Show Me Love (Robyn song)

Not to be confused with Show Me Love (Robin S. song).

"Show Me Love" is a song by Swedish singer and songwriter Robyn. It was first released in Sweden in 1997 as a single from the international edition of her debut studio album, Robyn Is Here (1995). The song is her fourth Swedish, third UK, and second US single. The song is sometimes confused with Robin S.'s 1993 hit "Show Me Love" because of identical song titles and similar first names; however, the two songs are not related.^[2]

"Show Me Love"
Single by Robyn
from the album Robyn Is Here
B-side	"Do You Know (What It Takes)"
Released	28 October 1997 (1997-10-28) (US)^[1]
Studio	Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre	Teen pop
Length	3:50
Label	Ariola Ricochet BMG
Songwriter(s)	Robyn Max Martin
Producer(s)	Denniz Pop Max Martin
Robyn singles chronology
"Do You Know (What It Takes)" (1996) "Show Me Love" (1997) "Electric" (1999)
Robyn UK and US singles chronology
"Do You Know (What It Takes)" (1996) "Show Me Love" (1997) "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)" (1997)

History

In her home country of Sweden, "Show Me Love" became Robyn's fourth hit, peaking at number 14, lower than "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)", which both went top 10. In the United States, the single peaked at number seven, her second consecutive top 10 hit. In December 1997, the single received a gold certification from the RIAA in recognition of 500,000 copies sold in the US.^[3] It was Robyn's last top-10 hit and remains her last charting single on the Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, "Show Me Love" became Robyn's first of two top-20 hits from Robyn Is Here and her first top-10 hit, peaking at number eight; it was Robyn's fourth biggest hit, with 113,000 sales and 1.22 million audio streams according to the Official Charts Company.^[4]

In 2008, a re-recorded version of the song appeared on the special edition of Robyn's eponymous album.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "far more seductive tone of this jeep-pop confection" than her earlier hit single, "Do You Know (What It Takes)". He noted that Robyn "proves her capability to handle a meaty tune with a respectable degree of soul. She tweaks the song's ear-grabbing chorus and muscular bassline with subtle improvisations and an assertive edge that impresses."^[5] Can't Stop the Pop stated that on the song "she’s dropping her guard and committing herself to a teen-pop romance". They added that the chorus is "spectacularly catchy".^[6]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Show Me Love" was directed by Kevin Bray, and submitted to video outlets on 11 October 1997.^[7] The video is shot with two cutscenes - one with Robyn alone lip-syncing to camera filmed in mostly color and the other of her in a black sweatsuit lip-syncing to camera filmed in mostly black-and-white with a large group of urbane mostly Gen X extras shown conversing in a loosely grouped line behind her while a guitarist, keytar player, and drummer with drumkit play among them. In tribute to Gianni who had died the same week Robyn was doing promotion in Miami that summer her stylist had her dress in a light blue Versace top in its cutscenes which she didn't realize until decades later. The video was positively received, and was the 32nd most-played on MTV for the week ending 16 November 1997.^[8] In its cultural references, tone, cinematography and demo targeting, numerous critics compared it to the late '90s marketing campaign from GAP.

Usage in media

The song was performed in 1997 on the television series All That and features on the soundtrack of TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. It was also played at the very end of the Swedish film Show Me Love. The film was originally titled Fucking Åmål but was retitled for distribution in the English-speaking world after the name of the song.

In 2019 the song was featured in the West End musical & Juliet.

Impact and legacy

Pitchfork ranked "Show Me Love" number 241 in their list of The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s in 2022.^[9]

Track listings

European single

• CD single

1. "Show Me Love" (radio edit) – 3:27
2. "Show Me Love" (QD3 Fat Boy Mix) (featuring O.C. and Rahzel) – 5:08
3. "Show Me Love" (Grand Jury Master Mix with Rap) (featuring Shelene) – 4:28
4. "Do You Know (What It Takes)" (Paradise Garage Mix) – 4:59

• CD maxi-single

1. "Show Me Love" (Radio Edit) – 3:27
2. "Show Me Love" (Grand Jury Master Mix with Rap) – 4:28
3. "Show Me Love" (QD3 Fat Boy Remix) (featuring O.C. and Rahzel) – 5:08
4. "Show Me Love" (12-inch Show) – 8:08
5. "Show Me Love" (Backroom Extended Club) – 7:18

Swedish single

• CD promo

1. "Show Me Love" (radio edit) – 3:27

US single

• CD single

1. "Show Me Love" (album version) – 3:50
2. "Show Me Love" (Grand Jury Master Mix with Rap) – 4:28

• CD maxi-single

1. "Show Me Love" (extended album version) – 4:53
2. "Show Me Love" (12-inch Show) – 8:08
3. "Show Me Love" (Grand Jury Master Mix with Rap) – 4:28
4. "Show Me Love" (QD3 Fat Boy Remix) (featuring O.C. and Rahzel) – 5:08

• 12-inch single

Side A

1. "Show Me Love" (12-inch Show) – 8:08
2. "Show Me Love" (extended LP version) – 4:53

Side B

1. "Show Me Love" (Grand Master Jury Mix with Rap) – 4:28
2. "Show Me Love" (Backroom 12-inch) – 7:18

• 12-inch limited edition

Side A

1. "Show Me Love" (Andy & The Lamboy Revelation Club Mix) – 8:22
2. "Show Me Love" (Spens Nitemare Dub) – 4:58

Side B

1. "Show Me Love" (Paul Andrews Club Mix) – 6:41
2. "Show Me Love" (extended album version) – 4:53

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1997–1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[10] 34 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)^[11] 12 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[12] 2 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[13] 12 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)^[14] 4 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[15] 32 France (SNEP)^[16] 36 Germany (Official German Charts)^[17] 70 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[18] 23 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[19] 27 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[20] 10 Scotland (OCC)^[21] 20 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[22] 14 UK Singles (OCC)^[23] 8 US Billboard Hot 100^[24] 7 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[25] 26 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[26] 44 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[27] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[28] 44 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[29] 79 Chart (1998) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[30] 41 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[31] 80 UK Singles (OCC)^[32] 163 US Billboard Hot 100^[33] 29 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)^[3] Gold 500,000^^ ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Sweden	1997 (1997)	CD	Ariola Ricochet BMG
United States	9 September 1997 (1997-09-09)	Rhythmic contemporary contemporary hit radio	RCA	^[34]
	28 October 1997 (1997-10-28)	12-inch vinyl CD cassette		^[1]
United Kingdom	23 February 1998 (1998-02-23)		RCA BMG	^[35]

References

1. Bell, Carrie (8 November 1997). "RCA Looks Beyond Top 40 Base for Sweden's Robyn". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 45. p. 8.
2. Carley, Brennan (28 May 2015). "The 20 Greatest Max Martin Songs That Never Topped the Charts". Spin. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
3. "American single certifications – Robyn – Show Me Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
4. Copsey, Rob (24 October 2018). "Robyn's Top 10 hits on the Official Chart". Official Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
5. Flick, Larry (30 August 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 86. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
6. "Robyn – Show Me Love". Can't Stop the Pop. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
7. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (11 October 1997). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
8. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (29 November 1997). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
9. "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s". Pitchfork. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
10. "Robyn – Show Me Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
11. "Robyn – Show Me Love" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3410." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
13. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3427." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
14. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 3422." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 11. 14 March 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
16. "Robyn – Show Me Love" (in French). Les classement single.
17. "Robyn – Show Me Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 11, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
19. "Robyn – Show Me Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
20. "Robyn – Show Me Love". Top 40 Singles.
21. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
22. "Robyn – Show Me Love". Singles Top 100.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
24. "Robyn Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
25. "Robyn Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
26. "Robyn Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
27. "Robyn Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
28. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
29. "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
30. "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63, no. 12. 14 December 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
31. "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
32. (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
33. "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
34. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1213. 5 September 1997. pp. 39, 45.
35. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 21 February 1998. p. 29.

External links

• "Show Me Love" at Discogs (list of releases)