Who Do U Love

This article is about the song by Deborah Cox. For other uses, see Who Do You Love? (disambiguation).

"Who Do U Love"
Single by Deborah Cox
from the album Deborah Cox
ReleasedJanuary 15, 1996 (1996-01-15)
Studio
Length4:47
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
  • Vassal Benford
  • Larry "Rock" Campbell
Producer(s)
  • Larry "Rock" Campbell
  • Vassal Benford (add.)
Deborah Cox singles chronology
"Sentimental"
(1995) 		"Who Do U Love"
(1996) 		"Where Do We Go from Here"
(1996)
Music video
"Who Do U Love" on YouTube

"Who Do U Love" is a song performed by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. It was written and produced by Larry "Rock" Campbell and Vassal Benford for her self-titled debut studio album (1995). Arista Records issued the song as the second album's single in January 1996. "Who Do U Love" peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was Cox's first number-one hit on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the single reached number two in New Zealand, number 11 in Australia, number 15 in Canada, and number 31 in the United Kingdom. The song is certified platinum in New Zealand and gold in Australia.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Cox comes on with another winning single that coasts on the fuel of a sleek jeep funk groove and a sing-along chorus. Comparisons to labelmate Whitney Houston may continue, but Cox goes a long way toward proving that she has her own special style that stands alone. Over the course of the single's four nicely varied versions, she displays different parts of her personality and vocal palette. Most notably, she shows a sassy edge on Chucky Thompson's spare hip-hop mix, then forceful diva potential on David Morales' splashy pop/house interpretation. Pick a version of this cutie and slam it over and over."[1]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Brett Ratner and was filmed on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles.[2][3] It consists of Cox confronting her boyfriend (portrayed by Flex Alexander) for being unfaithful. It begins with Cox in her apartment, being confronted by her friends, who claim that Cox's boyfriend ("Flex") was out and cheating on her the night before. Cox denies it at first, until she hears her boyfriend outside her apartment with his friends. She tries to confront him, but he quickly gets defensive, so Cox's replies "Forget You". Walking down the fire escape with her friends, Cox begins to sing and dance in sync with her friends, as she walks away from Flex. Throughout, he keeps trying to win her back, but in the end, Cox refuses Flex's hand and walks away. The video ends with Flex miming "Damn!".

The dancing in the music video was choreographered by Tina Landon. The video features Nikki Pantenburg, Tish Oliver, Shawnette Heard, and Kelly Konno, all of whom were dancers for Janet Jackson during her janet. era. Landon, herself, who also was Jackson's choreographer at the time, is amongst the background dancers in the video, and can be seen in the last dance sequence of the video.

Track listings

  • US CD and cassette single[4][5]
  1. "Who Do U Love" (Gass mix) – 4:26
  2. "Who Do U Love" (Morales mix) – 4:45
  • UK, European, Australian, and Japanese CD single[6][7]
  1. "Who Do U Love" (radio edit) – 3:59
  2. "Who Do U Love" (Morales classic club mix) – 8:42
  3. "Who Do U Love" (Driza Bone remix) – 4:08
  4. "Who Do U Love" (Gass mix) – 3:59
  5. "Who Do U Love" (Driza Bone extended mix) – 5:10
  6. "Who Do U Love" (Morales Down Low dub) – 6:11

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the US CD single liner notes.[4]

Studios

  • Recorded at Palm Tree Studios (North Hollywood, California, US) and Battery Studios (New York City)
  • Mixed at Palm Tree Studios (North Hollywood, California, US)

Personnel

  • Deborah Cox – vocals, background vocals
  • Larry "Rock" Campbell – writing, production, arrangement
  • Vassal Benford – writing, additional production
  • Chris Trevett – recording
  • Ara Darakjian – recording
  • Victor Flores – recording, mixing
  • Jon Gass – remixing
  • Fred Kelly – remixing assistant
  • Clive Davis – executive production
  • Christopher Stern – art direction
  • Ken Banks – photography
  • Carlton Jones – styling

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31] Platinum 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States January 15, 1996
  • CD
  • cassette
 Arista [32][33]
January 30, 1996 Contemporary hit radio [34]
United Kingdom February 12, 1996
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [35]
Japan February 21, 1996 CD [36]

References

  1. ^ Flick, Larry (January 20, 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 70. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com – Deborah Cox – "Who do you love?"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  3. ^ Flick, Larry (February 17, 1996). "Dance Trax". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 7. p. 32.
  4. ^ a b Who Do U Love (US CD single liner notes). Deborah Cox. Arista Records. 1995. 07822-12951-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Who Do U Love (US cassette single sleeve). Deborah Cox. Arista Records. 1995. 07822-12950-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Who Do U Love (UK, European & Australian CD single liner notes). Deborah Cox. Arista Records. 1996. 74321 33794 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Who Do U Love (Japanese CD single liner notes). Deborah Cox. Arista Records. 1996. BVCA-8815.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "Deborah Cox – Who Do U Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2997." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2964." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2928." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  12. ^ "Deborah Cox – Who Do U Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  18. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  19. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  20. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  22. ^ "Deborah Cox Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  23. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". Australian Record Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015 – via Imgur.
  24. ^ "End of Year Charts 1996". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  25. ^ Pedro. "Longbored Surfer – 1996". LongboredSurfer.com. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  26. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Dance Music Club Play Singles". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-44.
  27. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot R&B Singles". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-40.
  28. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 52. December 28, 1996. p. YE-45.
  29. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover Titles". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 32.
  30. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  31. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Deborah Cox – Who Do U Love". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  32. ^ "Who Do U Love". Amazon. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  33. ^ "Who Do U Love". Amazon. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  34. ^ "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1130. January 26, 1996. p. 33. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  35. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. February 10, 1996. p. 27. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  36. ^ "フー・ドゥ・ユー・ラブ | デボラ・コックス" [Who Do U Love | Deborah Cox] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 1, 2023.