"Do You Know (What It Takes)" is a song by Swedish singer and songwriter

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 ...

, released as the third single from her debut studio album, ''

Robyn Is Here ''Robyn Is Here'' is the debut studio album by Swedish singer Robyn. It was released on 13 October 1995 by Ricochet Records, Ariola Records and BMG. The album peaked at number eight on the Swedish chart and was certified double platinum by the Sw ...

'' (1996). In the United Kingdom, it was issued as Robyn's second single in November 1996, while in the United States, it was released as her debut single the following year. The song was written by Robyn,

Herbie Crichlow Herbert Crichlow (born 26 November 1968) is a four-time ASCAP-awarded British music producer and songwriter living in Sweden. Born in England and raised in Barbados, he is best known for his multiple diamond, platinum and gold awarded works. He ...

Denniz Pop Dag Krister Volle (26 April 1963 – 30 August 1998), better known as Denniz Pop (stylized ''Denniz PoP''), was a Swedish DJ, music producer, and songwriter. He co-founded the recording studio Cheiron Studios in Stockholm in 1992. Life and car ...

, and

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

, and it was produced by Pop and Martin. In Robyn's native Sweden, "Do You Know (What It Takes)" was her second top-10 hit, peaking at number 10. It was her first top-10 single in the United States, reaching number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In August 1998, the single was certified Gold in the US 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 ...

(RIAA) for sales of 500,000 copies. The single was slightly less successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 26 after a re-release in August 1997.

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

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

described the song as "dynamite" in his review of ''

''.

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 ...

'' declared it as a "bright'n'bouncy ditty" and a "youth-driven smash". He complimented the singer's "oh-so-charming presence, which is sorta a hybrid of

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

and

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

with a pinch of

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

", adding that Robyn "makes the most of the song's irresistibly sweet

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 ...

and finger-poppin' funky backbeat." 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 ...

'' noted that "rarely does word about a record spread as quickly as it has for this Swedish production." 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 ...

'' stated that the 16-year old Robyn "has mastered the R&B genre to a T." They noted that she "supplies the sassy rhymes, while master-producer ennizPop takes care of the perky beats and poppy arrangements." A reviewer 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 ...

'' rated it four out of five, adding that the singer "delivers a slick uptempo number which could see her make the Top 40". It was also described as "irresistible". Kirstin Watson 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 ...

'' viewed it as a "happy ditty" and a "right catchy little number". Ian Hyland from ''

Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marke ...

'' gave it nine out of ten, commenting, "Exploding the myth that Swedish popsters are all

Paul Calf Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...

haircuts and Magnum moustaches, the girl Robyn shows she sure can funk. Large summer chorus in the house." David Sinclair from ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' called it a "pouting, pop-soul confection".

Music video

There were made two different versions of the

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 ...

for "Do You Know (What It Takes)"; a European version and a US version. The latter was directed by American director Kevin Bray. The European version was later published on Robyn's official

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 ...

channel in October 2009. It has amassed more than 2,1 million views as of September 2021.

Track listings

Sweden

* CD single # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (radio edit) – 3:30 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Allstar Short) – 3:58 * CD maxi-single # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (radio edit) – 3:30 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Allstar Main & Rap) – 4:59 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Paradise Garage Mix) – 4:59 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (E-Smoove Bounce Mix Edit) – 4:05

United Kingdom

* 12-inch promo :Side A # "Do You Know What It Takes" (125th Street Mix) – 4:07 # "Do You Know What It Takes" (Paradise Garage Mix) – 4:59 # "Do You Know What It Takes" (a cappella) – 2:00 :Side B # "Do You Know What It Takes" (Kojo's Street Mix) – 5:16 # "Do You Know What It Takes" (radio edit) – 3:42 * CD single # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (radio edit) - 3:30 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Allstar mix – main and rap) - 4:59 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (E-Smoove Bounce mix) - 4:05 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Paradise Garage mix) - 4:59 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (125th Street mix) - 4:07

United States

* 12-inch promo :''Side A'' # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (E-Smoove Bounce Mix) – 5:29 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (LP version) – 3:42 :''Side B'' # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Dee's Full Mix) – 5:42 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Dee's Club Mix) – 5:41 * CD single # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (LP version) – 3:43 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (E-Smoove Bounce Mix Edit) – 4:06 # "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Dee's Full Mix Edit) – 4:02

Personnel

Lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

– Robyn,

Music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

– Robyn,

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

, Herbie Crichlow *

Arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

and mixing – Denniz Pop, Max Martin Source:

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1996 singles 1997 singles Ariola Records singles Bertelsmann Music Group singles Music videos directed by Kevin Bray (director) RCA Records singles Robyn songs Song recordings produced by Denniz Pop Song recordings produced by Max Martin Songs written by Denniz Pop Songs written by Herbie Crichlow Songs written by Max Martin Songs written by Robyn