Life (Haddaway song)

"Life" (known as "Life (Everybody Needs Somebody to Love)" in the US) is a song recorded by the Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway. It was released on November 5, 1993 as the second single from his debut album, "The Album". It was written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan (Dieter Lünstedt a.k.a. Tony Hendrik) and Junior Torello. The song peaked at number-one in Finland, Greece, Israel, Spain and Sweden. And within the top 5 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Life" reached the top spot. Another CD maxi were produced at the end of that year containing new remixes (one of them was made by Bass Bumpers). By March 1994, "Life" had sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.
Critical reception.
AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis complimented Haddaway's "passionate, urgent delivery" on the song. Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote that "although there is no denying the stylistic similarity to Haddaway's huge "What Is Love", this single gains its own strength through a fun, sing-along chorus and warmly upbeat lyrics. Added pleasure comes from Haddaway's assured voice." He also stated that it "does have a chorus that instantly sticks to the brain". Dave Sholin from the "Gavin Report" commented that the singer "delivers an early Christmas present. "Life..." comes complete with a melody as compelling as his debut smash, "What Is Love." "Kingston Informer" called it "brilliant". "Music & Media" said that "variations on a theme have always been bona fide recording tricks and subsequently Life will be What Is Love? Part II." Alan Jones from "Music Week" gave it 4 out of 5, describing it as "a bouncy, commercial Euro-house track which will have little appeal to club cognoscenti but will delight the mainstream audience." He added, "It won't be as big as What Is Love? (few records are) but should safely reach the Top 10." James Hamilton from the magazine's "RM" Dance Update deemed it a "simple Teutonic pop bounder". John Kilgo from "The Network Forty" wrote that "Life" is "familiar in sound" to his debut single and noted further that "this tune will research phenomenally, following in the heels of its predecessor." "Reading Evening Post" said it "provides strong evidence to suggest that Haddaway won't be a one-hit wonder", adding that "he sounds like Seal".
Chart performance.
"Life" managed to make an impact on the charts on several continents, becoming a major hit. It went to number-one in Finland, Greece, Spain and Sweden as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In addition, the single reached the Top 5 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 6 on October 3, 1993, after three weeks on the UK Singles Chart. It stayed at that position for two weeks. Outside Europe, "Life" reached number-one also in Israel and on the Canadian "RPM" Dance/Urban Chart, number 5 on the US "Billboard" Hot Dance Club Play, number 14 in Zimbabwe, number 15 on the Canadian Singles Chart and number 41 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The song was awarded with a gold record in Austria and Sweden, with a sale of 15,000 and 10,000 singles sold. In Germany, it received a platinum record for 500,000 units sold.
Music video.
The music video of "Life" was partly inspired by the German 1927 movie "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang. Haddaway plays a scientist and inventor, like Rotwang in the movie. He designs a dancing robot, the Maschinenmensch, shaped like a woman. He tries to give life to it and manages to transform it into a real woman. They dance to the rhythm, with the woman following Haddaway's movements. In the end, he takes off her helmet. She then opens her eyes and he kisses her. The video was uploaded to YouTube in August 2012. As of August 2020, it has got more than 13 million views.
Track listings.
CD maxi
Cassette single
CD maxi – Remixes
Charts and sales.
Weekly charts.
1 Remix version