Where Love Lives

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Where Love Lives"
Where Love Lives (Come On In).jpg
1991 European reissue
Single by Alison Limerick
from the album And Still I Rise
Released
  • 1990
  • 1991 re-release
  • 1996 Dancing Divas remix
Recorded1990
Genre
Length3:26
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Lati Kronlund
Producer(s)Lati Kronlund, Dancing Divas
Alison Limerick singles chronology
"Where Love Lives"
(1990) 		"Make It On My Own"
(1992)
Music video
"Where Love Lives" on YouTube
1996 Cover
1996 European reissue
1996 European reissue
2003 Cover

"Where Love Lives (Come On In)" is a 1990 song by British singer Alison Limerick. It was her first solo-debut and a huge club hit in the early 1990s in both the United Kingdom and United States. In 1991, the single peaked at number 27 in the UK and number 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. It was also voted Dance Track of 1991 by Billboard magazine.[1] In 1996, it was released in a new remix by Dancing Divaz, peaking at number 9 in the UK and number 4 on the dance chart in the US. The song is famous for the funked-up piano intro and remains Limerick's most successful release to date. It is now widely regarded as one of the biggest club anthems of all-time, and has been remixed and re-released several times.

Background[]

"There was one point a few years ago where I was upset about it; upset that it would define me regardless of whatever else I did. But ‘Where Love Lives’ turned me into a focused artist after years spent as a jobbing singer, dancer and actress. And when I see people reacting to it that’s always genuinely amazing. More so now, when those people are not just of the older club generations but the new ones too…the twenty-somethings. When you’re live they are always new ways to sing a classic song like that and keep it fresh."

—Alison Limerick talking to Glitterbox about the song.[2]

Alison Limerick began her career as a dancer, before shifting her focus onto singing. She performed in the musical Labelled with Love and as a backing vocalist in the mid-80s after attending the London Contemporary School of Dance. Her first major gig was backing vocals on Style Council's Shout to the Top! in 1984. She appeared in musicals including Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express and Simon Callow’s The Pajama Game. And in 1989 she made a brief appearance as an African sorceress in Bob Rafelson's film Mountains of the Moon.

Swedish producer and songwriter Lati Kronlund (Lars E.C. Kronlund) picked Limerick to record "Where Love Lives", after seeing her singing at a show at the ICA in London. She performed Billie Holiday’s 1941 song, "God Bless The Child" and Kronlund was in the audience. He told her that "Where Love Lives" was her song to sing because it required someone with a big two-octave range.[3] The track is written/produced by Lati Kronlund and mixed by David Morales and Frankie Knuckles. About recording the song, she told in an 1992 interview with Billboard magazine, "I just went in and sang the song with absolutely no expectations of where it might lead. In fact, I had almost forgotten about the track when I got a call saying [Arista] wanted to sign me up."[4]

Release[]

"It's like a journey, a story, a song you can relate to. It's wonderful — it still gives me goosebumps. I don't get tired of playing this record — it's such a good arrangement. It's one of the favourite mixes I've done over the years."

—David Morales talking to Music Week about the song.[5]

The 1990 release of the single was named just as "Where Love Lives", but when re-released in 1991 it got named "Where Love Lives (Come On In)". It is the first single from Limerick's debut album And Still I Rise, which was released in March 1992. That year she also won the Best Female Artist Award at 1992's DMC Awards.[6] In 1996 Arista released the Alison Limerick Club Classics, a remix album. From this release, "Where Love Lives" again topped the dance charts with "Make It On My Own" following. For the first time "Where Love Lives" was released in America and it reached number 4 in the Billboard Hot Dance 100 Chart. In 2003, the song appeared on the charts yet again thanks to new remixes, reaching #16 on the Billboard dance charts and #44 on the UK singles chart.

In 2016, Limerick joined music collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials as lead singer and together they released a new version of "Where Love Lives" via Dorado Records in 2018.[7] Lati Kronlund, who co-started the collective commented on the re-recording of "Where Love Lives", "It's a funky version, played all live in the studio by the band, it is almost a live tribute to the Frankie Knuckles and Dave Morales remix of the song from the early nineties, but also to the Philly disco and Chicago house sound that was the song’s original inspiration."

Critical reception[]

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet called the song "eminent".[8] J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun deemed it "darkly compelling".[9] David Taylor-Wilson from Bay Area Reporter commented, "What a great song. The vocals are fierce and that piano accompaniment digs right into you."[10] Larry Flick from Billboard said it is "brilliant".[11] Marisa Fox from Entertainment Weekly described it as a "energetic, fast-paced" track with "light, catchy" chorus. She added that "gone are the days when house music meant stone-cold rhythms and hardly any melody."[12] A reviewer from Music Week deemed it "awesome".[13] Editor Andy Beevers from the magazine's RM Dance Update complimented it as a "stunning" debut.[14] James Hamilton from Record Mirror called it a "genuinely massive floorfiller" and a "pelvis-twitching sinewy girl's piano jangled then sparsely pulsing attractive canterer".[15] Another editor, Davydd Chong wrote, "Nice piano riff, good melody and rather Madonna-esque".[16] Upon the release of the 1996 remix, James Hyman from Music Week's RM Dance Update rated it five out of five, writing, "Dancing Divaz remain pretty faithful to the original, adding more piano chords at the intro and re-structuring verses and chorus. Most interesting is Romanthony's stripped down remix (chosen from 35 others he did.) that rumbles along with 'Deep down' hooks, whip-cracking beats and a vocoded 'Sex For Pleasure' voice before breaking into full vocal. Classic Morales & Perfecto mixes complete a perfect packaging of this perennial."[17]

Chart performance[]

"Probably of all the songs I've worked on, this is the most lyrical -- musically it says everything. It was one of the first mixes David [Morales] and I did together, it's classic Frankie and David — hard edged and fused with lush, beautiful orchestral arrangements."

—Frankie Knuckles talking to Music Week about the song.[18]

Upon its first release in 1990, "Where Loves Lives" failed to make an impact on the UK Singles Chart when it peaked at number 87 in its first week, on November 11. The following week, the single dropped out before re-entering at number 99 in its last week that year, on November 25. However, after becoming a successful club hit, a re-release some months later in 1991 ensured the song entering the UK Top 30, when it peaked at number 27. This year, it first entered at number 44 on March 24, before climbing to 39 and 29, and then peaking at 27 on April 14. After this, in the following weeks, the single dropped to number 31, 39, 52 and 75, on May 12, 1991. On the UK Dance Singles Chart by Music Week, it reached number 2 on April 6.

Another release of the track, remixed by Dancing Divas (an alias of UK music producer Ian Bland) charted in 1996. This version was even more successful, peaking at its first week on the UK Singles Chart at number 9, on June 30, becoming Limerick's highest charting hit to date. It also topped the UK Dance Chart and Music Week's RM Club Chart. The following weeks on the singles chart, it dropped to number 15, 27, 39, 49 and 65 on August 4, 1996. In 2003, a new remix of "Where Love Lives" by UK dance producer duo Northstarz peaked and debuted at number 44 on March 15. The following week it dropped to number 70, before leaving the UK Singles Chart.

The song was also a dance/club hit in the United States, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in 1991. In 1996, the Dancing Divaz remix peaked at number 4 and in 2003, the Northstarz remix peaked on number 16.

Music video[]

A music video was made for "Where Love Lives", directed by James Hyman. The 1996 video version used the same video as the original, but was edited in a different way to accompany the remix.

The music video features Limerick performing with dancers moving both in front of and behind a bright backdrop, making shadow-dancing silhouettes. Sometimes they are also seen dancing in front of mirrors. Sometimes she's dressed in a purple suit with a purple caps. Other times she wears a glittery metal dress.

Impact and legacy[]

"Overall, this gives you a whole mood. The vocals are spot on, the lyrics are really nice. Everything's cool!"

—Marshall Jefferson talking to Music Week about the song.[19]

British DJ Danny Rampling picked "Where Love Lives" as one of his "classic cuts" in 1994, saying, "The greatest Knuckles and Morales mixes. Lush ballroom strings, piano and tough dubs. A record with so much soul it fills you with deep joy. It will still sound good in 20 years' time.[20]

British DJ Fat Tony selected it as one of his "classic cuts" in 1995, adding, "I was one of the first people to have it – someone stole a test pressing for me. It's a genius track and it brings back memories of drug abuse. An uplifting song, it paved the way for similar songs. It's happy – one of thos tunes I always slip on."[21]

British DJ, music producer and radio presenter Pete Tong chose it as one of his favourites in 1995, stating, "Morales and Knuckles together at their best. The almost perfect garage anthem. Uplifting, stacks of emotion. I always get goosepimples when I hear it. Perfect."[22]

Electronic dance and clubbing magazine Mixmag ranked the song number one in its 100 Greatest Dance Singles Of All Time list in 1996, writing, "Where Love Lives (Come On in) is the greatest dance record of all time because it's got everything. It swings, it makes girls pout, boys preen and hearts sing. There's a touch of sadness about it but it's incredibly uplifting, reaching a bittersweet joy that only the most spiritual of house achieves. Ms Limerick - whose subsequent career never lived up to this - sings with a throaty, controlled abandon, hitting the high notes while arms hit the ceiling. Even the lyrics are cool: strong woman sends out her love but gives her lover a bit of a slagging while she's about it."[23]

DJ Magazine ranked it number 9 in their list of Top 100 Club Tunes in 1998.[24]

BBC Radio’s 2008 listeners & DJs poll The Greatest Ever Dance Record, "Where Love Lives" came in at #5 after Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", James Brown's "Sex Machine", Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and Derrick May's "Strings of Life".[25]

DJ Mag included "Where Love Lives" in their list of the Top 100 Most Important House Tracks in 2011.

MTV Dance placed "Where Love Lives" at #58 in their list of The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems Of All Time in November 2011.[26]

After the passing of Frankie Knuckles in 2014, Barry Walters of NPR music wrote, "If I had to sum up Knuckles' tender, supple sound with one song, it would the 1991 mix he and his pupil Morales did for Alison Limerick's "Where Love Lives." It starts with the kind of piano that makes real club people dance, and continues for several bars without a single drum beat. Then the rhythm machines enter, ensuring that every DJ capable of matching beats could smoothly mix in from the next record if they didn't dare to start with the bare piano. As the track progresses, the sound ebbs and flows as if it had been orchestrated with real instruments, as if disco hadn't died at all. "I'll take you down, deep down where love lives," Limerick growls in a way that doesn't leave any place for doubt. That's where Knuckles' spirit resides, in that place where love lives, a place designed to live on as long as hips feel that impulse to sway."[27]

Time Out`s 2015 list of The 20 Best House Tracks Ever included "Where Love Lives" as #14, adding, "One of the finest example of how dance music could do more than just borrow hooks and melodies from pop, 'Where Love Lives' went one step further. UK singer Alison Limerick's rich vocal lines are layered over upfront house beats, creating the perfect crossover record, aimed right at the mainstream, but still retaining the dance music credentials of all involved."[28]

Irish DJ Dean Sherry ranked the song number 3 in his list of All-time favourite 10 old skool dancefloor bangers in 2019.[29]

Accolades[]

Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
1991 Billboard United States "Dance Track of 1991"[30] 1
1991 The Face United Kingdom "The Face Recordings Of The Year: Singles"[1] 7
1996 Mixmag United Kingdom "The 100 Best Dance Singles of All Time"[2] 1
1998 DJ Magazine United Kingdom "Top 100 Club Tunes" 9
1999 HX United States "The New York DJs Best Dance Song of the 90s" 1
2006 BBC Radio United Kingdom "The Greatest Ever Dance Record"-poll by BBC Radio's 2008 listeners & DJs 5
2011 DJ Mag United Kingdom "Top 100 Most Important House Tracks" *
2011 MTV Dance United Kingdom "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time"[31] 58
2015 Time Out United Kingdom "The 20 Best House Tracks Ever" 14
2015 Robert Dimery United States "1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die, and 10,001 You Must Download (2015 Update)"[32] 1002
2016 DJ Mag United Kingdom "Top 50 Tracks of 1996"[33] 44
2019 Mixmag United Kingdom "15 of the Best Classic House Tracks About Love"[34] *
2019 Mixmag United Kingdom "The 20 Best Diva House Tracks"[35] *

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listing[]

UK CD single (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Where Love Lives" (7")3:44
2."Where Love Lives" (Classic Mix)7:01
3."Where Love Lives" (Red Zone Edit)4:04
4."Where Love Lives" (Cut To The Bone)5:07
UK Vinyl single, 12" (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Where Love Lives" (The Definitive Mix) 
2."Where Love Lives" (Classic Mix) 
3."Where Love Lives" (Cut To The Bone) 
UK Vinyl single, 7" (1990)
No.TitleLength
1."Where Love Lives" (7") 
2."Where Love Lives" (Zone) 
UK & Europe CD single (1991)
No.TitleLength
1."Where Love Lives (Come On In)" (Radio Edit)3:49
2."Where Love Lives (Come On In)" (Classic Mix)6:55
3."Where Love Lives (Come On In)" (Red Zone Mix)5:33
UK Vinyl single, 12" (1991)
No.TitleLength
1."Where Love Lives (Come On In)" (Classic Mix)5:05
2."Where Love Lives (Come On In)" (Red Zone Mix)6:52
3."Where Love Lives (Come On In)" (Cut To The Bone)5:33
UK & Europe CD single (1996)
No.TitleLength
1."Where Love Lives" (Dancing Divaz '96 Radio Edit)3:47
2."Where Love Lives" (Original 7" Radio Edit)3:48
3."Where Love Lives" (Romanthony's Hardtronic Vox Mix)9:25
4."Where Love Lives" (Classic Mix)6:54
5."Where Love Lives" (Dancing Divaz Club Mix)7:23
6."Where Love Lives" (Perfecto Mix)6:30

Charts[]

Chart (1990) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[36] 87
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[37] 49
Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)[38] 19
UK Singles (OCC) 27
UK Dance Singles (Music Week)[39] 2
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[40] 3
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[41] 20
Scotland (OCC) 21
UK Singles (OCC) 9
UK Dance (OCC)[42] 1
UK Club Chart (Music Week)[43] 1
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[44] 4
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC) 49
UK Singles (OCC) 44
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[45] 16

Personnel[]

  • Producer – Lati Kronlund
  • Mix – Frankie Knuckles, David Morales
  • Engineer – John Poppo
  • Keyboards – Eric Kupper, Peter Schwartz

Cover versions, samples and remixes[]

MDA sampled the song in the track "Take an E (United E Nation Mix)" in 1991.

1st Prodject sampled it in 1992, in the track "Right Before (Remix)".

DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer sampled it in the 1993 track "In Effect (The Remix)".

British singer Danny Litchfield covered "Where Love Lives" on his 2010 album Soul.[46]

K & K sampled "Where Love Lives" in the track "Peaceful Crowd" in 2016.

Covered by Pete Tong and The Heritage Orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley in 2016.[47]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ "DJ Directory: Alison Limerick" (PDF). Record Mirror. 1992-02-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  2. ^ "The Glitterbox Interview: Alison Limerick". defected.com. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  3. ^ "The Glitterbox Interview: Alison Limerick". defected.com. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  4. ^ Flick, Larry (1992-03-21). "Dance Trax: There Was A British Singer Named Limerick..." (PDF). Billboard. p. 35. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  5. ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1994-12-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  6. ^ "Alison Limerick Biography". mn2s.com. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  7. ^ "Listen to "Where Love Lives" by Brooklyn Funk Essentials and Alison Limerick". withguitars.com. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  8. ^ Aftonbladet. 1991-08-05.
  9. ^ Considine, J.D. (1997-03-20). "CD Reviews: Various Artists – Club Cutz 2 (RCA 66957)". p. 7. The Baltimore Sun.
  10. ^ Taylor-Wilson, David (1991-08-15). "The Beat". Bay Area Reporter. p. 39. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  11. ^ Flick, Larry (1991-10-26). "Dance Trax: 'Dawn' Of The Orb; The 'Killer' In Griffin; Watley's 'Affairs'; Disco's Return (Again)" (PDF). Billboard. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  12. ^ Fox, Marisa (1991-04-26). "Dance Now!!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  13. ^ "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 1996-06-15. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  14. ^ Beevers, Andy (1993-12-04). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  15. ^ Hamilton, James (1991-03-23). "DJ Directory — Hot Vinyl". Record Mirror. p. 32. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  16. ^ Chong, Davydd (1991-03-30). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  17. ^ Hyman, James (1996-06-29). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  18. ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1994-12-24. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  19. ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1996-05-18. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  20. ^ "Jock on His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1994-09-24. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  21. ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1995-04-08. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  22. ^ "Jock On His Box" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1995-05-27. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  23. ^ "The 100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time". Mixmag. 1996. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  24. ^ "DJ Magazine Top 100 Club Tunes (1998)". discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  25. ^ "Billie Jean voted top dance song". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  26. ^ MTV Dance. 2011-12-27.
  27. ^ "Where Love Lives: Frankie Knuckles And The Dance Floor". npr.org. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  28. ^ "20 best house tracks ever". Time Out. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  29. ^ "Old skool classics: DJ Dean Sherry picks his all-time top 10 dancefloor anthems". Buzz.ie. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  30. ^ "DJ Directory: Alison Limerick" (PDF). Record Mirror. 1992-02-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  31. ^ MTV Dance. 2011-12-27.
  32. ^ "Alison Limerick - Where Love Lives". Acclaimedmusic. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  33. ^ "Top 50 Tracks of 1996 According to DJ Mag's Hype Chart". DJ Mag. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
  34. ^ "15 of the Best Classic House Tracks About Love". Mixmag. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  35. ^ "The 20 Best Diva House Tracks". Mixmag. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  36. ^ "Alison Limerick - UK Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  37. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1991-04-27. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  38. ^ Radio Luxembourg Singles. 1991-05-05.
  39. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1991-04-06. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  40. ^ "Alison Limerick - US Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  41. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1996-07-13. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  42. ^ "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (30 June 1996-06 July 1996)". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  43. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 1996-06-15. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  44. ^ "Alison Limerick - US Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  45. ^ "Alison Limerick - US Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  46. ^ "Danny Litchfield - Where Love Lives - Alison Limerick cover". youtube.com. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  47. ^ "Original versions of Where Love Lives by Pete Tong with The Heritage Orchestra conducted by Jules Buckley | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
Retrieved from ""