Maps of Music

I Wanna Be with You (2000)

Where the lyrics of I Wanna Be with You take you, and where it was really made.

Outside the United States it was released as Mandy Moore's debut album, yet it is really a reissue built from her earlier So Real.

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I Wanna Be with You: reissue of American singer Mandy Moore's debut studio album So Real (1999)
Released May 5, 2000 through Epic Records, five months after So Real
Internationally presented as Moore's debut album rather than So Real
Contains five new songs; most of the other material first appeared on So Real
North American edition adds three new remixes; other editions omit them and borrow more heavily from So Real
Title track was the first US single, tied to the Center Stage soundtrack

Conceived quickly after the title track was recorded for the Center Stage soundtrack
Label chose not to wait the standard 18 months for another album
Moore said she had become a more confident person and performer
Moore felt 'Candy' no longer fully represented her, and the album was meant to show a more mature side

Moore recorded four of the five new songs at the beginning of 2000
'Everything My Heart Desires' is a cover of a 1999 single by Adam Rickitt
'Let Me Be the One', previously on So Real, is a cover of a 1985 Five Star single

Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress.
She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her debut album So Real (1999) received Platinum certification from the RIAA.
Her first Top 40 single was "I Wanna Be with You" from the 2000 reissue I Wanna Be With You, peaking at 24.
Her studio albums include Mandy Moore (2001), Coverage (2003), Wild Hope (2007), Amanda Leigh (2009), Silver Landings (2020), and In Real Life (2022).
She starred in A Walk to Remember (2002) and voiced Rapunzel in Disney's Tangled (2010).
From 2016 to 2022 she starred as Rebecca Pearson in the NBC drama This Is Us, earning Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.

Critics gave the album generally mixed reviews
Many reviewers criticized the album for reusing material from So Real
Amazon's Rickey Wright said it was released mainly to ride the success of its title single
Rolling Stone described it as a reconfigured, slightly improved reissue of So Real
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album a crass marketing move
Rhapsody's Linda Ryan described the release as ostentatious
Erlewine and Ryan both described the album as stronger than its predecessor
Erlewine said it contained all the essential ingredients for a good teen pop album
Ryan described the remixes as slick and radio-friendly
Wright was critical of the Wade Robson remixes and called So Real the better of her releases

Moore recorded four of the five new songs in early 2000.
Label executive Scott Carter said the team wanted to do something special rather than only releasing the title track on the soundtrack.
The album was meant to present a more mature side of Moore.
The Australian edition uses the same cover photograph as So Real.
The title track was Moore's best-charting single in the US, peaking at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.