"What Is Love" is a song by Trinidadian-German singer

Haddaway Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born 9 January 1965) is a Trinidadian-born German singer best known for his 1993 hit single " What Is Love", which reached number 1 in 13 countries. Early life Haddaway was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His father wa ...

, released as his debut single from his debut album, '' The Album'' (1993). The song, both written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan and Karin Hartmann-Eisenblätter, was released by Coconut Records in January 1993. It was a hit across Europe, becoming a number-one single in at least 13 countries and reaching number two in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe, the single peaked at number 11 in the United States, number 12 in Australia, number 17 in Canada, and number 48 in New Zealand. "What Is Love" earned Haddaway two awards at the German 1994

Echo Award Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and was set up to honor ...

, in the categories "Best National Single" and "Best National Dance Single." The music video for "What Is Love" was directed by Volker Hannwacker and received heavy rotation on music television such as

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initia ...

. The song remains Haddaway's most popular and signature song.

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 in

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

near

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. They had previously produced songs for successful groups like

Bad Boys Blue Bad Boys Blue are a Pop music, pop group formed in Cologne in 1984. The group performed many international hits including "You're a Woman", "Pretty Young Girl (Bad Boys Blue song), Pretty Young Girl", "I Wanna Hear Your Heartbeat (Sunday Girl) ...

and

Londonbeat Londonbeat are a British dance-pop band who scored a number of pop and dance hits in the early 1990s. They currently consist of vocalists Jimmy Helms, Jimmy Chambers, and Charles Pierre. Former members include multi-instrumentalist William He ...

, 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 in the style of

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 featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

. He told them, "I love Joe Cocker, but I'm no Joe Cocker." He then came up with his own idea of how to sing it and the producers let the singer try it his way. Hendrik would lock himself in the studio, and eight or nine days later he came out with the song as was released. Haddaway told Simon Price of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' in 1994, that the song was originally a ballad and arrived after a year in a basement studio, "In the beginning it was like five different pies, then those five pies became one pie." 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.

Chart performance

"What Is Love" reached number one in 13 countries: Austria (9 weeks), Belgium (6 weeks), Denmark (3 weeks), Finland, France (5 weeks), Ireland, Italy (3 weeks), Netherlands (6 weeks), Norway (8 weeks), Portugal (1 week), Spain (4 weeks), Switzerland (5 weeks), and Zimbabwe (4 weeks)."What Is Love" spent 4 weeks at number one on the Spanish singles chart in August and September 1993. * Week 1: * Week 2: * Week 3: * Week 4: In Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom, it peaked at number two, being kept off the top spot by

Snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

's "

Informer An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...

Ace of Base Ace of Base is a Swedish pop group formed in 1987, originally consisting of siblings Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren, with Ulf Ekberg. They achieved worldwide success following the release of their debut album, '' Happy Nation'', in 1992. L ...

's "

All That She Wants "All That She Wants" is a song by Swedish group Ace of Base. It was released in Scandinavia in August 1992, by Edel-Mega Records, Mega Records, as the second single from the group's first studio album, ''Happy Nation'' (1992), and in the followi ...

" and Gabrielle's "

Dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5–20 minutes, althou ...

". In the latter, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in its fifth week on the chart, on 27 June 1993. It stayed at that position for two weeks and within the chart for 16 weeks. Additionally, "What Is Love" was a number three hit in Iceland, and climbed to the number-one position 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 f ...

, where the song debuted fifteen weeks earlier, at number 79 on 13 March 1993, after charting in Germany. It stayed seven consecutive weeks at the top of the chart. Entering at number 87 on 28 August, the song reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. But on the US ''Cash Box'' Top 100, it reached the top 10, peaking at number nine. The single also peaked at numbers 12 and 48 in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. By March 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" had already reached 2.6 million.

Critical reception

Upon the release,

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 musi ...

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 advertis ...

'' named the song a "glorious pop/house ditty", and stated that "wildly catchy

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

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

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

and Sydney Youngblood with his worldly

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

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 ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' 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 ''Spec'') is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the second-oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after '' The Harvard Crimson'', a ...

'' 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 named it "the world's natural followup" to Robin S.' ' 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 ...

'' commented, "Try sitting still seconds after this upbeat entry kicks in." He also noted that Haddaway's style is reminiscent "of the

Fine Young Cannibals Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham, West Midlands, in 1984 by former The Beat band bassist David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox with singer Roland Gift (formerly of the Akrylykz). Their self-titled ...

and just as exciting". In his weekly UK chart commentary,

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic 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 worke ...

stated 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 m ...

'' 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 ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' felt that 'What Is Love' "bangs because it manages to be two things—a terrific

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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 ...

'' 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 caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

' 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 ''Smash Hits'' editor, Pete Stanton, named it "a disco-dancing, ass-grooving, tum-churning corker of a song".

Retrospective response

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' ranked 'What Is Love' number two in their list of "Top Five Euro-Hits of All Time" in December 1993, writing, "Haddaway takes one of the fundamental questions of man's existence and puts it to a stomping

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

beat. Also features a woman wailing disconsolately in the background whenever Hadders relents from his search." In 1994,

Peter Paphides Peter Paphides (born 1969 as Panayiotakis Paphides or Panayiotis Paphides) is a British journalist and broadcaster. Early life Paphides was born in Birmingham to a Greek Cypriot father, Chris, and a Greek mother, Victoria. He has an elder bro ...

and Simon Price of ''

'' praised songs such as ' Mr. Vain', ' Rhythm Is a Dancer' and 'What Is Love' as modern classics, "butt-shaking Wagnerian disco monsters. Or, as someone else who knew a thing or two put it: ''

Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...

and

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

to a disco beat.''"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Jose F. Promis named 'What Is Love' "one of the 1990s' quintessential dance tunes". In a 2015 retrospective review, Victor Beigelman from ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' declared it as a "

Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

banger that more than 20 years later remains relentlessly catchy and far more profound than it ever had any right to be." Mike Wood from '' Idolator'' featured it in their list of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994" in 2014, calling it a "catchy" anthem, that "permeated our collective consciousness given the heavily-repeated airplay".

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

s, at least one of whom is a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

. Some scenes feature the singer and the vampire running backwards. Keith Dorwick analyzed the video in his book ''Love Song'', writing, "He is first dressed in a blue suit with a white shirt, but upon being bitten by a white female vampire, he is converted to a boy toy with seeming supernatural powers. Now dressed in tight pants and an open vest that shows off his smooth and surprisingly chiseled chest, he easily leaps onto the fireplace mantel where he begins dancing, then flies down in a smooth leap that demonstrates his new vampiric power." The video received heavy rotation on

in May 1993.

Accolades

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

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, with lead singer

Beth Ditto Mary Beth Patterson (born February 19, 1981), known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer and songwriter most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. Her voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and Tina ...

changing the lyrics to "When Is Lunch?, Baby I'm Hungry, I'm Hungry, For More". *In 2009, singer and songwriter Diane Birch 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 a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

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 (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'' Rewind''. *In 2010, American rappers

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

sampled the song for the single "

No Love "No Love" is a song by American rapper Eminem featuring Lil Wayne. It was originally released on June 18, 2010 as a track from Eminem's seventh studio album ''Recovery (Eminem album), Recovery'', before being released as its third single from t ...

" from Eminem's seventh studio album, '' Recovery''. *In 2011, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

band Emergency Gate covered the song, in collaboration with Haddaway, for their 2011 EP '' Remembrance (The Early Days)''. *In 2014, Canadian singer Kiesza did a "piano-and-synth cover" of the song for her album '' Sound of a Woman''. *In 2016, neofolk act Death in Rome did a cover on their album ''Hitparade'', which consists solely of cover versions of hit songs. *A cover version by Ultraclub 90 is included as one of the tracks in '' Just Dance 2017''. *In 2023, French DJ

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

announced his own cover titled " Baby Don't Hurt Me", featuring Anne-Marie and

Coi Leray Coi Leray Collins (born May 11, 1997) is an American rapper and singer. The daughter of rapper and media executive Benzino, she began her musical career in 2018 with the release of her debut mixtape, ''Everythingcoz''. She signed with Republic ...

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 Lost Frequencies released a cover titled "What Is Love 2016", as a single from his debut album ''

Less Is More Less is more is a principle found in several traditions. Its basic meaning is to keep things simple, similar to the concept of minimalism. Its use in architecture emerges from the idea that simplicity and clarity lead to good design. The concept i ...

''. 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 Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...

Official Singles Chart.

Music video

An official music video was released directed by Soulvizion. It features the Dutch professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

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 (born March 12, 1979), known professionally as Mike Mago, is a Dutch DJ and music producer. Career In 2010, Mago founded independent dance label BMKLTSCH RCRDS in his hometown of Utrecht, releasing EPs from electronic artist ...

Remix) – 3:29 #"What Is Love 2016" ( Zonderling 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 Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike (previously Dnm) are a Belgian–Greek DJ duo composed of brothers Dimitri Thivaios and Michael Thivaios. They were ranked No. 1 on ''DJ Magazine, DJ Mag''s Top 100 DJs list in 2015 and 2019, and No. 2 in 2014, 2016 thr ...

Remix) – 3:29

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

In the late 1990s, the song was featured in the popular, recurring ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' "Roxbury Guys" sketches, in which the characters Steve and Doug Butabi (played by

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...

and Chris Kattan, respectively) would wildly bob their heads to the track as they went out nightclubbing and had misadventures. Typically the song would play throughout the sketch, following the brothers wherever they went. The Butabis were sometimes joined by other head-bobbing club-goers portrayed by the show's guests hosts, such as

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

. In 1998, the sketches spawned a 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, ...

'', which prominently featured the song. In the mid-2000s, the sketch became a popular internet

meme A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that Mimesis, spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying c ...

. "What Is Love" was also used in the 2013 video game '' Saints Row IV''. The song was used in the Disney+ series ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians''. In 1994, "What Is Love" served as the soundtrack to the memorable climax of the "Life of Brian" episode of ''

My So-Called Life ''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It aired on ABC from August 25, 1994 to January 26, 1995. Set at the fictional Liberty High Sch ...

'', in which Rickie Vasquez and Delia Fisher dance together at their high school's World Happiness Dance. The song was also sung by Ulysses Klaue (played by

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...

) while being interrogated by Everett K. Ross (played by

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most ...

) in the 2018 film ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, 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 Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

''. The scene became an internet meme, and was praised as one of the best scenes in the film.

References

External links

Background

Chart performance

Critical reception

Retrospective response

Music video

Accolades

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

In popular culture

See also

References

External links