"Show Me Love" is a song performed by American singer Robin S. The song was written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane, originally released in October 1990 by Champion Records in the United Kingdom. In 1992, it was remixed by Swedish house music production duo StoneBridge and Nick Nice, and re-released in many European countries as well as the United States and Japan. It became one of the most well known house anthems in the United Kingdom, and Robin's biggest hit to date. It helped to make house more mainstream. In 1993, it was included on Robin S.'s debut album of the same name. Confusion arose with the 1997 hit "Show Me Love" by Swedish singer Robyn, due to their homonymous names and identical titles.
The original version of "Show Me Love", released in 1990 on British label Champion Records, is officially credited as being written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane and performed by Robin S.[9] Initially reluctant to sign on due to its fast tempo given her prior background in solely R&B and pop music, Robin struggled through the recording process as heard in the hoarseness and frustration on the final track as she was recovering from the flu.[10] Despite asking Allen for publishing credits for what she claimed to be her own ad-libbed additions to the original demo for years, Robin never received them.[11]
In 1992, Swedish DJ and producer StoneBridge contacted Champion, looking for songs to remix; they suggested "Show Me Love".[9] After they rejected several remixes, StoneBridge created a new mix after hearing contributing musician Richard Tomlinson's demo using the "organ" preset on the Korg M1 synthesiser to create the distorted bassline.[9] A few days later, he listened to the remix again; he thought it was "pretty bad", but he was persuaded by his girlfriend to submit it.[12] StoneBridge recalls this process:
I stripped the track to just the kick drum and vocal, Richard suggested we changed the bass sound I had used for the latest mix for something different which happened to be an organ ... He played it and we then found a snare drum from a record, but it had a kick in it, so it got this heavy attack that worked perfectly with the massive kick. We then put on two string chords in the chorus and put a little distorted stab thing in the intro and it was done in a little bit over four hours.[12][dead link]
StoneBridge only learned his remix was a global hit months after its release during a visit to London when he turned on the weekly TV show Top of the Pops. He also regretted never being given writing credits for the remix he went on to describe as "basically compos[ing] a new track" as the "world of remixes" at that time also tended towards "work for hire" which he felt in his situation was eventually "forgiven" as he got a "lot of work" afterwards.[11]
Following an ASCAP panel in 2011 with musician Andrea Martin, initial reporting indicated that Andrea had claimed that during her time as a then "very popular" demo session vocalist, her entire melody and vocal sent for the track to Rondo Publishing in the UK was used for the official recording in place of Robin S. but neither was ever credited.[13][14][15][11]
Following her death in 2021, longtime songwriting partner to Andrea, Ivan Matias, clarified to Billboard in 2022 that her comments at that panel had been widely misinterpreted for years and that while Andrea had written the entire melody and vocal arrangement as well as sung the demo, it was in fact Robin's vocal on the final recording. Record executive Joey Carvello, who had licensed the remix from Champion for Atlantic Records at the time, substantiated Matias' comments to the same outlet. For the demo Andrea took a one-time $300 fee for her contribution rather than asking for writing credits which would have entitled her to publishing income, a decision they said she regretted for years and blamed on her naivete of the then-common industry practice.[11] However, Andrea always kept her version of the story and insisted on several interviews that it was indeed her voice on the final recording of the track and even sang an acappella to prove herself. The fans could notice that there is indeed a huge similarity between Andrea's vocals and the voice that can be heard on the smash hit, causing a huge controversy and discussions on the web. [16][17]
In Europe, in the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 66 on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at number six on April 4,[19] 7 weeks later. It also reached number two in Spain, number nine in Belgium and Switzerland, as well as number ten in Sweden. It was a top-20 hit in Austria (15), Denmark (20), France (14), Germany (11), Iceland (14), Italy (17), and the Netherlands (13). On the European Hot 100 Singles, "Show Me Love" reached number 26 on September 25. Elsewhere, the song peaked at number six in Zimbabwe, and in 1994, number 78 in Australia.
AllMusic editor Alex Henderson noted that Robin S. is "greatly influenced" by Evelyn "Champagne" King, "but obviously her own person". He added further that the success of her "sleek yet gritty hits", as "Show Me Love", led many to think of Robin as a "dance-floor diva."[20]J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun complimented the song as one of the "best moments" on the album, describing it as a "stomping, bass-driven" tune.[21]Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Here's a bit of diva-house with a slight twist. Robin's big, finger-wavin' performance is laid atop an understated arrangement of icy cool electro beats."[22] M.R. Martinez from Cash Box stated that "Show Me Love" "will become a testament to any dance floor DJ."[23] A writer for Complex deemed it as "pure" and "powerful".[24] Anderson Jones from Entertainment Weekly described it as a "techno-tinged house tune."[25] Joe Muggs from Fact wrote, "For all its poppiness, this is a dark, fierce, attitude-filled beast of a record."[26] Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers stated, "Distinctive, burbling keyboard pattern and rich singing infuse this house classic. A must."[27] Holly Barringer from Melody Maker said, "I think it's that electronic xylophone effect that does it for me. And those vocals. The kind of big, sassy voice that fills your ears. Warm and tight and snappy."[28]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media remarked its spine of "buzzing synth bass lines and synthesised xylophone" by the "American dance prima donna".[29] Alan Jones from Music Week stated on the 1997 re-release, that the track "is widely recognised as one of the classic dance tracks of the Nineties and the original can't be improved on, but our old friend "public demand" has apparently forced a re-release." He added, "Reserve a place in the upper echelons of the chart."[30] A reviewer from The Orlando Sentinel viewed it as "hard-driving".[31] Jeremy Helligar from People Magazine remarked that the singer "sounded so caught up in the rapture of the rhythm that listeners couldn't help following suit."[32] Popdust noted "that gorgeous, glorious riff", adding that Robin S. "sounds shell-shocked and devastated, like she's pleading for her guy to show her love, because she just doesn't know if she can take another crushing disappointment. It's very dark, and could have been overwhelmingly dour, if not for the snare-and-hi-hate shuffle that keeps propelling the song forward."[33]Rob Sheffield from Spin declared it as "great", remarking its "haunting synth-riff".[34]TMZ described it as "infectious", praising the singer as "a singing icon in the '90s club scene."[35]
A music video was produced to promote the single, which sees Robin S. performing in a club. It was directed by American music video, television, and film director Millicent Shelton. It starts with a young woman arriving at a nightclub in which Robin S. begins to sing on a stage in front of a crowd. She is backed up by a male dancer. The woman goes to the bar where she meets a young man who buys her a drink. When the chorus comes, some drag queens in the club are lip syncing to it. People are dancing everywhere, while the two are enjoying themselves at the bar. Then they are interrupted by an elderly man trying to talk to the woman. She is not interested and in the scuffle, her pearl band breaks. All the pearls roll down on the floor, while she runs from the bar. The young man picks up some of the pearls and goes out to the woman. Then he puts them in her hand and kisses her. While Robin S. sings the last stanzas of the song, they leave the nightclub together. The video was later made available on YouTube in 2010, and had generated more than 76 million views as of early 2024.[36]
The song made it to the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, a rare feat for a house song at the time. According to The Guardian, "Show Me Love" has influenced contemporary house songs such as Kiesza's "Hideaway" (2014) and Disclosure's "White Noise" (2013), and artists such as Clean Bandit and Felix Jaehn.[9] In 2000, VH1 placed "Show Me Love" at number 73 in its list of "100 Greatest Dance Songs".[1]
In 2006, Slant Magazine ranked the song 41st in its "100 Greatest Dance Songs" list, adding, "'Show Me Love' was not just one of the biggest house-pop crossovers of the early-'90s club-radio boom, it was also one of the last. At least radio house went out with its face on (that is, before it came back in its more Euro varieties). 1993's 'Show Me Love' was as representative as any track of the way house distilled disco's flamboyant, strings-and-all yearning into a minimal thump with skeletal keyboards doing the bulk of melodic support (as defined by Swedish producer Stonebridge's remix).[3]
In 2011, The Guardian featured the song in its "A History of Modern Music: Dance".
In 2014, Complex included the song in their "Songs Every Dance Music Fan Should Know, Vol. 1", stating that "it's a perfect track." They wrote, "Whatever the case may be, there are memorable hooks or vocals from that era, but "Show Me Love" is indicative of the soul and heart that resided within the house scene for a while."[37]
In October 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "Show Me Love" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".[38]
"Show Me Love" has been sampled several times. It was sampled by Jason Derulo in his single "Don't Wanna Go Home", from his 2011 album Future History.[39] American hip hop recording artist Kid Ink interpolated the song in his 2013 single "Show Me", which features guest vocals from singer Chris Brown.[40][41][42] It was later interpolated in the 2016 song "Your Love by French DJ and producer David Guetta and Dutch electronic dance music duo Showtek.[43] "Show Me Love" was also sampled in the Charli XCX song "Used to Know Me", from her 2022 album Crash.[44]
The same year, the song was sampled in Beyoncé's song "Break My Soul", the lead single from her album Renaissance. As a direct result, various record labels, corporations, and other artists inquired about licensing the song's master recordings for various purposes. Robin S. further praised Beyoncé for acknowledging and appreciating her music, calling it "one of the highest compliments ever."[45] In 2023, Robin S. told TMZ that her personal favorite sampling of the song was on Kid Ink and Chris Brown's "Show Me".[46]
In 2008, following the successful sample of the Mobin Master cover mashup with their song, "Be", Swedish DJ and producer Steve Angello and Filipino-Dutch DJ Laidback Luke used the parts to reconstruct their mashup. Robin S. is featured re-recording her vocals, engineered and co-produced by Mobin Master, which was initially recorded for his version. Also featured are additional vocals from Hal Ritson (co-producer) and Yolanda Quartey. It was originally released through the Happy Music label on December 12, and has had multiple re-releases since. "Show Me Love" is one of Angello's and Luke's best known singles, especially in the United Kingdom where it topped the UK Dance Chart in 2009.
The song was also an international breakthrough for Dutch DJ Hardwell.[139] The song is based on his illegal bootlegmashup of Mobin Master's cover of "Show Me Love", with vocalist Karina Chavez and the instrumental track "Be" by Steve Angello & Laidback Luke.
In 2015, the song was remade by producer Sam Feldt featuring vocals from Kimberly Anne. It was released as a digital download on 16 February 2015[151] through Spinnin' Records. Several remixes were released on 21 June 2015, including EDX's Indian Summer Remix, which became most popular.
^Molanphy, Chris (July 16, 2022). "Point of No Return Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
^Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 495.
^Pollock, Bruce (1997). The Rock Song Index: The 7,500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era, 1944–2000. New York: Schirmer Books. p. 346. ISBN0-02-8720687.
