Talk:What Is Love

Untitled
I added a picture. That should help

Dr. Good 23:33, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

A hit of this caliber needs a MUCH larger and better article. C'mon, people!


 * Should it really have those two YTMND links, "What is Bunny Love" and "What is Half-Life"? I don't think so, if it should link to the original YTMND also. [[Image:NonFreeImageRemoved.svg|32px]] Smiddle's Talk Page 13:27, 12 July 2006 (UTC)
 * The article does need SOME discussion of the Internet-phenomena dimension of the song. -Toptomcat 13:27, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

The article says that this song is popular among dance hall DJ's. Dancehall is an old word, now referring to a specific kind of Jamaican music (which is totally full of hate...) so I'm changing it to 'club' or something. Gatesofawesome! 21:03, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

Removing Interpretations Link
Does anyone else agree that linking to a website that does cite a single source (most of these come from YTMND and others) is bad taste. I'll keep it for now, but unless I can find someone who disaggrees, i'll probobly eventually remove 24.167.68.211 04:26, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Removed YouTube Video
Just stating why...

I clicked it expecting it to be some epic youtube video, but it was posted on April 2 2007, has ~300 views, and was added to the page on May 30 2007(most recent edit)

Crazydog115 10:28, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Shoegaze
I really dont think the irish shoegaze band counts as a cover, if it was only one live performance and there is no citation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.161.205.231 (talk) 03:04, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

Why was/is it so popular?
Maybe this is a little too subjective for Wikipedia, but shouldn't there perhaps be something about why it was so popular? The catchy tune, the strong bass synth, etc... It is something of a cultural musical "icon" in my mind... perhaps someone can put it into better words. --75.9.38.154 (talk) 02:59, 29 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Two words: Roxbury Guys. 82.141.64.25 (talk) 22:43, 16 May 2012 (UTC)

For what it's worth, here's my attempt to suggest some explanations, always remembering that critic's comment in the main article, that the record was both "relentlessly catchy, and far more profound than it ever had any right to be"...

A. Emotional and philosophical relatability - "What is Love?" asks profound questions on a subject that almost everyone thinks about, feels about and wants to know about; the song asks the questions with deep feeling, and doesn't pretend to come up with any answers - the question remains as much of a mystery as ever... really, the lyric is a super short poem of great skill and deep feeling.

B. Organisation and ordering of the material - in my view, this is perfection, all the elements introducing themselves in turn, then overlaying and blending in different ways - and then there are the one or two perfect "pauses", like "Don't hurt me.... don't hurt me..." while we remain fully aware that the impetus and drive haven't stopped, and they return stronger than ever after the "pause".

C. Haddaway's vocal, (not forgetting that of the unknown female singer, too) is perfect in feeling, so, so gripping, sung with vehemence and vulnerability in a superb blending and alternation.

D. Musical elements - I think these have got to be a major element in the record's enduring appeal and its undoubted claim to inclusion among the all-time classics.

The chord sequence is interesting and absorbing for its own sake; you can strum it out on a guitar for ten minutes and not lose interest. It only varies very briefly, during those "pauses".

My ears can identify these elements of the instrumentation:

Percussion synth - based on a strong, four-square rhythm, coming in and out as required; Bass synth - with its syncopated rhythm, its strong support for the chord sequence, and yet also including surprising, unexpected notes too; Single-note figure synth - "Plinka plink-plonk, plinka plink-plonk," etc.; "Rhythm guitar" synth - "Riddle-diddle-diddle-diddle, riddle-diddle-diddle-diddle," etc.; Intense, emotional syncopated chord synth - "Pow, pow, pow-pow, pow," etc.; "Strings" synth, playing long, haunting chords.

Each of these elements of the accompaniment is interesting and gripping in its own right, superbly supporting and intensifying the vocals, and blending and overlaying one another with superb variety, until at the climax of the record they are all happening at once! 213.205.240.175 (talk) 09:01, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

Night at the Roxbury???
Should we mention that the song was used in Night at the Roxbury? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.234.119.34 (talk) 00:37, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Female vocals
Who is the female vocalist? --82.170.113.123 (talk) 19:28, 15 May 2012 (UTC)
 * I was curious about this as well, and a Google search led me to a Yahoo! Answers post with the names of the backup vocalists for the album (Lisa Noya, Elkie Schlimbach and Rena R. Otta). Even though this post is almost a year old, I'm glad someone brought this up as it really should be included in the article. Paper Luigi  T • C 00:24, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
 * All right. I've e-mailed Lisa (she's Dutch, like me) and asked her if she remembers the details. --82.170.113.123 (talk) 19:47, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

It's neither of them. The female vocalist was taken from a snippet of the Zero-G Datafile CD (Version 1) on Tracks 63 and 64. The vocalist is unknown and was not formally part of the studio production of the song. The vocals were nothing more but obscure samples on the CD. Hope that helps! - Pentrazemine — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pentrazemine (talk • contribs) 19:04, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I think the 3 CDs together have 99 tracks. If they are evenly distributed, the tracks in question are #30 and #31 on the second CD. --82.170.113.123 (talk) 23:42, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Do you even know what you're talking about? It's just on the first volume. The other volumes are just sample sounds.
 * What I wrote is just something I thought. I guess it's incorrect and the first CD has 99 tracks. --82.170.113.123 (talk) 01:45, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Adding Vocalist Origin to this page; I know the source.
The vocalists in this song was sampled from the Zero-G DataFile CD Version 1; on Tracks 63 and 64, respectfully. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pentrazemine (talk • contribs) 01:41, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Thanks for mentioning the Zero-G Datafile CD. Unfortunately, the forum thread is WP:OR and not WP:RS. --82.170.113.123 (talk) 18:17, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
 * So what other sources can I use? I have the CD files themselves which were released prior to the song; why is it unreliable? I consider Gearslutz very reliable for EDM-based knowledge and sourcing.

Hey Jon
Don't eat the mushroom. I hear it's bad for you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.192.116.112 (talk) 19:01, 5 October 2013 (UTC)

Eurodance not completely accurate
This song was a mega popular commercial house music song in its day, i don't know why Eurodance is listed as its own genre. It's simply a sub-genre of house. More fitting would be to title tulhe category as "a commercial house music song from the 1990s". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.219.69.128 (talk) 22:44, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Requested move 5 June 2016

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Speedy moved as clear consensus has been established and WP:PRIMARYTOPIC would be followed. &mdash; Music1201  talk  02:40, 11 June 2016 (UTC)

– Even 23 years after it was a hit, it still seems to be WAY more popular than anything else of the same name. Over 40,000 hits since March, with the dab page (at less than 7,000) the next most popular.|What_Is_Love?_(Never_Shout_Never_album)|What_Is_Love_(En_Vogue_song)|What_Is_Love_(Howard_Jones_song)|What_Is_Love_(TV_series)|What_Is_Love_(Exo_song)|What_Is_Love_(film)|What_Is_Love?_(Andrea_Marcovicci_album)|What_Is_Love_(Haddaway_song) Unreal7 (talk) 21:49, 5 June 2016 (UTC)
 * What Is Love (Haddaway song) → What Is Love
 * What Is Love → What Is Love (disambiguation)
 * Baby, don't hurt me, no more... (Support.)  ONR  (talk) 01:46, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support, per WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. Gulangyu (talk) 23:39, 6 June 2016 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

External links modified
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External links modified
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Who are the actresses in the music video?
Does anyone know who they are? I'm a little curious, ngl. If anyone could provide help, that'd be cool thanks!

What is love
The love attachment for to humans 2401:4900:8038:AD83:84F6:ADCB:6CB9:4395 (talk) 09:57, 5 September 2022 (UTC)

Requested move 2 August 2023

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: not moved. (non-admin closure) - 🔥𝑰𝒍𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆 (𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌)🔥 02:26, 10 August 2023 (UTC)

What Is Love → What Is Love (Haddaway song) – There are lots of other articles with this name, notably the TWICE song, which gets around 1/3 of this page's views, which is a lot ClipzyJiyz (talk) 17:15, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose move. It still holds the primary topic.  O.N.R.  (talk) 04:39, 3 August 2023 (UTC)
 * On YouTube this song has only 262M views, while TWICE's has 732M views, what was primary topic in the 90s doesn't stay primary topic forever. I'm not saying TWICE's article should change its name, but this article shouldn't have this name, it's just confusing considering how many articles have the name "What Is Love (_)" or "What Is Love? (_)" as their title. ClipzyJiyz (talk) 13:35, 3 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Oppose, per move request in 2016. It still stands.
 *  Brachy 08  (Talk) 04:25, 4 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose A singular metric like YouTube views alone is not enough evidence to challenge the status of primary topic. Killuminator (talk) 11:43, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

What is love
baby dont hurt me Dont hurt me no more👯 79.119.97.43 (talk) 17:12, 19 April 2024 (UTC)