Be My Lover (La Bouche song)
"Be My Lover" | ||||
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Single by La Bouche | ||||
from the album Sweet Dreams | ||||
B-side | "Do You Still Need Me" | |||
Released | 8 March 1995 | |||
Recorded | September 1994 | |||
Genre | Eurodance[1] | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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La Bouche singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Be My Lover" on YouTube |
"Be My Lover" is a song recorded by German
In 2000, when Melanie Thornton left the group to start with her solo career, La Bouche released a new version of "Be My Lover" with vocals by Natascha Wright, who replaced Thornton as the female singer of the group.
Background
American rapper
""Be My Lover" no one liked. I kept trying to find words for the "la da da dee" part of the song. We couldn't find any words so we just left it in the song."
—Lane McCray talking to Jerry Nunn about the song.[4]
McCray told in an 2016 interview about how they came up with the name of the song, "We were at a gig in Germany, and in between sets she [Thornton] says to me, drying herself off with a towel, "So, how so you feel about mixing business with pleasure?" I responded that it was my experience that it doesn't usually work. I had dated a young lady who performed on the tour, and when she was mad at me she'd bring that on to the stage. But, then again, never say never. We continued doing the shows, and when we got into the studio, she said something like with all the time we had spent together, I should know if I wanted to be her lover. My response was that I heard what she was saying, but I needed to know more about her. Well, that's where that song came from."[5]
Composition
La Bouche's Melanie Thornton and Lane McCray co-wrote the song with Uli Brenner and Gerd Amir Saraf. It is written in the key of C♯ minor[6] and follows a tempo of 134 beats per minute. "Be My Lover" follows a basic chord progression of C♯m–A–B, and the vocals span from G♯3 to F♯5.[7] The la-da-di-da-dah hook of the song, came from being unable to create the right lyrics to fill that portion of the music. So Thornton and McCray ad-libbed that portion, and decided to keep it like that.[5]
Chart performance
"Be My Lover" topped both the US
"Be My Lover" has sold six million copies worldwide to date. It earned a
Critical reception
An editor from
Paul Mathur from
Music video
Two different music videos were made for this song, a European version and an American version.
The European version was filmed at the beginning of 1995, in the city at night. Melanie Thornton appears as a dominatrix wearing a black outfit. She is driving a van, abducting Lane McCray to an underground club, where several men are being held captive. They are hanging upside down from hooks in the ceiling. Thornton walks around these men while she sings. Suddenly McCray manages to break free and raps toward Thornton. An edited version doesn't show McCray being captured and almost all the scenes with the men being hanging upside down were cut. The uncensored music video was later made available on La Bouche's official YouTube channel in 2016, and had generated more than 159 million views as of January 2024.[29]
The American version was filmed in a recording studio at the beginning of 1996 with Thornton performing the song in front of a microphone. She has braids in her hair and wears a purple dress. McCray, wearing a black leather coat and sunglasses, raps in the control room of the studio, watching Thornton. This version was directed by Andras Mahr[30] and filmed in Broadway Studios, New York City.[31] In the US, it was BET that first played the video of "Be My Lover".[5] This version was made available on YouTube in 2014.[32]
Retrospective response
American entertainment company
Accolades
Year | Publisher | Country | Accolade | Rank |
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1996 | Echo Award | Germany | "Best National Dance Single"[37] | 1 |
1996 | ASCAP Award
|
United States | "Most Played Song in America" | 1 |
1996 | MTV Video Music Awards | United States | Nomination for "Best Dance Video" | |
2012 | Porcys | Poland | "100 Singli 1990-1999"[38] | 70 |
2013 | Vibe | United States | "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks from the '90s That Changed the Game"[36] | 16 |
2015 | Idolator
|
United States | "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1995"[39] | 30 |
2017 | BuzzFeed | United States | "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s"[40] | 6 |
2019 | Billboard | United States | "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s"[41] | 344 |
Track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Be My Lover".[42]
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[84] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[89] | Gold | 25,000* |
France ( SNEP)[90]
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Gold | 250,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[91] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[92] | Gold | |
United Kingdom (BPI)[93] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[94] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Usage in media
The song was played in the 1995 Brazilian soap opera A Próxima Vítima, in an episode of the American TV series
The song was featured in an ad for Downy Unstoppables.
Cover versions, samples and remixes
- The song was covered by Hysterie in 2003.
- Romanian dance pop singer Inna sampled the song for her third studio album Party Never Ends and released it as an official single in 2013.
- Dutch DJ and producer Sam Feldt made a cover of this track with Alex Schulz in 2017.
- Akina Nakamori covered the song in her 2017 cover album Cage.[95]
- In 2018, Austrian rapper Raf Camora and German rapper Bonez MC have used a sample of the song for their hit single "Kokain."
- Additionally in 2018, two Onel Hernandez and Tom Trybull) were recorded dancing to the song after a win.
- In 2019, Italian artist Achille Lauro sampled the song for his hit single "1990"
- Hypaton and David Guetta released a future rave edit in 2023.
References
- ^ a b Johnson, Connie (17 February 1996). "La Bouche, "Sweet Dreams", RCA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Singer Melanie Thornton paved her own path". greenvilleonline.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Sweet Dreams of La Bouche". outinperth.com. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Sweet dreams: An interview with La Bouche". chicago.gopride.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9781476626611. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ Amir, Saraf, Gerd; Melanie, Thornton; Andy, Brenner; Lane, McCray; Bouche, La (4 May 2015). "Be My Lover". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Amir, Saraf, Gerd (4 May 2015). "La Bouche "Be My Lover" Sheet Music (Leadsheet) in C# Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Reed, Claude (6 January 1996). "European-based 'La Bouche' puckers up for America". New York Amsterdam News.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 25 February 1996 - 02 March 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ a b "The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). 10 June 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "Weekend At Home The Latest In Music, Videos And Books Sugary to cerebral: Angelique, La Bouche rule dance floor". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2 July 1998.
- Considine, J.D. (1 February 1996). "CD Reviews". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Flick, Larry (28 December 1996). "Dance Trax: Kristine W. Shows Extent Of Dance's Inroads In '96" (PDF). Billboard. p. 34. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- Boston Globe.
- . p. 11. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ D'Addono, Beth. (12 January 1996). "La Bouche has "Sweet Dreams'". Delaware County Daily Times.
- Indianapolis Star.
- ^ Campbell, Chuck (9 February 1996). "Amos Losing Touch With 'Boys For Pele'". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ Masterton, James (9 July 1995). "Week Ending July 15th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Mathur, Paul (1 July 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ Parkes, Taylor (15 July 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 34. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 10 June 1995. p. 10. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Jones, Alan (13 January 1996). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 24. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Farber, Jim (12 February 1996). "German-ating A Dance Revival". p. 32. New York Daily News.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Land of the Living". People. 29 July 1996. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "La Bouche". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 15 March 1996.
- ^ "La Bouche, Sweet Dreams". The Tampa Tribune. 16 February 1996.
- ^ Hamilton, James (1 July 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 15. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "La Bouche - Be My Lover (Official Video) (VOD)". YouTube. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "Andras Mahr". IMDb.com. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "La Bouche - Be My Lover music video". Eurokdj.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "La Bouche - Be My Lover". YouTube. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (11 March 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- Idolator. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ISBN 9781476626611. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks From The '90s That Changed The Game". Vibe. 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Echo 1996 - The Winners" (PDF). Music & Media. 9 March 1996. p. 15. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ "100 Singli 1990-1999". Porcys (in Polish). 20 August 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1995 (Featuring New Interviews With Alanis Morissette, Garbage, Kylie Minogue, Monica, Ace Of Base & More!)". idolator.com. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s". BuzzFeed. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Greatest of All Time: Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s". Billboard. 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ "La Bouche — "Be My Lover"". Discogs. 8 November 1995. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
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- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2926." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2731." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 28. 15 July 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 21. 27 May 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 19. 13 May 1995. p. 26. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- Les classement single.
- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 38. 23 September 1995. p. 18. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.06.1995 - 24.06.1995)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 1 February 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 2 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 28 July 2008)
- ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 16. 22 April 1995. p. 18. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – La Bouche" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover". VG-lista.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 (09 July 1995 - 15 July 1995)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (7 May 1994). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
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- ^ "La Bouche – Be My Lover". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 28 July 2008)
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. 24 February 1996. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ "1995 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
- ^ 1995 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived 30 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 11 February 2008)
- ^ 1995 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived 14 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 11 February 2008)
- ^ "RPM Top 50 Dance Tracks of '95". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "1995 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 51/52. 23 December 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ "1995 in Review: European Dance Radio 1995" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 51/52. 23 December 1995. p. 23. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived 14 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 30 January 2009)
- GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
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- ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
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- Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. 27 December 1996. p. 30.
- ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover Titles". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. 27 December 1996. p. 32.
- ^ "Austrian single certifications – La Bouche – Be My Lover" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (La Bouche; 'Be My Lover')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- ^ "British single certifications – La Bouche – Be My Lover". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – La Bouche – Be My Lover". Recording Industry Association of America.
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