Show me love

Even if you weren’t born in 1990 when the track came out, or by 1992 when it was remixed and became a massive hit, chances are you know the words by heart anyway. It’s just one of those ubiquitous tunes that has ground its way into our collective human consciousness… well, I can’t say this for certain about the rest of the world, but definitely here in Ibiza, and in my consciousness anyway. This. Song. Is. Everywhere. Quite a few years ago, I developed a theory about Show Me Love. One that has been proven time and time again over the years. My theory is that no matter where I go in Ibiza, no matter what season, no matter what time of day, no matter what style of venue, I will hear Show Me Love at some point.

Now, it may not always be the original version – in the last 26 years, the track has certainly been mixed, sampled, covered and reworked hundreds, if not thousands of times – but you can guarantee it will reach your ears at some point throughout the day or night. Even back when I first moved to Ibiza, in my mind, Show Me Love was OLD. It was like a golden oldies retro track in my mind even back then, and yet it was blaring out of each and every sound system I encountered. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know it’s a classic anthem and for good reason (catchy hook, jingly melody, addictive snare drum and a good old soul-filled vocal you can sing along to) of course – I just wasn’t expecting it to be everywhere. From the hedonistic terrace of Bora Bora (back when it was actually cool) and the even more iconic terrace at Space Ibiza, to all the little bars in Ibiza’s port, on the boats moored in the Marina, on Ibiza Sonica and Global Radio. Show Me Love was having a resurgence. Well, I thought it was a resurgence at the time, but it’s a resurgence that has never slowed down.

I started to think the track was following me. I would hear it in the most bizarre places. DJs who you’d simply never expect to have that record in their collections would pull it out at the most surprising of moments, to shrieks and cheers of joy from the crowds. I’m talking people like Sven Vath, Marco Carola, DJ Sneak… I mean, you’d expect to hear it at Glitterbox, but at Cocoon? On the terrace at DC-10? Mind blown, every time. I’ve heard a dreamy cosmic version of it by the poolside at Pikes. Come to think of it, I’ve heard it in Sunny’s bathtub Karaoke too. I’ve heard big booming tech house versions at Ushuaïa. I’ve heard typical chillout versions at Café Mambo. I heard it twice at the legendary Space Ibiza final closing party. I heard it at 7Pines Kempinski Ibiza’s opening last week. I’ve already heard it on my car radio today. I’ve heard it on a teensy cove up in the far north of the island. I’ve seen it in kids’ dance recitals. I’ve heard the Lovely Laura play it on saxophone at Ocean Beach (the only time I ever went there!). I’ve heard all kinds of singers perform a live PA of it – though I’ve never seen Robin S herself sing live. What is it about this song that has made it stand the test of time like this? I mean – Robin S and her team of writers and producers are not the Beatles. Or Madonna. Or even Taylor. Hmm, I wonder if Tay-tay has ever sang it live?

But yet 26 years later, the track is still getting daily airplay, to audiences of all ages, from DJs of all genres, in venues of all shapes and sizes. Even in my dreams! It is simply inescapable. I’ve got to be honest… I don’t even think I like it all that much. It’s just been drummed into me so often that I sing along with every listen. Well played Robin S, well played. Some may even say over played… So the second part of my Show Me Love theory is that only way you can avoid hearing the song on a daily basis in Ibiza is if you stay home all day and night and carefully curate your own soundtrack, or in fact, be safe and sit around in silence all day – and even then, what’s to stop someone standing on your front doorstep and blaring it out of their iPhone speakers? Well, I guess you could move to the middle of nowhere in the campo, fence your property in entirely to ensure no random visitors and even then, just to be safe from aliens transmitting it into your home, wear noise cancelling headphones. Even then, no matter how hard you try to protect yourself and your environment – you still run the risk of waking up with the lyrics in your head, just like I did today. And if for some reason you don’t believe my theory? Well, I invite you to come and spend a day with me and find out.