"I Want To Be Wanted" started as the Italian tune "Per Tutta la Vita" (A. Testa - P. Spotti), English translation "For All Lifetime". The original 1959 recording was sung by Wilma De Angelis. The song was entered in the 1959 The San Remo Song Festival.

Brenda Lee's (Tarpley) "I Want To Be Wanted" hit in 1960 and topped the Billboard chart from the album "This is .... Brenda". The English lyric was added by Kim Gannon who co-authored "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Under Paris Skies" and "I Understand".