"What Is Love" is a song recorded by Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway for his debut album, The Album. The song was released on 8 May 1993 as the album's lead single. It was a massive 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 moderately successful, 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 Junior Torello (Karin Hartmann-Eisenblätter a.k.a. Karin van Haaren) of Coconut Records in Hennef (Sieg) near Cologne. They were waiting for the right singer for the 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 Coconut Records.[3] In a 2012 interview Haddaway said about the making of "What Is Love":
We just used ideas that were fresh at that time and tried to make something that nobody else had, (...) The song came really fast. I had the idea for the melodies in about 45 minutes and the total structure of the song was done in a day and a half.[4]
Release and legacy
"What Is Love" was released in Europe in May 1993 and in the US in August 1993. It hit 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 2. In the latter, the song reached that position on the UK Singles Chart in its fift week on the chart, on June 27, 1993.[5] Additionally, "What Is Love" was a number 3 hit in Iceland, and it managed to climb up to the top spot also on the Eurochart Hot 100. Debuting at number 87 on 28 August 1993, the song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song also peaked at number 12 in Australia. By March 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" had already reached 2.6 million.[6]
When asked about the meaning of "What Is Love" in a 2015 interview, Haddaway said:
People always ask me about what I meant, (...) I meant that 'what is love' needs to be defined by everyone by his own definition. It's unique and individual. For me, it has to do with trust, honesty, and dedication.[7]
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis called the song "one of the 1990s' quintessential dance tunes".[8] Victor Beigelman from The A.V. Club noted 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."[9]Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "glorious pop/house ditty" and noted that "wildly catchy chorus is complemented by a slick, synth-happy arrangement. Haddaway will conjure up images of Seal and Sydney Youngblood with his worldly baritone delivery. A sure-fire dance hit that has the muscle to push its way onto pop formats with ease."[10]Columbia Daily Spectator wrote that the song "will transport you instantly to the golden age of house music."[11] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report 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."[12] Mike Wood from Idolator called it a "catchy" anthem that "permeated our collective consciousness given the heavily-repeated airplay".[13]Music & Media said that the song 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 scene for quite some time."[14] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty described it 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..."[15] Luke Turner from The Quietus wrote 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."[16]
Music video
The music video of "What Is Love" was directed by German music video director Volker Hannwacker.[17] The video was uploaded to YouTube in June 2014. As of October 2020, it has more than 110 million views.[18] The video theme is reminiscent of Sylvester touring some European museum.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Cover versions and sampling
In 2007, the song was covered by indie band The Gossip, with lead singer Beth Ditto changing the lyrics to "When Is Lunch?, Baby I'm Hungry, I'm Hungry, For More".[86]
In 2009, singer and songwriter Diane Birch completely rearranged the song,[87][88] that later was featured on Billboard magazine's Mashup Monday in 2010.[89]
In 2016, Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies released a cover titled "What Is Love 2016", as a single from his debut album Less Is More.[100] 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[101] 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
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles and Albums (3rd ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN978-1-8444-9058-5.