Song · Joan Armatrading
“(I Love It When You) Call Me Names” by Joan Armatrading
From the album The Key (1983)
“(I Love It When You) Call Me Names” by Joan Armatrading appears on 8 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1999 and 2021. It was first released in 1983 on the album The Key. Its best result is #519 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,980 alternative song of all time.
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"(I Love It When You) Call Me Names" came out on A&M in May 1983 as the second single from The Key, Joan Armatrading's eighth studio album, and it grew out of life on the road. She wrote it in Santa Barbara while on tour, inspired by two players in her band who could never stop bickering, and though it plays as a spat between a man and a woman, the love-hate push and pull at its heart belonged to those two friends.
Steve Lillywhite produced it with a sharp, modern crunch, and the band is stacked: Tony Levin on bass, Jerry Marotta on drums, Larry Fast on synthesizer, Daryl Stuermer on guitar beside Armatrading, and Adrian Belew tearing off the solo. Even with "Drop the Pilot" fresh in the UK top 20, it missed the top 100 there.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 697 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 697 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 698 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 698 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 698 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 698 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 698 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2021 | 519 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
Also listed as: (i Love It When You) Call Me Names; I Love It When You Call Me Names.
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