"Show Me Love" is a song officially credited as being performed by American singer

Robin S. Robin Stone (born April 27, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, who scored success in the 1990s with such house music singles as " Show Me Love" (which was her debut single) and " Luv 4 Luv". She has had three number ones on the ''Bi ...

and written by Allen George and

Fred McFarlane Frederick Craig McFarlane (November 14, 1959 – September 3, 2016) was an American R&B songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. McFarlane's career as a songwriter and producer spanned more than 30 years. He wrote or co-wrote a nu ...

, originally released in 1990 by Champion Records in the United Kingdom. In 1992, it was remixed by Swedish

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

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 Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

, due to their homonymous names and identical titles. In the US, "Show Me Love" reached number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number seven on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

, and number one on the dance club chart. It was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

and sold 600,000 copies domestically. Additionally, the song went to number six on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in April 1993.

Background and creation

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

Initially reluctant to sign on due to its fast tempo given her prior background in solely R&B and pop, Robin struggled through the recording process as heard in the hoarseness and frustration on the final track as she was recovering from the flu. 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. In 1992, Swedish DJ and producer StoneBridge contacted Champion, looking for songs to remix; they suggested "Show Me Love". 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 The Korg M1 is a synthesizer and music workstation manufactured by Korg from 1988 to 1995. According to ''Sound on Sound'', it is one of the bestselling synthesizers, selling an estimated 250,000 units. Development Korg's chief engineer, Junichi ...

synthesiser to create the distorted bassline. 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. StoneBridge recalls this process: 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 ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

''. He also regretted never being given writing credits for the remix he went on to describe as "basically compos nga 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. Following an

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

panel in 2011 with musician

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...

, 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. Following her death in 2021, longtime songwriting partner to Andrea,

Ivan Matias Ivan Matias is an Music of the United States, American singer, songwriter, Producer (music), producer, Arrangement, arranger, Hip hop music, hip hop ghostwriter, and Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur. He is primarily known for writing and producing ...

, clarified to ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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 A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

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.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor Alex Henderson noted that Robin S. is "greatly influenced by

Evelyn "Champagne" King Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her hit disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from ...

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."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' wrote, "Here's a bit of diva-

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

with a slight twist. Robin's big, finger-wavin' performance is laid atop an understated arrangement of icy cool electro beats." M.R. Martinez from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' stated that "Show Me Love" "will become a testament to any dance floor DJ." A writer for ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' deemed it as "pure" and "powerful". Anderson Jones from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' described it as a "

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

-tinged house tune." Joe Muggs from ''

Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...

'' wrote that "for all its poppiness, this is a dark, fierce, attitude-filled beast of a record." Howard Cohen from ''

Knight-Ridder Newspapers Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper bran ...

'' stated, "Distinctive, burbling keyboard pattern and rich singing infuse this house classic. A must." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' noted that "buzzing synth bass lines and synthesised

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...

are the spine of this American dance prima donna's two hit singles." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' 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." A reviewer from ''

The Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, ''Tribune Pu ...

'' viewed it as "hard-driving". Jeremy Helligar from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

'' remarked that the singer "sounded so caught up in the rapture of the rhythm that listeners couldn't help following suit." 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."

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

described it as "infectious", praising the singer as "a singing icon in the '90s club scene."

Commercial performance

In the United States, the 1992 remix of the track peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on June 12, 1993. And on the

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, it peaked at number one, on May 8, 1993. "Show Me Love" also peaked at number seven on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. It was certified

by the

and sold 600,000 copies domestically. In Canada, the single peaked at number two on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Dance/Urban chart. In Europe, in the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 66 on the

, and peaked at number six on April 4, 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, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, and the Netherlands. On the

European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, "Show Me Love" reached number 26 on September 25. Outside Europe, the song peaked at number six in Zimbabwe, number 13 in Israel, and in 1994, number 78 in Australia.

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

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 Millicent B. Shelton is an American music video, television and film director. Shelton began her career as a wardrobe production assistant on the Spike Lee film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989). She went on to direct music videos for artists such ...

. 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 published on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in June 2010. It had amassed more than 52.6 million views as of October 2021.

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

song at the time. According to ''The Guardian'', "Show Me Love" has influenced contemporary house songs such as

Kiesza Kiesa Rae Ellestad (born January 16, 1989), known professionally as Kiesza ( ), is a Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist from Calgary. In 2017, she was involved in a car accident in Toronto, suffering severe injuries that required her to ...

's " Hideaway" (2014) and

Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media *Disclosure (The Gathering album), ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012 *Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo *Disclosure (novel), ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael ...

's "

White Noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines, ...

" (2013), and artists such as

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

and

Felix Jaehn Felix Kurt Jähn (born 28 August 1994), known professionally as Felix Jaehn (), is a German DJ and music producer specializing in tropical house. He achieved international success with his remix of Omi's song "Cheerleader", which topped the cha ...

. In 2000, VH1 placed "Show Me Love" at number 73 in its list of 100 Greatest Dance Song

In 2006, ''Slant Magazine'' ranked the song 41st in its 100 Greatest Dance Songs list, adding, In 2011, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' featured the song in its "A History of Modern Music: Dance". In 2014, ''

'' included the song in their "Songs Every Dance Music Fan Should Know, Vol. 1", stating that "it's a perfect track." They wrote, "Show Me Love" was sampled in the

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

song "Used to Know Me" from her 2022 album ''

Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

''. The song was also prominently sampled in

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's 2022 single "

Break My Soul "Break My Soul" is a single by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on June 20, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records as the lead single from Beyoncé's seventh studio album, '' Renaissance'' (2022). T ...

". 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."

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

Track listings

* Tracks 1 & 4 mixed by Anthony King. * Additional production by StoneBridge. Remixes by Nick Nice & StoneBridge.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Personnel

* Producer – Allen George, Fred McFarlane * Co-producer – StoneBridge * Mix – StoneBridge, P. Dennis Mitchell,

Junior Vasquez Junior Vasquez (born Donald Gregory Mattern, August 24, 1949) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He has been referred to as one of the only DJs of his time to gain international attention. Career Mattern moved to New York City a ...

* Arrangement –

(uncredited) * 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

Track listing

Charts

Steve Angello and Laidback Luke version

In 2008, following the successful sample of the Mobin Master cover mashup with their song, "Be", Swedish DJ and producer

Steve Angello Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis ( el, Στέφεν Πάτρικ Γιόζεφσον Φραγκόγιαννης; born 22 November 1982), better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record ...

and Filipino-Dutch DJ

Laidback Luke Lucas Cornelis van Scheppingen (born 22 October 1976), better known under his stage name Laidback Luke, is a Dutch DJ and music producer. He notably remixed the Robin S. song, " Show Me Love" which charted at No. 11 on the UK charts in 2009. He ...

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 Yolanda Claire Quartey (born 31 July 1983), known professionally as Yola or Yola Carter, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. Her debut studio album ''Walk Through Fire'' (2019) received critical acclaim and earned her four Gr ...

. 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 The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record ...

in 2009. The song was also an international breakthrough for Dutch DJ

Hardwell Robbert van de Corput (; born January 7, 1988), known professionally as Hardwell, is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted the world's number one DJ by ''DJ Mag'' in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2022, he was ranked at number 43 i ...

. The song is based on his illegal

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

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

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Sam Feldt version

In 2015, the song was remade by producer

Sam Feldt Sammy Boeddha Renders (born 1 August 1993), better known by his stage name Sam Feldt, is a Dutch DJ, record producer and entrepreneur. Career Musical career In 2015, he released a remake of Robin S.' " Show Me Love". The track was released b ...

featuring vocals from Kimberly Anne. It was released as a digital download on 16 February 2015 through

Spinnin' Records Spinnin' Records is a Dutch electronic music record label founded in 1999 by Eelko van Kooten and Roger de Graaf. In September 2017, Warner Music Group acquired Spinnin' Records for over $100 million. Background Van Kooten is the son of former ...

. Several remixes were released on 21 June 2015, including EDX's Indian Summer Remix, which became most popular.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1990 debut singles 1992 singles 1993 singles 2002 singles 2008 singles Robin S. songs Ministry of Sound singles 1990 songs Champion Records singles ZYX Music singles Ultra Music singles Big Beat Records (American record label) singles Sam Feldt songs Songs written by Fred McFarlane Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Music Week number-one dance singles