Due to contract obligations, along with a primary fixation on the American market, "I Want You Back Again" was released as a single in the United States through Parrot Records on 12 June 1965.

Backed by "Remember When I Loved Her", the song was a commercial failure, reaching only the lower parts of both Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox Top 100.

[7] The initial version of the song was laid down at Decca Studios number 2 on 25 November 1964,[8] together with their standard producer Ken Jones.

[10] As the group's management primarily focused on the American market at the time, "I Want You Back Again" was rush-released as a follow-up to "She's Coming Home".

In Billboard magazine, the song's "jazz waltz feel backs up a strong piece of material", while comparing it to their previous single "She's Coming Home".

",[13] which Cashbox just like Billboard links to their previous single, which in their words had "a catchy blend of rock and blues waltz on the plug side.

"[13] Lead vocalist Blunstone was a fan of the song,[6] though he never thought waltz was a good music "because people can't dance to them.

"[6] In a retrospective review by Matthew Greenwald for AllMusic, he writes that the song flopped due to the Zombies being "simply a bit too adventurous at times for their own good.".