Human League’s Philip Oakey on Why He Didn’t Think ‘Don’t You Want Me’ Would Be a Hit and the Enduring Power of New Wave Music

Home Music Features Apr 16, 2026 8:15am PT Human League’s Philip Oakey on Why He Didn’t Think ‘Don’t You Want Me’ Would Be a Hit and the Enduring Power of New Wave Music By Pat Saperstein Plus Icon Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor @Variety_PatS Latest Nicole Kidman Says She’s Learning to Be a Death Doula 3 days ago Netflix Drops Millie Bobby Brown’s ‘Perfect’ After She Exits Olympics Movie Over Creative Differences 6 days ago Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård Sequel ‘Lords of War’ Acquired by Vertical for U.S. 6 days ago See All Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag The New Wave era of spiky but danceable pop tunes and sharp colorful looks may feel like it happened a million years ago, but to everyone’s surprise, the 45-year old musical movement has never really gone away. First popularized as MTV was becoming massively popular, 1980s music endured as the default upbeat soundtrack everywhere from your Trader Joe’s store to shows and movies like “Stranger Things” and “Marty Supreme.” One of the most prominent hitmakers of the era were Human League — one of the few bands to endure for more than four decades without massive fights, angst and breakups. The Human League got most of its turmoil over with right at the start, when two of the founding members of the Sheffield group left to form Heaven 17. Lead singer Philip Oakey stayed behind to cultivate a more pop-friendly sound, or as he describes it, “chart records.” After recruiting high school students Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley as vocalists, Human League started churning out hits and became one of the top synth-pop groups of the New Wave era — notably with the memorable 1981 No. 1 hit “Don’t You Want Me.” Popular on Variety Related Stories Jimmy Kimmel Airs Photo of Melania Trump and Jeffrey Epstein After First Lady Makes Public Address Denying Epstein Ties