What Is Love


"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 song was moderately successful, reaching number 11 in the United States, number 12 in Australia, number 17 in Canada, and number 48 in New Zealand.

Background

"What Is Love" was written and produced by German music producer and composer Dee Dee Halligan and Junior Torello of Coconut Records 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. In a 2012 interview Haddaway said about the making of "What Is Love":

Release and legacy

"What Is Love" was released in Europe in May 1993 and in the US in August 1993. It peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and Germany and hit number one in 13 other countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. 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.
When asked about the meaning of "What Is Love" in a 2015 interview, Haddaway said:

Critical reception

editor Jose F. Promis called the song "one of the 1990s' quintessential dance tunes". 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." 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." Columbia Daily Spectator wrote that the song "will transport you instantly to the golden age of house music." 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." Mike Wood from Idolator called it a "catchy" anthem that "permeated our collective consciousness given the heavily-repeated airplay". 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." 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..." 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."

Music video

The music video of "What Is Love" was directed by German music video director Volker Hannwacker. It features Haddaway performing in an old castle, surrounded by vampire-like dominatrices or succubi.

Accolades

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In popular culture

"What is Love" experienced a revival as the song from the Saturday Night Live "Roxbury Guys" sketches later expanded into the 1998 feature film A Night at the Roxbury, where two brothers frequently went to dance clubs with a third person, credited as "Barhop". It was also used in the 2013 video game Saints Row IV and included as one of the tracks in Just Dance 2017. The song was also sung by Ulysses Klaue while being interrogated by Everett K. Ross in the 2018 film Black Panther.

Formats and track listings

; "What Is Love"
;; CD single / 7"
  1. "What Is Love" – 4:28
  2. "Sing About Love" – 3:12
;; CD single – United Kingdom
  1. "What Is Love" Radio Edit 7" Mix – 3:57
  2. "What Is Love" Club Mix – 5:00
  3. "What Is Love" 12" Mix – 6:40
  4. "What Is Love" Tour De Trance Mix – 6:00
  5. "What Is Love" Refreshmento Extro Mix – 5:42
;; CD maxi – France
  1. "What Is Love" – 4:29
  2. "What Is Love" – 6:40
  3. "What Is Love" – 5:02
  4. "Sing About Love" – 4:36
; "What Is Love" – remix
;; CD single – France
  1. "What Is Love" – 4:19
  2. "What Is Love" – 3:52
;; CD maxi
  1. "What Is Love" – remix – 6:54
  2. "What Is Love" – 6:00
  3. "What Is Love" – 4:27
; "What Is Love" – reloaded
;; CD maxi
  1. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 3:16
  2. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 6:09
  3. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 6:39
  4. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 5:32
  5. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 6:48
  6. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 2:56
  7. "What Is Love" – reloaded – 6:21

    Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

Chart Peak
position

"What Is Love" – Remix

"What Is Love" – Reloaded

Other reissues

Chart Peak
position

Year-end charts

Chart Position
US Billboard Hot 10097

Certifications and sales

Cover versions and sampling

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.
Chart Peak
position

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. 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,, his three teammates, and by his basketball coach.

Track listing

  1. "What Is Love 2016" – 2:52
  1. What Is Love 2016" – 4:21
  1. "What Is Love 2016" – 3:08
  2. "What Is Love 2016" – 4:10
  1. "What Is Love 2016" – 3:29
  2. "What Is Love 2016" – 3:11
  3. "What Is Love 2016" – 2:54
  4. "What Is Love 2016" – 3:08
  5. "What Is Love 2016" – 5:49
  6. "What Is Love 2016" – 4:27
  7. "What Is Love 2016" – 4:08
  8. "What Is Love 2016" – 3:29

    Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications