It Just Won't Do Explained

It Just Won't Do
Cover:It Just Won't Do Tim Deluxe cover.png
Type:single
Artist:Tim Deluxe featuring Sam Obernik
B-Side:We All Love Sax
Genre:House[1]
Length:
  • 5:11 (album version)
  • 3:21 (radio edit)
Label:Underwater
Producer:Tim Deluxe
Chronology:Tim Deluxe
Prev Title:Sirens
Prev Year:2001
Next Title:Less Talk More Action!
Next Year:2003

"It Just Won't Do" is a song by English DJ and producer Tim Deluxe, featuring English singer Sam Obernik on vocals. The track, a Latin-inspired house song,[1] was written and produced by Tim Deluxe and co-written by Ben Onono. The song contains a prominent trumpet riff performed by Simon Finch. Following exposure at the Winter Music Conference in Miami, Florida, the song gained popularity in dance clubs and was eventually released as a standalone single through Underwater Records on 8 July 2002. The song was later included on Tim Deluxe's debut studio album, The Little Ginger Club Kid, in 2004.

"It Just Won't Do" became Deluxe's and Obernik's highest-charting single in the UK, peaking at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. In Europe, it became a top-10 hit in Hungary, the Netherlands, and Spain, and it topped the European Dance Traxx chart for 14 weeks, tying the record for the longest stay at number one on this ranking. In Australia, the track reached number 13 and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The song was nominated for two awards: Track of the Season at the 2002 DJ Awards and the Ivors Dance Award in 2003, winning the former accolade.

Critical reception

Reviewing the song in June 2002, British trade paper Music Week noted the song's "sledgehammer bassline" and its "fiery vocal and trumpet line".[2] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton called "It Just Won't Do" a "proper" dance song but dismissed its commercial appeal.[3] In a review for The Little Ginger Club Kid, Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic labelled the track "killer".[4] In 2002, Tim Deluxe won the DJ Award for Track of the Season for this song, and the following year, it was nominated for the Ivors Dance Award, losing to "Lazy" by X-Press 2.[5] [6]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "It Just Won't Do" became a mainstay on radio throughout mid-2002.[3] Following its physical release, it debuted and peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Tim Deluxe's only top-40 UK hit and Sam Obernik's first. The single spent seven weeks in the top 100, giving both musicians their longest-charting hit.[7] In Ireland, the song peaked at number 26 on the Irish Singles Chart and remained in the top 30 for three weeks. It became a top-10 hit in the Netherlands and Spain, peaking at number six on the Dutch Top 40, number 10 on the Dutch Single Top 100, and number seven on Spain's PROMUSICAE chart. According to the Dutch Top 40, it was the Netherlands' 52nd-most-successful single of 2002.

Across the rest of Europe, "It Just Won't Do" entered the top 20 in the Flanders region of Belgium and appeared within the lower reaches of the charts in France, Germany, and Switzerland. It became a significant dance hit, topping Music & Medias Dance Traxx chart for 14 weeks and tying the record for the most weeks spent at number one on this ranking, along with Roger Sanchez's "Another Chance". On the Eurochart Hot 100, the single reached number 55 in late July. In 2006, the track charted in Hungary, peaking at number eight on the Single Top 40. It also found success in Australia, where it peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Singles Chart, topped the ARIA Club Chart, and earned a gold certification for shipping over 35,000 copies in Australia alone. In September 2003, the song appeared on the US Billboard Hot Dance Radio Airplay chart for a single week, at number 39.

Track listings

UK CD and cassette single[8] [9]

  1. "It Just Won't Do" (radio edit)
  2. "It Just Won't Do" (club)
  3. "We All Love Sax"

UK 12-inch single[10]

A1. "It Just Won't Do" (club mix)

A2. "It Just Won't Do" (percussion loop tool)

B1. "It Just Won't Do" (dub mix)

B2. "It Just Won't Do" (full loop tool)

B3. "It Just Won't Do" (bass loop tool)

Belgian CD single[11]

  1. "It Just Won't Do" (radio edit)
  2. "It Just Won't Do" (club mix)

Dutch and Australian CD single[12] [13]

  1. "It Just Won't Do" (radio edit)
  2. "It Just Won't Do" (club mix)
  3. "It Just Won't Do" (dub mix)
  4. "We All Love Sax"

Spanish 12-inch single[14]

A1. "It Just Won't Do" (club mix) – 6:59

AA1. "It Just Won't Do" (dub mix) – 6:09

AA2. "We All Love Sax" – 4:50

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD single liner notes.[8]

Studio

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2002)Peak
position
Australian Club Chart (ARIA)[15] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[16] 55
European Dance Traxx (Music & Media)[17] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)Position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 90
Australian Club Chart (ARIA)[19] 2
Australian Dance (ARIA)14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 52

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom8 July 2002Underwater[21]
Australia26 August 2002CDUniversal Dance[22]
New Zealand7 October 2002Universal New Zealand[23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The ARIA Report: Chartifacts!. ARIA. 2. 2 September 2002. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222423/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020907-0000/Issue653.pdf. 23 February 2008. 21 March 2023.
  2. Reviews: Single Reviews. Music Week. 11. 22 June 2002.
  3. Web site: Week Ending July 20th 2002. Masterton. James. James Masterton. Chart Watch UK. 14 July 2002. 21 March 2023.
  4. Web site: The Little Ginger Club Kid Review by Jason Birchmeier. Birchmeier. Jason. AllMusic. 21 March 2023.
  5. Web site: 2002: 5th Edition – Special Industry Awards. DJ Awards. 21 March 2023.
  6. Web site: Ivor Novello Awards 2003: Winners. BBC News. 22 April 2003. 21 March 2023.
  7. Web site: Sam Obernik. Official Charts Company. 21 March 2023.
  8. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. UK CD single liner notes. Underwater Records. H2O 016CD.
  9. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. UK cassette single sleeve. Underwater Records. H2O 016MC.
  10. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. UK 12-inch single sleeve. Underwater Records. H2O 016.
  11. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. Belgian CD single liner notes. Captivating Sounds, Underwater Records. 5050466-0065-5-4.
  12. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. Dutch CD single liner notes. Captivating Sounds, Underwater Records. 5050466-0066-2-2.
  13. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. Australian CD single liner notes. Universal Dance. 0191952.
  14. It Just Won't Do. Tim Deluxe. 2002. Spanish 12-inch single sleeve. Vendetta Records. VENMX 411.
  15. Web site: The ARIA Report: ARIA Club Chart–Week Commencing 22nd July 2002. ARIA. 15. 22 July 2002. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222433/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020807-0000/Issue647.pdf. 23 February 2008. 21 March 2023.
  16. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 20. 31. 7. 27 July 2002.
  17. Dance Beat. Roth. Harold. Music & Media. 20. 46. 27. 9 November 2002.
  18. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2002. ARIA. 21 March 2023.
  19. Web site: The ARIA Report!: End of Year 2002. ARIA. 13, 17. December 2002. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222424/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20030107-0000/Issue670.pdf. 23 February 2008. 21 March 2023.
  20. Web site: Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2002. Dutch Top 40. nl. 21 March 2023.
  21. New Releases – For Week Starting 8 July 2002: Singles. Music Week. 27. 6 July 2002.
  22. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 26th August 2002. ARIA. 26. 26 August 2002. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222433/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20021002-0000/Issue652.pdf. 23 February 2008. 21 March 2023.
  23. Web site: New Releases. netcd.co.nz. 7 October 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021010050441/http://www.netcd.co.nz/NewReleases.html. 10 October 2002. 8 November 2023.