Show Me Love (Robin S. song)

"Show Me Love" was written by American songwriters Allen George and Fred McFarlane and performed by singer Robin Stone.[8] The original version of the song was released in 1990 on British label Champion Records. When recording the song, Robin S. had the flu. In a 2014 interview, she explained on this:

You hear all of that emotion because I was struggling. I had the flu when I recorded it. That's what you hear, frustration. I wasn't at 100 percent vocally, but I said even if I'm hoarse I gotta do it.[9]

In 1992, Swedish DJ and producer StoneBridge contacted Champion, looking for songs to remix; they suggested "Show Me Love".[8] After they rejected several remixes, StoneBridge created a new mix, using the "organ" preset on the Korg M1 synthesiser to create the distorted bassline.[8] 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.[10]

StoneBridge recalls this process:

I stripped the track to just the kick drum and vocal, changed the bass sound I had used for the latest mix and it happened to be an organ ...I 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. I 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.[10]

AllMusic editor Alex Henderson noted that Robin S. is "greatly influenced by Evelyn "Champagne" King but obviously her own person" and noted further that "the success of her sleek yet gritty hits "Show Me Love" and "Back It Up" led many to think of Robin as a dance-floor diva."[11] 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."[12] Cash Box stated that "Show Me Love" "will become a testament to any dance floor DJ."[13] Complex noted it as "pure" and "powerful".[14] Anderson Jones from Entertainment Weekly described it as a "techno-tinged house tune".[15] Joe Muggs from Fact wrote that "for all its poppiness, this is a dark, fierce, attitude-filled beast of a record."[16] Music & Media noted that "buzzing synth bass lines and synthesised xylophone are the spine of this American dance prima donna's two hit singles, [Show Me Love] and Luv 4 Luv."[17] The Orlando Sentinel called the song "hard-driving".[18] 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".[19] TMZ described the song as "infectious".[20]

In the United States, the 1992 remix peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 12, 1993. And on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, it peaked at number one, on May 8, 1993. "Show Me Love" also peaked at number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and sold 600,000 copies domestically.[5][21] In Canada, the single peaked at number 2 on the RPM dance chart.

In Europe, in the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 66 on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at number 6 on April 4, 7 weeks later. It also reached number 2 in Spain, number 9 in Belgium and Switzerland, as well as number 10 in Sweden and Italy. And was a top 20 hit also in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland and the Netherlands. On the European Hot 100 Singles, "Show Me Love" reached number 26 on September 25 same year. Outside Europe, the song peaked at number 6 in Zimbabwe, number 13 in Israel and later, in 1994, at number 78 in Australia.

Robin S. in the music video for "Show Me Love".

A music video was made which sees Robin S. performing in a club. It was directed by 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 meet a young man who are buying 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 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.[8] In 2000, VH1 placed "Show Me Love" at number 73 in its list of 100 Greatest Dance Songs.

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).[22]

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.[23]

• Tracks 1 & 4 mixed by Anthony King.

• Additional production by StoneBridge. Remixes by Nick Nice & StoneBridge.

• Producer – Allen George, Fred McFarlane
• Co-producer – StoneBridge
• Mix – StoneBridge, P. Dennis Mitchell, Junior Vasquez
• Engineer – P. Dennis Mitchell, Dave Sussman, Nat Foster, Robert Kiss
• Keyboards – Fred McFarlane, Joe Moskowitz, Matt Thomas, Stonebridge, Robert Kiss
• Guitar – Paul Jackson Jr., Dana Reed, Mike Cantwell
• Backing vocals – Dana Reed, Debbie Cole, Dennis Taylor, Kim Miller, Luci Martin, Robin Stone, Vivian Sessoms

• In 1994, Sharon S., a Dutch act whose name was inspired by Robin S., used similar sounded elements of "Show Me Love" for their single "Wonderful", which was later sampled by Firebeatz in 2013.
• In 2007, Australian DJ/producer Mobin Master re-recorded the song with vocalist Karina Chavez. In 2008, the song was re-released with vocals by Robin S.
• In 2008, DJ Hardwell sampled DJ Mobin Master's re-recorded version and mashed it up with "Be" by Steve Angello and Laidback Luke's bootleg of Sweet Mercy's song "Reach Out" featuring vocalist Rowetta.
• In 2008, DJ Michael Mind samples the song for his single "Show Me Love".[80]
• In 2011, Jason Derulo sampled the original melody for his single "Don't Wanna Go Home".
• In 2013, the British synth beat combo, Street Parade, performed a version of "Show Me Love" in their live performances.
• In 2013, American rapper Kid Ink sampled the melody on his single "Show Me" featuring Chris Brown.
• In 2014, British electronic group Clean Bandit covered the song for the special edition of their album New Eyes.
• In 2014, dance duo Ferreck Dawn & Redondo sampled the bassline for their deep house single "Love Too Deep".
• In 2015, Russian DJ Matvey Emerson released the song featuring vocals by Glee's cast member, Alex Newell.
• In 2015, Dutchman Sam Feldt featuring Jaya Beach-Robertson covered the song.[81]
• In 2018, David Guetta and Showtek used an interpolation in their song "Your Love".

In 2007, Mobin Master released the very first successful cover version of the song featuring singer Karina Chavez. It was number 2 on Beatport for over 8 consecutive weeks and received a 2008 ARIA Award nomination for Best Dance Release.[82]

In 2008, German DJ and producer Michael Mind recorded a cover version of the song using a different vocalist.

"Show Me Love"
Single by Steve Angello and Laidback Luke featuring Robin S.
Released	December 12, 2008
Format	Digital download 12" CD
Recorded	2008
Genre	House
Length	3:04 radio edit) 6:40 (extended mix)
Label	Happy Data Ministry of Sound MixMash Ultra
Songwriter(s)	Allen George Fred McFarlane
Producer(s)	Steve Angello Laidback Luke Hal Ritson

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.[89] The song is based on his illegal bootleg mashup of Mobin Master's cover of "Show Me Love", with vocalist Karina Chavez and the instrumental track "Be" by Steve Angello & Laidback Luke.

"Show Me Love"
Single by Sam Feldt featuring Jaya Beach-Robertson
Released	16 February 2015
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2014–15
Genre	Deep house tropical house
Length	3:01
Label	Spinnin' Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Allen George Fred McFarlane
Producer(s)	Sam Feldt
Sam Feldt singles chronology
"Hot Skin" (2014) "Show Me Love" (2015) "Midnight Hearts" (2015)

In 2015, the song was remade by Sam Feldt featuring vocals from Jaya Beach-Robertson. It was released as a digital download on 16 February 2015[98] through Spinnin' Records. Several remixes were released on 21 June 2015, including EDX's Indian Summer Remix, which became most popular. The song was produced by Sam Feldt.

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[124]	Gold	35,000^
Germany (BVMI)[125]	Gold	200,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[126]	Gold	400,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• "Show Me Love" at Discogs (list of releases)