"Love Don't Love You" is a song by American R&B/pop vocal group En Vogue, released in February 1993 by Eastwest Records as the final single from their second album, Funky Divas (1992). The song was both written and produced by Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster, and became the group's fifth consecutive top-40 single from the album in the United States. It peaked at numbers 36 and 31 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. The song is led by group members Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron.
| "Love Don't Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by En Vogue | ||||
| from the album Funky Divas | ||||
| Released | February 11, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | Late 1991—January 1992[1] | |||
| Genre | New jack swing[2][3] | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | EastWest | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| En Vogue singles chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
editAllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described "Love Don't Love You" as "jazzy".[4] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "There just ain't no stoppin' these funky divas", adding that the new single "is a bit more aggressive and catchy than the previous "Give It Up, Turn It Loose". Syncopated funk beats clip at an easy pace, supporting an intricate and expectedly harmonious vocal arrangement."[5] Randy Clark from Cash Box viewed it as a "particular scantily-arranged cut".[6] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report complimented its "dynamic production, incredible harmonies and great material [that] make an unbeatable formula."[7] A reviewer from Music & Media said, "Funk, rock, pop, jazz, well ladies, what's it gonna be this time? The "funky divas of all trades" go swing beat, with lovely results of course."[2]
Alan Jones from Music Week wrote that they "return with a nagging jack swing track that will remind Jade what they're up against in the battle of the funky divas." He added, "The singing is as good as it gets, but some of the mixes are a bit on the flabby side, and probably diminish rather than broaden its appeal."[3] Pop Rescue stated that the vocals "are beautiful, and sit perfectly alongside the beats and bassline." They concluded, "It’s brilliant."[8] Pete Stanton from Smash Hits gave the song three out of five, declaring it as a "funky number that oozes something extremely naughty and tasty. Not as powerful as the last few singles but still as groove-filled as you'd expect from the Divas."[9] Cheo H. Coker from Stanford Daily felt that it "isn't bad, but just doesn't pack as much punch as other cuts on the effort."[10]
Track list and formats
edit
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Personnel
edit- Lead vocals, background vocals – Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron
- Background vocals – Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson
- Producer, Arranger – Denzil Foster & Thomas McElroy
- Executive-Producer – Thomas McElroy & Denzil Foster
- Drum Programming – Antoine "Doc" Judkins
- Engineer – Conley Abrams
- Remix producer – Darren "Nitro" Clowers
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 64 |
| UK Dance (Music Week)[15] | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 36 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] | 31 |
| US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[18] | 28 |
| US Rhythmic (Billboard)[19] | 20 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[20] | 31 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | February 11, 1993 |
|
EastWest | [citation needed] |
| United Kingdom | March 29, 1993 |
|
[21] |
References
edit- ^ "Don't think I can make it. By Denzil Foster, Thomas McElroy, Will Townsend, Pharoah Davis, Warren Robinson & Andre Zachary".
- ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 15. April 10, 1993. p. 13. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Jones, Alan (April 3, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 19. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ Promis, Jose F. "En Vogue - Funky Divas". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- ^ Flick, Larry (March 6, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 74. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Randy (March 6, 1993). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 5. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Sholin, Dave (February 26, 1993). "Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 58. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "Review: "Funky Divas" by En Vogue (CD, 1992)". Pop Rescue. May 1, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Stanton, Pete (March 31, 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 51. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ Coker, Cheo H. (April 16, 1992). "Hip-Hop's Four Funky Divas". Stanford Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ "En Vogue - Love Don't Love You (1993, US Cassette)".
- ^ "En Vogue - Love Don't Love You (Remixes) (1993, CD)".
- ^ "En Vogue - Love Don't Love You (1993, UK Vinyl)".
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 10, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
- ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
- ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ "En Vogue Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVI, no. 38. May 29, 1993. p. 12. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. March 27, 1993. p. 27.