"I Wanna Go Back" is a 1984 song by American rock band Billy Satellite, written by band members Monty Byrom, Danny Chauncey, and Ira Walker, that achieved major popularity when recorded by

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Pa ...

in 1986. Another version was recorded by former Santana/ Journey keyboardist/singer

Gregg Rolie Gregg Alan Rolie (born June 17, 1947) is an American singer and keyboardist. Rolie served as lead singer of the bands Santana and Journey – both of which he co-founded. He also helmed rock group The Storm, performed in Ringo Starr & His A ...

for his self-titled 1985 debut solo album.

Billy Satellite version

Released in 1984 as the band's debut single, it reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on December 8, 1984, charting for three weeks and peaking at number 78, and number 72 ''Cash Box''. The mid-tempo song is reliant on synthesizers but contains a short guitar

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ' ...

in the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

and some guitar in the outro. The music video begins with the members of Billy Satellite driving a jeep to

Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada *Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan **Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santiago ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

to the site of a previous live show; the latter portion features the band playing in a bar there.

Eddie Money version

American rock singer

covered the song on his 1986 album '' Can't Hold Back'', and it was released as the follow-up single to the top-ten hit " Take Me Home Tonight". It reached number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, #33 Adult Contemporary, and number three on the

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart in early 1987. Money's version, which

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

's Mike DeGagne says has "sincere, semi-ballad charm," still relies heavily on synthesizers but includes more guitar and adds saxophone in the

intro Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

, bridge, and outro, with backing vocals by

Marilyn Martin Marilyn Martin (born May 4, 1954) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1985 hit duet with Phil Collins, "Separate Lives", her only number one. Early life Marilyn Martin was born on May 4, 1954, in Tennessee but raise ...

. The music video to his version features Money revisiting a high school interspersed with him and his band playing before a concert audience. Martin can also be seen in the video as mysterious figure that Money briefly follows through the crowd at the school dance, representing the girl who got away.

Chart history

Weekly charts

References

{{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles 1986 singles Eddie Money songs Songs written by Monty Byrom Capitol Records singles Columbia Records singles