep-seated need to be closer to one’s idols through membership in a fan club; it remains to be seen, however, whether or not some of this wanting will prove to be as frustrating as that which Imbruglia put to tape.