Show Me Love (Robin S. song)

"Show Me Love"
Artwork for the 1993 US CD release
Single by Robin S.
from the album Show Me Love
Released	October 13, 1990 (UK) December 21, 1992 (UK re-release) April 23, 1993 (U.S.)[1]
Recorded	1990
Genre	House[2] diva house[3]
Length	4:29 (Album version) 6:45 (Montego Mix) 7:43 (StoneBridge Club Mix)
Label	Champion Big Beat ZYX
Songwriter(s)	Allen George Fred McFarlane
Producer(s)	Allen George Fred McFarlane
Robin S. singles chronology
"Show Me Love" (1990) "Luv 4 Luv" (1993)
Music video
"Show Me Love" on YouTube
Alternate cover
Artwork for the 1993 UK CD re-release

"Show Me Love" is a song by American singer Robin S. It was written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane and originally released in 1990 by Champion Records in the United Kingdom. In 1992, it was remixed by Swedish house music production duo StoneBridge and Nick Nice, New York City's Onionz, and re-released in many European countries as well as 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 and the song is often confused with her following single "Luv 4 Luv", which is compositionally similar and was released around the same time. Further confusion arose with the 1997 hit "Show Me Love" by Swedish singer Robyn, due to the same song title and a similar artist name.

In the US, "Show Me Love" reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, number seven on the R&B chart,^[4] and number one on the dance club chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and sold 600,000 copies domestically.^[5][6] Additionally, the song went to number six on the UK Singles Chart in April 1993.^[7]

Background[]

"Show Me Love" was written by American songwriters Allen George, Fred McFarlane and British songwriter Richard Tomlinson, it was 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 after hearing Richard’s demo 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, 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.^[10]

Critical reception[]

AllMusic editor Alex Henderson noted that Robin S. is "greatly influenced by Evelyn "Champagne" King but obviously her own person" and added 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 deemed 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] Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers stated, "Distinctive, burbling keyboard pattern and rich singing infuse this house classic. A must."^[17] 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."^[18] The Orlando Sentinel called it "hard-driving".^[19] 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 [sic] shuffle that keeps propelling the song forward".^[20] TMZ described it as "infectious".^[21]

Commercial performance[]

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][22] 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,^[23] 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.

Music video[]

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 video was uploaded to YouTube in June 2010. By September 2020, it had more than 41.3 million views.^[24]

Impact and legacy[]

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.[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).^[25]

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.^[26]

Accolades[]

Year	Publisher	Country	Accolade	Rank
1993	The Face	United Kingdom	Singles of the Year [2]	5
1993	Village Voice	United States	Singles of the Year[27]	18
1996	Mixmag	United Kingdom	The 100 Best Dance Singles of All Time [3]	93
1998	DJ Magazine	United Kingdom	Top 100 Club Tune	40
2000	VH1	United States	100 Greatest Dance Songs [4]	73
2005	Bruce Pollock	United States	The 7,500 Most Important Songs of 1944-2000	*
2006	Slant Magazine	United States	100 Greatest Dance Songs	41
2011	The Guardian	United Kingdom	A history of modern music: Dance[28]	*
2011	MTV Dance	United Kingdom	The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time[29]	43
2011	Slant Magazine	United States	The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s[30]	80
2012	Porcys	Poland	100 Singli 1990-1999[31]	18
2013	Mixmag	United Kingdom	50 Greatest Dance Tracks of All Time [5]	34
2013	Vibe	United States	Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks from the '90s That Changed the Game[32]	8
2014	Complex	United States	Songs Every Dance Music Fan Should Know, Vol. 1	*
2014	Fact	United Kingdom	21 diva-house belters that still sound incredible[33]	8
2015	Robert Dimery	United States	1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die, and 10,001 You Must Download (2015 Update)[34]	1002
2017	Heart TV	United Kingdom	55 Biggest 90's Club Classics[35]	1
2017	BuzzFeed	United States	The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s[36]	16
2018	Mixmag	United Kingdom	The 30 best vocal house anthems ever[37]	*
2019	Mixmag	United Kingdom	15 of the best classic house tracks about love[38]	*
2019	Mixmag	United Kingdom	The 20 best diva house tracks[39]	*
2020	Slant Magazine	United States	The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time[40]	19

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listings[]

1990 12" vinyl (as Robin Stone)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Montego Mix)	6:45
2.	"Show Me Love" (Dub Mix)	3:30
3.	"Show Me Love" (New York Mix)	5:51
4.	"Show Me Love" (Maritius Mix)	4:07

• Tracks 1 & 4 mixed by Anthony King.

1992 12" vinyl

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (StoneBridge Club Mix)	7:43
2.	"Show Me Love" (Nick Nice Eagle Mix)	5:31
3.	"Show Me Love" (Nice & Stoned Old School Mix)	5:33

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

1993 U.K. CD single / 2009 U.K. digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Mix)	3:21
2.	"Show Me Love" (Nick Nice Eagle Mix)	5:32
3.	"Show Me Love" (StoneBridge Club Mix)	7:44
4.	"Show Me Love" (Nice 'N' Steady Old School Mix)	5:34
5.	"Show Me Love" (New Club Mix)	8:52

1993 U.S. 12" vinyl / CD single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (StoneBridge Club Mix)	7:43
2.	"Show Me Love" (Nick Nice Eagle Mix)	5:28
3.	"Show Me Love" (New Club Mix)	8:50
4.	"Show Me Love" (Nice & Stoned Old School Mix)	5:33

Charts and certifications[]

Personnel[]

• 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, Richard Tomlinson, 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

Sampling and notable cover versions[]

• In 2007, Australian DJ/producer Mobin Master re-recorded the song with vocalist Karina Chavez. It was number 2 on Beatport for over 8 consecutive weeks and received a 2008 ARIA Award nomination for Best Dance Release.^[88]
• In 2008, DJ Michael Mind sampled the song for his single "Show Me Love".^[89]
• In 2011, Jason Derulo sampled the song for his hit single "Don't Wanna Go Home".^[90]
• In 2015, Dutchman Sam Feldt featuring Kimberly Anne covered the song.^[91]

Track listing[]

German CD single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (radio edit)	2:38
2.	"Show Me Love" (short edit)	3:08
3.	"Show Me Love" (extended mix)	5:18
4.	"Show Me Love" (club mix)	5:18
5.	"Show Me Love" (Gap 4 remix edit)	2:46
6.	"Show Me Love" (Gap 4 remix)	3:47
7.	"Show Me Love" (G&G remix cut)	3:47
8.	"Show Me Love" (G&G remix)	6:40

Digital download — 2014 version^[92]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (official festival mix edit)	3:28
2.	"Show Me Love" (official festival mix)	5:34
3.	"Show Me Love" (Benjiy edit)	3:14
4.	"Show Me Love" (Benjiy remix)	4:56

Charts[]

Chart (2008)	Peak Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[93]	41
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[94]	22
France (SNEP)[95]	17
Germany (Official German Charts)[96]	38
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[97]	58

Steve Angello and Laidback Luke version[]

"Show Me Love"
Single by Steve Angello and Laidback Luke featuring Robin S.
Released	December 12, 2008
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

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.^[98] 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.

Track listing[]

2008 digital download (France)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Edit)	3:04
2.	"Show Me Love" (Extended Mix)	6:40
3.	"Show Me Love" (Hardwell Style)	5:18
4.	"Show Me Love" (Hardwell Sunrise Mix)	6:46

2009 CD single (UK)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Edit)	3:08
2.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Edit)	2:56
3.	"Show Me Love" (Bootleg Mix)	5:17
4.	"Show Me Love" (Extended Mix)	6:42
5.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Vocal Mix)	5:49
6.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Remix)	5:29
7.	"Show Me Love" (Original Dub)	6:48

• Includes the video of "Show Me Love" (3:08).

2009 digital download (Spain)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Extended Mix)	6:40
2.	"Show Me Love" (Hardwell & Sunrise Remix)	6:46
3.	"Show Me Love" (Style Of Eye Remix)	10:03
4.	"Show Me Love" (Partysquad Remix)	3:38
5.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Remix)	5:29
6.	"Show Me Love" (Afrojack Short Remix)	5:45
7.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Vocal Mix)	5:49
8.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Edit)	3:04

2009 digital download (Italy)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Extended Mix)	6:41
2.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Edit)	3:04
3.	"Show Me Love" (Hardwell & Sunrise Remix)	6:43
4.	"Show Me Love" (Partysquad Remix)	3:36
5.	"Show Me Love" (Afrojack Short Remix)	5:45
6.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Remix)	5:25
7.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Vocal Mix)	5:47
8.	"Show Me Love" (Style Of Eye Remix)	10:02
9.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Dub Mix)	4:32
10.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Edit)	2:53
11.	"Show Me Love" (Bismark Remix)	6:56

2009 digital download (Netherlands)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Dub)	4:35
2.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Vocal Mix)	5:49
3.	"Show Me Love" (Afrojack Short Remix)	5:45
4.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Dub)	5:29
5.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Edit)	2:55
6.	"Show Me Love" (Hardwell's Sunrise Mix)	6:46
7.	"Show Me Love" (Partysquad Remix)	3:38
8.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Edit)	3:04
9.	"Show Me Love" (Style Of Eye Remix)	10:03
10.	"Show Me Love" (DBN Remix)	6:58
11.	"Show Me Love" (Bootleg Version)	5:18
12.	"Show Me Love" (Extended Mix)	6:40

2009 digital download (U.S.)^[99]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Radio Edit)	3:04
2.	"Show Me Love" (Extended Mix)	6:40
3.	"Show Me Love" (Style of Eye Remix)	10:03
4.	"Show Me Love" (AC Slater Vocal Mix)	5:49
5.	"Show Me Love" (Afrojack Short Remix)	5:45
6.	"Show Me Love" (Blame Remix)	5:29
7.	"Show Me Love" (Hardwell & Sunrise Remix)	6:46
8.	"Show Me Love" (Partysquad Remix)	3:38

Digital download – 2015 remixes^[100]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (Anevo remix radio edit)	3:24
2.	"Show Me Love" (Solodisco remix radio edit)	2:59
3.	"Show Me Love" (Anevo remix)	5:14
4.	"Show Me Love" (Solodisco remix)	4:34
5.	"Show Me Love" (Boeboe remix)	5:00

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[109]	Platinum	600,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sam Feldt version[]

"Show Me Love"
Single by Sam Feldt featuring Kimberly Anne
Released	16 February 2015
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 Kimberly Anne. It was released as a digital download on 16 February 2015^[110] 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.

Track listing[]

Digital download – single^[111]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne)	3:01

Digital download – remixes^[112]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne) (Extended Mix)	5:24
2.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne) (EDX's Indian Summer Remix)	6:40
3.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne) (Kryder & Tom Staar Remix)	4:54
4.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne) (Kokiri Remix)	6:34
5.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne) (Quintino Remix)	4:13
6.	"Show Me Love" (featuring Kimberly Anne) (Zac Samuel Remix)	3:27

Chart performance[]

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[113]	19
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[114]	30
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[115]	11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[116]	21
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[117]	44
Denmark (Tracklisten)[118]	39
France (SNEP)[119]	82
Germany (Official German Charts)[120]	39
Hungary (Single Top 40)[121]	39
Ireland (IRMA)[50]	12
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[122]	19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[123]	15
Scotland (OCC)[124]	4
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[125]	30
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[126]	50
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[127]	38
UK Singles (OCC)[128]	4
UK Dance (OCC)[129]	2
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[130]	13

Year-end charts[]

Chart (2015)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[131]	68
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[132]	72
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[133]	66
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[134]	63
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[135]	44

Certifications[]

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[136]	Gold	35,000
Germany (BVMI)[137]	Gold	200,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[138]	Gold	400,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Country	Release date	Format	Label
United Kingdom[111][112]	21 June 2015	Digital download	Spinnin'
Australia[139]

References[]