"You Got the Love" is a song by British songwriting team the Source featuring American singer Candi Staton. Originally released in December 1986, the song was remixed and re-released in 1991, 1997, and 2006. It has reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the UK Dance Singles Chart and number one on the UK Club Chart.
The song has been covered by other artists, including as "You've Got the Love" by Florence and the Machine in 2009, which reached number five on the UK chart.
Background and release
The original version is a soul/disco/gospel track, written by Anthony B. Stephens, Arnecia Michelle Harris and John Bellamy. British DJ Simon Harris was the first person to discover and license the song in 1986 when he was looking for tracks to release on his newly formed Music of Life label with DJ Froggy. Harris then took the track to Morgan Khan, the distributor of the new label, the track was licensed and released on Khan's StreetSounds Streetwave label. The original Candi Staton track had been recorded for a direct-to-video 1980s documentary about an obese man who was trying to lose weight. Staton said she couldn't remember having recorded a song called "You Got the Love". It was only later that she realised she had performed the song years earlier for the documentary. The producers of the video had selected the song for her to sing, but as they had no funds to pay her, they donated half of the copyright and publishing to Staton.
The Candi Staton a cappella version was originally mixed over an instrumental version of the Frankie Knuckles/Jamie Principle house song "Your Love". This bootleg release was a studio recording of Eren Abdullah mixing the two pieces of vinyl together. The DJ Eren "Original Bootleg" mix was released by John Truelove's record label in 1991 and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.
It was re-issued in 1997 by React Music Limited in a new remixed version called the "Now Voyager Mix". This time the record reached number three, the song's highest position.
It was remixed again in 2006 by Now Voyager, and this new version was called the "New Voyager Mix" (instead of "Now"), and was back with further new mixes by the Shapeshifters amongst others. This time the rights to the record were picked up by EMI's Positiva label (also the label the Shapeshifters were signed to), who scored another top ten hit, when the track reached number seven. The 2006 mix also featured more lyrics than the first two versions.
The "Original Bootleg Radio Mix" of the track was featured in the film Layer Cake in the club when Sidney talks to the film's protagonist as he looks on at Sidney's girlfriend. The song was used on the series finale of the series Sex and the City, and also the series finale of Gossip Girl. The Now Voyager Remix of the song was used for the theme tune of live Football League coverage on Sky Sports until the start of the 2014–15 season.
Critical reception On 19 January 1991, Music Week named "You Got the Love" Pick of the Week. Mandi James from NME wrote, "Bootlegs have kept the dancefloor boiling, provided healthy competition for the influx of white labels and given inspiration in the face of Technotronic megamixes. The best ideas have always been the most breathtakingly simple and usually caused the most consternation. 'You Got the Love' by the Source featuring Candi Staton, formerly known as 'Love/Rock', pays testimony to both those principles. It's an inspired combination of uplifting gospel vocals and Jamie Principle's proto-house classic 'Your Love', is currently sitting comfortably in the Top 40, and has a chequered history to match Black Box's 'Ride on Time'."
Upon the 1997 remix, Alan Jones from Music Week commented, "A brilliant marriage of two different records, the Source featuring Candi Staton's "You Got the Love" was a truly inspired amalgam, well deserving its top five status in 1991. Six years on, it has been extensively remixed by the Rhythm Masters and David Morales & Frankie Knuckles. The new mixes work well, although the 1991 mixes remain the best. Well worth another outing." James Hyman from the Record Mirror Dance Update gave the 1997 remix a top score of five out of five, adding, "Now 'Voyager's Epic' (which is managing to gain considerable airplay) borrows from Elgar's 'Enigma Variations' and, with the vocal, creates a parallel to Massive Attack's 'Unfinished Sympathy' via an uplifting and spinetingling surge."
Music video The planned 1986 video was supposed to feature a man wanting to lose weight. The filming was shelved when the actor portraying the character lost his weight to around .
The 1991 video shows silhouettes of men and women dancing on a white background, sometimes as individuals, couples or in groups, intercut with a sequence of close-ups of different faces miming to the lyrics. Grainy footage of a Northern line London Underground train entering a station also appears.
The 1997 video features the "Now Voyager mix" and portrays a man dressed like a friar carrying a cross being guided by an angel and tempted by the Devil.
The 2006 version features the "New Voyager mix" in a black and white video. Set in London, it portrays an angelic young man (played by Neil Newbon) watching over the poor, lonely and vulnerable in the streets, subways and gardens. (Referencing the Wim Wenders film Wings of Desire)
Impact and legacy Mixmag ranked the song number 33 in its "100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" list in 1996, adding:
English house music DJ, DJ Paulette named the song one of her favourites in 1996, saying, "This is one of my desert island discs. It came out in about 1991/1992 and it's just fantastic, so strong. I remember the video being shown on TOTP, it charted really highly. The energy of the track is inspirational."
Time Out listed the song number seven in their "The 100 best party songs" list in 2018, adding,
Accolades YearPublisherCountryAccoladeRank1996MixmagUnited Kingdom"100 Greatest Dance Singles of All Time" 332004IDJUnited States"The 50 Greatest Dance Singles" 222004QUnited Kingdom"The 1010 Songs You Must Own" *2013Robert DimeryUnited States"1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die" *2018Time OutUnited Kingdom"100 Best Party Songs" 72020PopMattersUnited States"15 Landmark Dance Tracks of 1991" *2020TomorrowlandBelgium"Ibiza Top 500" 33 (*) indicates the list is not in any particular order.
Track listings
1986 original version A1. "You Got the Love" — 4:27 A2. "You Got the Love" — 6:45 B1. "You Got the Love" — 7:07 B2. "You Got the Love" — 8:07
1989 version "Untitled (You Got the Love / Your Love)"
1991 version "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love"
1991 Trax USA version "Frankie Knuckles – Your Love / You Got the Love (Remix)"
1997 UK version "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love"
2006 UK version "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" Enhanced video
Australian version "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love"
2012 Hungarian version "You've Got the Love 2k12"
2015 official remix "You Got the Love" "You Got the Love"
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1986) Peakposition
Chart (1991) PeakpositionIsrael (Israeli Singles Chart)Israeli Singles Chart. 31 March 1991. 8Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)Radio Luxembourg Singles. 3 March 1991. 3Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) 12UK Airplay (Music Week) 11UK Dance (Music Week) 2
Chart (1997) PeakpositionBelgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) 3Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 26 Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) Search "You Got the Love" for Israeli chart history. 26UK Club Chart (Music Week) 1UK Indie (Music Week) 1
Chart (2006) PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA) 57US Global Dance Tracks (Billboard) 26
Year-end charts Chart (1991) PositionUK Singles (OCC) 31UK Club Chart (Record Mirror) 4
Chart (1997) PositionUK Singles (OCC) 89UK Club Chart (Music Week) 8
Chart (2006) PositionNetherlands (Dutch Top 40) 37Netherlands (Single Top 100) 82UK Singles (OCC) 71
Certifications
Release history RegionVersionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United KingdomOriginal1 December 1986StreetwaveErens Bootleg mix21 January 1991Truelove4 February 1991CDAustralia8 April 1991United KingdomNow Voyager mix17 February 1997ReactNew Voyager mix6 February 2006CDPositiva
Florence and the Machine version
The song was covered by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine as "You've Got the Love" and released as the fifth single from their debut album, Lungs (2009). It was first released on 1 December 2008 as the B-side to their second single "Dog Days Are Over". It was then later released as a digital download only single on 5 January 2009 in the United Kingdom only, after the mass praise it received during the release of "Dog Days Are Over". After being released before Lungs was finally recorded and released, it was later featured on the album as its bonus track.
The single was given a re-release on physical format on 16 November 2009 in the United Kingdom. For the reissue a music video was shot.
Background The track, which is significantly shorter than the original, was produced by Charlie Hugall, who also produced three other tracks on Lungs. Hugall was also involved in the bass and percussion development of the song. The track features Isabella Summers on piano, Christopher Lloyd Hayden on drums, Tom Moth on harp, Rob Ackroyd on guitar and Florence Welch on vocals.
Florence Welch explained her inspiration behind covering "one of her favourite songs ever": As a kid, going to clubs and raves, this song made me feel love. At Bestival last year we were top of the bill on that stage, so we were thinking of an amazing cover we could do, and I thought of Candi Staton. Even in rehearsals, playing it was just the most euphoric feeling. Then playing it live and seeing everyone's arms in the air, and the faces – it was the best feeling ever! I was dressed as a genie sea-monster, and I remember looking at my guitarist as we played the first chords, and then there was the reaction and it was like tearing ourselves open and just exploding on the crowd, and then all did it back. It's a feeling you couldn't express. I'm really excited that now in our live shows I'm going to be playing one of my favourite songs ever, loads.
"You've Got the Love" is a fan favourite of the band and has been played at numerous festivals around the United Kingdom during 2008 and 2009. Including the Bestival, Glastonbury, Way Out West, Brighton, Electric Picnic, Leeds, Smash & Grab and with an acoustic version being performed at a festival in Reading. It's also been performed Live In Ibiza on BBC Radio 1 and at the BBC Live Big Weekend. Florence also made a guest appearance during the xx's 2010 Glastonbury Festival performance, where they played their remix of the track. In 2013, a children's choir rendition of the song was used in TV spots for Coca-Cola. At Bestival 2014, Candi Staton performed the song live in a duet with Florence and the Machine.
Critical reception "You've Got the Love" received positive reviews who notably commented on the song in reviews of "Dog Days Are Over". MusicOMH commented on the song by saying that "Following with her tradition of some finely chosen cover versions, there's even an excellent rendition of The Source's You Got the Love." Altsounds.com reviewed the track, writing, "You've Got the Love" is a standard pop number that does something in a non-standard fashion – it isn't afraid of looking at its simplistic melodic hooks and accepting it with a touch of lyrical honesty and contemplative imprint."