"Don't You Love Me" is a song by British R&B girl group Eternal. It was the second single to be released from their third studio album, Before the Rain (1997), released in February 1997 by EMI and 1st Avenue. The song was written by Cynthia Biggs, Carolyn Mitchell, Terence Dudley and Christopher Kellum, and produced by Ronnie Wilson and Dennis Charles. It deals with child neglect and abuse and features a choir of 20 children.[3] "Don't You Love Me" was well-received by music critics and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in March 1997, becoming the group's tenth top-10 entry on the chart, as well as their first top-three hit.
Critical reception
A reviewer from Music Week gave "Don't You Love Me" four out of five, writing, "Unusually opening like a second cousin of The Persuaders theme, this breaks into one of Eternal's strongest singles yet. Its powerful, rounder sound hints at a more mature musical direction for the forthcoming new album."[4]Music Week editor Alan Jones described it as "a classy mid-tempo pop/R&B song hanging on a slightly changed but otherwise familiar bassline from the Dennis Edwards hit 'Don't Look Any Further'. Quite haunting and not even spoilt by a kid's chorus which appears as the record heads for the fade."[2] Gavin Reeve from Smash Hits also gave it four out of five, naming it "another powerful soul searcher". He added, "A poignant tale of homelessness, poverty and depression. Designed to pluck at your heart strings like an over zealous army of crabs, police sirens, children singing, an old fashioned harpsichord-type-thing(?) and the ever excellent vocals of the lay-dees combine to produce a haunting ditty that will get you blubbing with the sadness of it all."[5] Ian Hyland from Sunday Mirror commented, "Before Spice Girls, Eternal were the most successful girl group in Britain - but they're not bitter. In fact, as this single shows, Eternal are better. A great taster for their next album, 'Don't You Love Me', this proves that when it comes to R'n'B the girls are up there with En Vogue. A definite hit, there's even a cheesy Charlie's Angels CD cover."[6]
^Reeve, Gavin (26 February 1997). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 58. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
^Hyland, Ian (23 February 1997). "Kula Are in a Hush to Shake It Up". Sunday Mirror.
^Don't You Love Me (UK CD1 liner notes). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. CDEMS 465, 7243 8 83745 2 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Don't You Love Me (UK CD2 liner notes). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. CDEM 465, 7243 8 83746 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Don't You Love Me (Australian CD single liner notes). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. 8838272.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Don't You Love Me (UK cassette single sleeve). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. TCEM 465, 7243 8 83745 4 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Don't You Love Me (European CD single liner notes). Eternal. EMI Records, 1st Avenue Records. 1997. 7243 8 83732 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)