Love Revolution (Will Young song)

"Love Revolution" is a song by British singer Will Young. It was written by Young and Kish Mauve members Mima Stilwell and Jim Elliott for his sixth studio album 85% Proof (2015), while production was helmed by the latter. The song features lyrics and melody from the song "Share the Love," written by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin, which was originally released on Martin's Arista Records debut album The Best of Me in 1998 and later re-worked into the track "Loneliness" by German DJ Tomcraft. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Matias and Martin are also credited as songwriters. Released by Island Records as the album's first single on 30 March 2015, it reached number 103 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Love Revolution"
Single by Will Young
from the album 85% Proof
Released27 March 2015
Length2:58 (radio edit)
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jim Eliot
Will Young singles chronology
"I Just Want a Lover"
(2012)
"Love Revolution"
(2015)
"Like a River"
(2015)

Background edit

"Love Revolution" was written by Young and Kish Mauve members Mima Stilwell and Jim Elliott, while production was helmed by the latter.[1] The song features lyrics and melody from the song "Loneliness" by German DJ Tomcraft which in turn samples from the song "Share the Love," originally and written by Ivan Matias and Andrea Martin for Martin's Arista Records debut album The Best of Me (1998).[1] Commenting on the sample, Young said: "I didn't set out to do any samples, it's all about the music, if something comes up that works in the song, then it works in the song [...] It's a great track, it came about because Jim Eliot, who does the music from Kish Mauve, came back and said "look I've flipped the track completely and we can do this" – and I said "that's awesome"."[2]

Critical reception edit

Idolator editor Robbie Daw felt that the song "pulls its influences from Motown, Northern Soul and legendary funk band Sly And The Family Stone, and allows for Will to completely cut loose, vocally. Like Adele, Mark Ronson and Sam Smith, we can now chalk Will Young up as another British artist currently steering clear of radio’s pure pop sound."[3] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian described the song as "get-happy R&B clappiness."[4] Mark Goggin from The Gay UK found that "Love Revolution" "throws us a funkier sound that we haven't seen from [Young] in a while, slightly nodding back to the soulful elements of his 2005 album Keep On [...] Much less Euro dance though, I'm afraid, but much more summer soul that will get you dancing around your garden in no time at all."[5]

Music video edit

A video for "Love Revolution" was directed by Chino Moya and premiered on Young's Vevo channel on 30 March 2015. The clip depicts Young as a "grinning, evangelical" salesman trying to shift his faceless Love Revolution products to his "brain-dead followers."[5][2]

Credits and personnel edit

  • Jim Eliot – producer, writer
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering engineer
  • Andrea Martin – writer (sample)
  • Ivan Matias – writer (sample)
  • Mark Rankin – mixing engineer
  • Mima Stilwell – writer
  • Will Young – vocals, writer

Charts edit

Chart performance for "Love Revolution"
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[6] 31
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[7] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 103

Release history edit

Release history for "Love Revolution"
Region Date Label Format Ref(s)
Various 27 March 2015 Island [9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b 85% Proof (UK CD album booklet). Will Young. Island Records. 2002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b Jones, Rhian (22 May 2015). "Will Young interview: 'I'm not angry any more, I'd love to sit down with Simon Cowell, interview him on radio'". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  3. ^ Daw, Robbie (27 March 2015). "Will Young Goes For Soul With "Love Revolution": Listen To The '85% Proof' Single". Idolator.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (21 May 2015). "Will Young: 85% Proof review – ballads of silvery regret and loss". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b Goggin, Mark (17 April 2015). "SINGLE REVIEW: Will Young – Love Revolution". thegayuk.com. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Will Young – Love Revolution" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Will Young – Love Revolution" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  8. ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 6.06.2015 (wk22)". zobbel.de. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Will Young – Love Revolution". Spotify. Retrieved 18 January 2023.