"What Is Love (Baby Don't Hurt Me)" is a song recorded by Trinidadian-German

Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...

artist Haddaway for his debut album, ''

The Album The Album may refer to: * '' ABBA: The Album'', released in 1977 * ''The Album'' (Caravan album), 1980 * ''The Album'' (Mantronix album), 1985 * ''The Album'' (Cliff Richard album), 1993 * ''The Album'' (Haddaway album), 1993 * ''The Album'' ( ...

'' (1993). The song was released in 1993 as the album's lead single. It was a hit in Europe, becoming a number-one hit in at least 13 countries and reaching number two in Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe, the single was a hit worldwide, reaching number 11 in the United States, number 12 in Australia, number 17 in Canada, and number 48 in New Zealand. The song earned Haddaway two awards at the German 1994 Echo Award, in the categories "Best National Single" and "Best National Dance Single".

Background

"What Is Love" was written and produced by German music producer and composer Dee Dee Halligan (Dieter Lünstedt a.k.a. Tony Hendrik) and his partner/wife Junior Torello (Karin Hartmann-Eisenblätter a.k.a. Karin van Haaren) of

Coconut Records Coconut Records is a German record label formed in 1981 by producers Tony Hendrik and Karin Hartmann. The label has released multiple genres of music, including dance, schlager, eurodance, electronica, Hi-NRG, Dance-pop and R&B. Artists ...

Hennef (Sieg) Hennef (Sieg) () is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approx. south-east of Siegburg and east of Bonn. Hennef is the fourth-biggest town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (i.e. distri ...

near Cologne. They had previously produced songs for successful groups like Bad Boys Blue and Londonbeat, and were waiting for the right singer for their new song. Trinidadian-born singer Nestor Alexander Haddaway was then chosen to sing it. He used to work as a producer, dancer and choreographer before he was signed to the label. The producers wanted Haddaway to try singing the song like

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

. He told them, "I love Joe Cocker, but I'm no Joe Cocker." He then came up with his own idea on how to sing it and after the producers let the singer try it his way, "What Is Love" was created. Hendrik would lock himself in the studio, and eight or nine days later he came out with the song as we know it. The female vocal on the track, meanwhile, was a stock sample released on the Zero-G sample compilation CD "Datafile 1" (tracks 62-64), which was produced in 1991 by Zero-G co-founder and Jack 'N' Chill member Ed Stratton, aka Man Machine, and was aimed at dance producers, DJs, programmers and artists.

Release and legacy

"What Is Love" reached number one in 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. In Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom, it peaked at number two. In the latter, the song reached that position on the UK Singles Chart in its fifth week on the chart, on 27 June 1993. Additionally, "What Is Love" was a number three hit in Iceland, and it made it to the top spot also on the

Eurochart Hot 100 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 ...

. Debuting at number 87 on 28 August 1993, the song reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. But on the US ''Cash Box'' Top 100, it reached number nine. The song also peaked at number 12 in Australia. By March 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" had already reached 2.6 million.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis called "What Is Love" "one of the 1990s' quintessential

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

tunes". In an 2015 retrospective review, Victor Beigelman from '' The A.V. Club'' declared it as a " Europop banger that more than 20 years later remains relentlessly catchy and far more profound than it ever had any right to be."

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 ''

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 ...

'' described it as a "glorious

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

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 ...

ditty", and stated that "wildly catchy

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

is complemented by a slick, synth-happy arrangement. Haddaway will conjure up images of Seal and

Sydney Youngblood Sydney Ford (born December 2, 1960), better known as Sydney Youngblood, is an American-German singer, actor and composer, who had several successful dance hits during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Early life Ford was born in Texas in December ...

with his worldly

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

delivery. A sure-fire dance hit that has the muscle to push its way onto pop formats with ease." Milo Miles from '' The Boston Globe'' wrote, "He pours such delicacy and anguish into the short phrases they become loud whispers that stay in the ear. With perfectly lubricated synthesizers bouncing away behind him, Haddaway gets precious mileage out of minimal lyrics." Student newspaper ''

Columbia Daily Spectator The ''Columbia Daily Spectator'' (known colloquially as the ''Spec'') is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after ''The Harvard Crimson'', and has ...

'' said it "will transport you instantly to the golden age of house music." Jim Farber from '' Daily News'' noted that "What Is Love" "uses every sound it has to punch the beat: a stabbing synth line, a tense bass, an uplifting lead vocal and an encouragingly frantic female voice to back it up. It's a sound at once insinuating and insistent, sensual and wild." He also deemed it "the world's natural followup" to

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 ...

' " Show Me Love". Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' commented, "Try sitting still seconds after this upbeat entry kicks in." He also noted that Haddaway's style is "reminscent of the Fine Young Cannibals and just as exciting." Mike Wood from ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'' called it a "catchy" anthem, that "permeated our collective consciousness given the heavily-repeated airplay".

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

stated in his weekly UK chart commentary, that the song "is undoubtedly one of the best soul releases of the year." 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 ...

'' remarked that it has a "fast house beat augmented by Nestor Haddaway's deeply soulful vocals. This is definitely on par with anything that has come out of Chicago's

deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ( ...

scene for quite some time." Wendi Cermak from ''The Network Forty'' described the track as "splendiferous", and noted that "the eargasmic synth stabs in the extended mix are pulling even odds in Vegas for dance-floor-filling capability and the edit screams for radio airplay..." Luke Turner from '' The Quietus'' felt that "What Is Love" "bangs because it manages to be two things—a terrific soul tune but also rather stern as well, with infernally naggy synth lines and drilled repetition in the rhythms." Tony Cross from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' gave it four out of five, writing, "Haddaway's attempt at producing something along the lines of Seal's

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...

hasn't quite been pulled off, but this foot-friendly dance track is still stonking dance-floor stuff. You don't find out what love is, but that doesn't mean you'll be disappointed." Another editor, Pete Stanton declared it as "a disco-dancing, ass-grooving, tum-churning corker of a song."

Music video

The accompanying music video of "What Is Love" was directed by German music video director Volker Hannwacker. It features Haddaway in a mansion pursued by three

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

s, one of whom is a vampire. The video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

In popular culture

"What is Love" experienced a revival as the song from the '' Saturday Night Live'' "

Roxbury Guys Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Boston ...

" sketches later expanded into the 1998 feature film ''

A Night at the Roxbury ''A Night at the Roxbury'' is a 1998 American comedy film based on a recurring sketch on television's long-running ''Saturday Night Live'' called "The Roxbury Guys". ''Saturday Night Live'' regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, Mark ...

'', where two brothers (played by

Chris Kattan Christopher Lee Kattan () (born October 19, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2003. He played Doug Butabi in '' A Night at the Roxbury'', Bob on the first four seasons of '' The ...

and Will Ferrell) frequently went to dance clubs with a third person (including actors such as

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

and

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

), credited as "Barhop". It was also used in the 2013 video game ''

Saints Row IV ''Saints Row IV'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to 2011's '' Saints Row: The Third'', the fourth installment of the ''Saints Row'' series, and the final main installment i ...

'' and included as one of the tracks in ''

Just Dance 2017 ''Just Dance 2017'' is a 2016 dance video game developed and published by Ubisoft. It was unveiled on June 13, 2016, during its E3 press conference as the eighth main installment of the series, and was released in October 2016 for PlayStation 3 ...

''. The song was also sung by

Ulysses Klaue Klaw (Ulysses Klaue) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a human physicist who has been transformed into solid sound, and who wears a sonic emitter on his right wrist ...

(played by Andy Serkis) while being interrogated by

Everett K. Ross Everett Kenneth Ross is a character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Primarily an ally of superhero Black Panther (character), Black Panther, the character exists within Marvel's main shared ...

(played by Martin Freeman) in the 2018 film ''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

''. The song was also featured and in the animated series ''

Close Enough ''Close Enough'' is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel. Originally intended to air on TBS in 2017, the project faced various delays and setbacks before eventually premiering on HBO Max on July 9, 2020. The series has received ...

'', with Emily Ramirez (voiced by

Gabrielle Walsh Gabrielle Walsh is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Marisol in the found footage supernatural horror film '' Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones'' (2014), and as Jess in the science fiction thriller '' The Hive'' (2014) ...

) and Bridgette Hashima (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) sing a Weird Al Yankovic-styled parody version of it.

Formats and track listings

;"What Is Love" * CD single / 7" #"What Is Love" – 4:28 #"Sing About Love" – 3:12 * 12" maxi-single #"What Is Love" (12" mix) – 6:40 #"What Is Love" (7" mix) – 4:27 #"What Is Love" (club mix) – 5:00 #"Sing About Love" – 4:40 * CD single, United Kingdom #"What Is Love" (radio edit 7" mix) – 3:57 #"What Is Love" (club mix) – 5:00 #"What Is Love" (12" mix) – 6:40 #"What Is Love" (tour de trance mix) – 6:00 #"What Is Love" (refreshmento Extro Mix) – 5:42 * CD maxi, France #"What Is Love" (7" mix) – 4:29 #"What Is Love" (12" mix) – 6:40 #"What Is Love" (club mix) – 5:02 #"Sing About Love" – 4:36 ;"What Is Love" – remix * CD single, France #"What Is Love" (eat-this mix – radio edit) – 4:19 #"What Is Love" (refreshmento extro mix) – 3:52 * CD maxi #"What Is Love" – remix (eat-this mix) – 6:54 #"What Is Love" (tour de trance-mix) – 6:00 #"What Is Love" (7" mix) – 4:27 ;"What Is Love" – reloaded * CD maxi #"What Is Love" – reloaded (video mix) – 3:16 #"What Is Love" – reloaded (reloaded mix) – 6:09 #"What Is Love" – reloaded (what is club mix) – 6:39 #"What Is Love" – reloaded (Jens O.'s hard remix) – 5:32 #"What Is Love" – reloaded (Nathan Jolly's NRG remix) – 6:48 #"What Is Love" – reloaded (radio edit) – 2:56 #"What Is Love" – reloaded (lunaris remix) – 6:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

"What Is Love" – Remix

"What Is Love" – Reloaded

Other reissues

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Cover versions and sampling

*In 2007, the song was covered by indie band

The Gossip Gossip (or The Gossip) was an American indie rock band formed in Searcy, Arkansas, originally active from 1999 until 2016. For most of their career, the band consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Brace Paine, and drummer Hannah ...

, with lead singer Beth Ditto changing the lyrics to "When Is Lunch?, Baby I'm Hungry, I'm Hungry, For More". *In 2009, singer and songwriter

Diane Birch Diane Birch (born January 24, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life Birch was born in Michigan. At the age of seven she began studying piano using the Suzuki method. While growing up she listened to opera, classical and church musi ...

completely rearranged the song, that later was featured on ''Billboard'' magazine's Mashup Monday in 2010. *In 2010, Swedish

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform Love song, love songs marketed towards girls and young ...

E.M.D. released a piano ballad version of "What Is Love" as the second single from their sophomore

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Rewind Rewind may refer to: General uses * Rewind, the process of winding magnetic tape inside a cassette or a microfilm reel backwards to a previous point on the reel ** Rewind symbol, a media control symbol indicating tape rewind or analogous operatio ...

''. *In 2010, American rappers

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and Lil Wayne sampled the song for the single " No Love" from Eminem's seventh studio album, ''

Recovery Recovery or Recover may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * Recovery (novel), ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book * Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry Film and television * R ...

''. *In 2014, Canadian singer Kiesza did a "piano-and-synth cover" of the song. *In 2016, Belgian DJ

Lost Frequencies Felix De Laet (born 30 November 1993), known by his stage name Lost Frequencies, is a Belgian DJ and record producer. He is best known for his singles "Are You with Me" in 2014, "Reality" in 2015, and " Where Are You Now" with Calum Scott in ...

did his own cover.

Klaas version

In 2009, German DJ Klaas remixed the song under the title "Klaas meets Haddaway – What Is Love 2K9". This remix charted in several European countries.

Lost Frequencies version

In 2016, Belgian DJ

released a cover titled "What Is Love 2016", as a single from his debut album '' Less Is More''. It was actually already produced back in 2014 as a remix for Jaymes Young's cover version of "What is Love". This version was remade for the album and became a hit on a number of European singles charts and topped the Belgian Ultratop Official Singles Chart.

Music video

An official music video was released directed by Soulvizion. It features the Dutch professional basketball player Don Rigters who plays the role of David Rose, a basketball player who is severely injured trying to make a comeback to the game with encouragement from his girlfriend, (played by Melissa Kanza), his three teammates, (Alkenah Wansing, Jeroen Jansen and Lindy Chippendel) and by his basketball coach (played by J E Rigters).

Track listing

*Armada / Mostiko, 7 October 2016 #"What Is Love 2016" – 2:52 *Armada / Mostiko, 28 October 2016 #What Is Love 2016" ( Regi & Lester Williams Remix) – 4:21 *Lost & Cie / Armada, 11 November 2016 #"What Is Love 2016" (Regi & Lester Williams Remix) – 3:08 #"What Is Love 2016" (Regi & Lester Williams Extended Remix) – 4:10 *Armada / Mostiko, 6 January 2017 #"What Is Love 2016" (

Mike Mago Michiel Thomassen, stage name Mike Mago, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and record label owner. Biography In 2010, Mago founded independent dance label BMKLTSCH RCRDS in his hometown of Utrecht, releasing EPs from electronic artists such as Mason. ...

Remix) – 3:29 #"What Is Love 2016" (

Zonderling Noisia (stylised as NOISIΛ; "VISION" turned upside down) was a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produce a wide variety of music including ...

Remix) – 3:11 #"What Is Love 2016" (Galactic Marvl Remix) – 2:54 #"What Is Love 2016" (Rose Remix) – 3:08 #"What Is Love 2016" (Mike Mago Extended Remix) – 5:49 #"What Is Love 2016" (Zonderling Extended Remix) – 4:27 #"What Is Love 2016" (Rose Extended Remix) – 4:08 #"What Is Love 2016" ( Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix) – 3:29

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Background

Release and legacy

Critical reception

Music video

Accolades

In popular culture

Formats and track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

"What Is Love" – Remix

"What Is Love" – Reloaded

Other reissues

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Cover versions and sampling

Klaas version

Lost Frequencies version

Music video

Track listing

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Certifications

See also

References

External links