Haddaway's song "What Is Love": history of creation, lyrical meaning, success, singer's biography
Содержание
The origins of a genre such as eurodanceIn the late 80's, when electronic music was in a state of crisis and could not find further development. Disco was no longer in vogue, it was hard to dance to acid house... European music culture needed to find some kind of a new way to develop. "middle ground" amongst this whole bunch of electronic genres. And the German producers and composers have done it very well!
In the second half of the 1980s, they begin to create melodic parts using various sequencers and arpeggiators, as well as an abundance of synthesiser variations. Together with rhythmic with drum machine drum parts, eurodance music was quickly gaining a following popularityTherefore, the number of positive tracks with lyrics about the joys of life and love became immeasurable. This article is about one of them.
"What Is Love" was a smash hit of the 90's that everyone has heard
In 1993. European audience was able to get acquainted with a colourful song called "What is Love". The singer's composition Haddawayproduced by the titan of the music business Tony Hendrick, was a quality entry into the 90's Eurodance trend. It has almost everything perfect from a stylistic point of view: both Haddaway's strong voice, which sings a melodic vocal part, and the dance music, which was exactly in step with the times.
It was the release of a hit at the right place at the right time that made the song Haddaway "progressed" all over Europe! Among the song's achievements, it topped the key charts in the UK, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy and a host of other countries. In addition, Haddaway has also become famous overseas, with his song reaching the top 15 of the world's most prestigious charts - the World Charts of the Year. Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification from the US RIAA.
Significance of the track for the whole dance music culture can hardly be underestimated: the song is still popular at discos. It is also worth noting that the most famous Haddaway song was used as a sample by hip-hop artists Eminem and Lil Wayne for their composition "No Way."released in 2010.
The lyrical meaning of the song
"What Is Love" Haddaway's song is not characterised by deep meaning, but the simplicity of its lyrics allows you to memorise the motif and hum the song after the first listen. Haddaway managed to combine the sad events related to the broken of unrequited love heartwith a rousing tune!
"What is love?
Don't hurt me, baby,
Don't hurt me,
Don't...," the German performer sings.
The uncomplicated nature of Haddaway's lyrics is at the same time striking in its elaboration. The singer has really put into this song serious meaningwhich, when viewed from an abstract point of view, allows one to reflect on something high.
"Love is an incomparable feeling. It's trust and sincerity in one bottle. I can't describe it in other words... It's too unique," Haddaway said.
What became of the performer?
Haddaway - perfect example "one-hit-wonder" (a one-hit performer). Although Nestor Haddaway, being a fairly interesting a personality with a fascinating life story, deserves a separate talk about his biography.
Nestor Alexander Haddaway was born into a multicultural family: his father is from the Netherlands and his mother is from Trinidad and Tobago. He grew up in the USA, living with his mother, and became interested as a child musically. Haddaway listened to jazz and soul from an early age, and his idol was the incomparable Louis Arsmtrong. Hence the love of melodic pieces and even a desire to play the trumpet!
Young man moved He travelled to Europe at the age of 24 to build a career in music. Haddaway didn't reach certain heights straight away: he was able to couldn't break into the music business, only occasionally creating demos and performing their songs in front of a small audience.
It was meeting a German producer that changed everything. Tony Hendrickwho decided to involve Nestor Alexander in his new project. By the time he met Haddaway, Hendrik already had a lot of experience under his belt: he had worked with Eurodisco bands and had created a successful band from scratch. Bad Boys Blueand then switched to blossoming Eurodance. In Haddaway, the producer saw a future star and believed that his exotic appearance and charisma could play a predetermining role in his career as a musician. And so it did! His debut album "The Album" and the singles "What Is Love" and "Life", which make the listener dance, easily took over his career. high in the European charts.
Unfortunately, the further development of a career Haddaway could not be called successful. Subsequent albums did not receive an enthusiastic response from the public. The decline of Eurodance as a genre and the lack of innovation in his work led to a decline in Haddaway's popularity. He now enjoys baseball, occasionally releases new singles and participates in the festival circuit "Die 90er Live on Stage"where he performs old hits.
