Show Me Love — Robin S.
A flop in 1990, a hit in 1993: how StoneBridge kept only the vocal and the kick drum, found an organ preset on a Korg M1 and remade Show Me Love.
- Written and produced by Allen George and Fred McFarlane; first released by Champion in 1990.
- Swedish producer StoneBridge remixed it in 1992, rebuilding it around a Korg M1 organ sound.
- The remix reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 in the UK in 1993.
“Show Me Love” by Robin S. is a record that failed first. Champion released the original in 1990 and almost nobody noticed. Two years later a Swedish DJ stripped it down to a vocal, a kick drum and one organ riff, and that version became one of the best-known house records ever made.
A 1990 flop
Allen George and Fred McFarlane wrote and produced the song. Andrea Martin sang the demo; Robin S. (Robin Jackson Maynard), who came from R&B and pop, was not comfortable with its tempo. Champion Records released it in the UK on 13 October 1990, credited to Robin Stone. Billboard described an uptempo funk track with saxophone and piano. It was a commercial failure.
StoneBridge and the Korg M1
In 1992 the Swedish DJ and producer StoneBridge contacted Champion looking for songs to remix and suggested this one. The label rejected his first attempt because it kept too much of the original. For the second, he kept only the vocal and the kick drum. For the bassline he switched his Korg M1 to the next preset, an organ sound, and built the riff on it. Two critics later compared the tone to a xylophone. StoneBridge received no writing credit.
The remix came out in Europe, the US and Japan. Record executive Joey Carvello licensed it to Atlantic in the US.
The 1993 hit
Champion re-released the single in the UK on 4 January 1993. It entered at No. 66 and climbed to No. 6 in April. In the US it topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart in May 1993 and reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June, rare territory for a house record at the time, selling about 600,000 copies. StoneBridge only realised it was a hit months later, when he saw it on Top of the Pops during a visit to London. The song also became the title track of Robin S.’s debut album, Show Me Love (1993).
Samples, remakes and rankings
The riff never went away. Steve Angello of Swedish House Mafia and Laidback Luke made a new version with Robin S. re-recording her vocals; released in December 2008, it reached No. 11 in the UK and topped the UK dance chart in 2009. Sam Feldt’s version with Kimberly Anne reached No. 4 in the UK in 2015. Jason Derulo, Kid Ink, Charli XCX and Beyoncé, on “Break My Soul”, have all borrowed from it; Maynard called Beyoncé’s use “one of the highest compliments ever.”
Rolling Stone placed it at No. 9 in its 200 greatest dance songs of all time in 2022, and Billboard ranked it ninth in its own list in 2025.
In the mix
The StoneBridge mix still works at peak time: the organ riff cuts through any system, and the vocal arrives when the floor is already moving. For more vocal house from the same years, dig into “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters and “Free” by Ultra Naté.
FAQ
Who remixed Show Me Love by Robin S.?
Swedish DJ and producer StoneBridge, in 1992. His remix, not the 1990 original, became the hit.
What synth makes the Show Me Love sound?
A Korg M1. StoneBridge moved from a bass sound to the next preset, an organ, and built the riff on it.
Who wrote Show Me Love?
Allen George and Fred McFarlane, who also produced the original. Andrea Martin sang the demo.
Which songs sample Show Me Love?
Among others, Jason Derulo’s “Don’t Wanna Go Home” (2011), Kid Ink’s “Show Me” (2013), Charli XCX’s “Used to Know Me” and Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” (both 2022).
