"Should I Love You" is a song by the German singer Cee Farrow, released in 1983 as the lead single from his debut album Red and Blue.[1] It was written by Farrow and Lothar Krell, and produced by Andy Lunn. Released in North America only, the single reached No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained in the charts for six weeks.[2]
| "Should I Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cee Farrow | ||||
| from the album Red and Blue | ||||
| B-side | "Paint It Blue" | |||
| Released | 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | Rochshire Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Cee Farrow, Lothar Krell | |||
| Producer(s) | Andy Lunn | |||
| Cee Farrow singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editHaving signed with Rocshire Records, Farrow recorded his debut album, Red and Blue, between March and December 1982 at Hotline Studios. Released in 1983, "Should I Love You" was issued as the first single from the album.[3] It became a minor hit in October 1983 when it peaked at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] It also reached No. 91 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles Chart.[4] Although "Don't Ask Why" was released as the follow-up, it failed to chart, as did the Red and Blue album.[5]
Shortly after the single and album's release, Rocshire began suffering legal issues when it was discovered that Rocshire had been financed by millions of dollars that Rocky Davis' wife, Shirley Davis, had embezzled from Hughes Aircraft while working as an accountant there. U.S. Federal Marshalls seized all of the label's assets, including master tapes, in January 1984.[6][7] Farrow stepped away from the music business, but later made an attempt at a comeback with the 1991 single "Imagination".[8] He died in 1993 in West Hollywood, California of a brain disease attributed to AIDS.[9]
Release
edit"Should I Love You" was released in the United States and Canada only on 7" and 12" vinyl. The B-side, "Paint It Blue", was taken from Red and Blue and written solely by Farrow. In addition to the main 7" release, a promotional 7" vinyl was also released in the US.[10] A 12" vinyl, released commercially and as a promotional release, featured an extended version of "Should I Love You", lasting a duration of over seven minutes, on both sides of the vinyl.[10][11]
Music video
editA music video was filmed to promote the single.[12][13] The video features Farrow performing the song with backing musicians, as well as footage of Farrow in a restaurant where a woman, sat with an older man, can't help but notice Farrow. As the video progresses, the older man gets more suspicious, to the point where he reveals his cane to actually be a sword weapon.[12] The music video was given light rotation on MTV.[14]
Critical reception
editUpon release, Billboard listed the song as a recommended pop single under their "Top Single Picks" of June 11, 1983.[15]
Track listing
edit- 7" single
- "Should I Love You" - 4:00
- "Paint It Blue" - 4:55
- 7" single (US promo)
- "Should I Love You" - 4:00
- "Paint It Blue" - 4:55
- 12" single (US release)
- "Should I Love You" - 7:20
- "Should I Love You" - 7:20
- 12" single (US promo)
- "Should I Love You" - 7:20
- "Should I Love You" - 7:20
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 82 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart[4] | 91 |
Personnel
edit- Cee Farrow – vocals
- Pave – guitar
- Peter Ponzol – saxophone, lyricon
- Lothar Krell – synthesizer, programming
- Ken Taylor – bass guitar
- Nick Name – drums
- Andy Lunn – producer, mixing, engineer
- Wolfgang Auer – executive producer
- Carmine Di, Jon Caffrey – engineers
- Mathias Dietrich – assistant engineer
References
edit- ^ "Cee Farrow - Red And Blue (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ a b c Billboard (1983-10-22). "Cee Farrow Should I Love You Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ^ "Cee Farrow - Should I Love You / Paint It Blue - Rocshire - USA - XR95032". 45cat. 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ^ a b "Cee Farrow Chart History". Billboard. 1983-10-15. Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ^ "Cee Farrow - Don't Ask Why / Wildlife Romance - Rocshire - USA - XR95054". 45cat. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ^ Erling. "Rocshire Records USA". 45-sleeves.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ Chuck Miller (2009-10-27). "The Rise and Fall of Rocshire Records and the loss of Stacy Davis - Chuck Miller - timesunion.com - Albany NY". Blog.timesunion.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ "Imagination - Cee Farrow". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ Publicada por TorviC (2012-03-14). "Eighties Marketplace: Cee Farrow - Red and Blue". Eighties-marketplace.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ a b "Cee Farrow - Should I Love You / Paint It Blue (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ "Cee Farrow - Should I Love You (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ a b "Cee Farrow - Should I Love You?". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
- ^ "TV Guide - Google Books". 1983. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
- ^ Billboard 1983-09-03, Pg. 35
- ^ Billboard magazine - June 11, 1983 - Top Single Picks - Pop: Cee Farrow, Should I Love You - page 92