"Love Religion" is a song recorded by German dance music act U96, released by Guppy label in October 1994, as the lead single from the act's third album, Club Bizarre (1995). Unlike their previous songs, "Love Religion" is more trance-oriented techno and pop. It was co-written and co-produced by Alex Christensen and takes its main melody from Giorgio Moroder's 1978 instrumental "The Chase".[1] The background vocals are performed by Dutch singer, actress and TV host Daisy Dee. The single peaked at number two in Finland and Sweden, and was also a top-10 hit in Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The music video for the song was directed by Nico Beyer.
Chart performance
"Love Religion" was quite successful on the charts in Europe and remains one of U96's most successful songs. It reached number two in both Finland and Sweden,[2][3] being held off reaching the top spot by "Old Pop in an Oak" by Rednex and "Stay Another Day" by East 17. The single also entered the top 10 in Austria (7), Denmark (9), Germany (5), the Netherlands (9) and Switzerland (10).[4][5][6][7][8] Additionally, "Love Religion" was a top-20 hit in France (15), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 12 in December 1994 after five weeks on the chart.[9] On the European Dance Radio Chart, it peaked at number four in January following year.[10] In Belgium, it was a top-30 hit (27 and 23 in Flanders and Wallonia). in the UK, it charted outside the UK Top 100, peaking at number 134, but it was a UK club hit.[11] Outside Europe, "Love Religion" peaked at number 16 in Israel and number 208 in Australia.
The single was awarded with a gold record in Germany.[12]
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Love Religion" was directed by German film director and producer Nico Beyer.[13] It features Dutch singer, actress and TV host Daisy Dee performing on wide billboards at different sites in a urban city setting.[14] She is dressed in a long, black bondage-oriented dress, performing towards a metallic wall in the background. These kind of outfits were popular in German music videos at the time, as in "Flying High" by Captain Hollywood Project and "Be My Lover" by La Bouche.[15][16] Dee also wears long black gloves and her arms are chained to the ceiling, while she performs. In between, female dancers performs, wearing all kind of bondage- and fetish-oriented outfits. Frontman and producer of U96, Alex Christensen, appears in both the beginning and end of the video. "Love Religion" was A-listed on Germany's VIVA in November 1994.[17]
Track listings
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|
Charts
Weekly chartsOriginal version
Remix
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Year-end chartsOriginal version
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[29] | Gold | 250,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Soininen, Juha (26 August 2020). Move Your Body (2 The 90's): Unlimited Eurodance. BoD - Books on Demand. p. 34. ISBN 9789528026303. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Finnish peak
- ^ a b "U 96 – Love Religion". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ a b "U 96 – Love Religion" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 6. 11 February 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ a b "U96, German Singles Chart" (in German). Musicline. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ a b c "Single top 100 over 1995" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ^ a b "U 96 – Love Religion". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 51. 17 December 1994. p. 27. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ a b "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 3. 21 January 1995. p. 21. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- ^ a b "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 10 December 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ "GOLD-/PLATIN-DATENBANK: U 96" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "U96 - Love Religion (viva tv 1994) HD Audio". YouTube. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ "U 96 - Love Religion". YouTube. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Captain Hollywood Project - Flying High (Official Video)". YouTube. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "La Bouche - Be My Lover (Official Video)". YouTube. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Station Reports > VIVA TV/Cologne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 46. 12 November 1994. p. 30. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "U 96 – Love Religion" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "U 96 – Love Religion" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "U 96 – Love Religion" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "U 96 – Love Religion" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: U2 - Utopia".
- ^ ""Love Religion — Remix", Swedish Singles Chart" (in Swedish). Swedishcharts. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop rapports annuels 1995". ultratop.be. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1995" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (U 96; 'Love Religion')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
