"Its popularity is partly explained by its versatility. Passive constructions in the form of 'the floor needs to be washed' or 'the video needs to be returned' deftly finesse the question of just who will be doing the washing or returning. And need to is just the thing for the currently very popular tense I call the kindergarten imperative, as in, 'I need you to put away your crayons now.' This construction is also favored by flight attendants, who often inexplicably add the phrases 'go ahead and' and 'for me,' as in: 'I need you to go ahead and put your seat backs in the upright position for me.'"
Ben Yagoda traces the rise of an emotional verb in Slate.
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