Source Material: Dawn Penn 'You Don't Love Me'

One of reggae's sureshot anthems is Dawn Penn's 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)'. What isn't as widely known is the song's past - this post will trace the history of 'You Don't Love Me', from its roots in blues music through its revival in dancehall, and its sample usage in the modern day.

The song's first appearance is attributed to Bo Diddley under the title 'She's Fine, She's Mine' from 1955. Other blues variations of the song include Clarence Edwards, Cornelius Edwards, and Butch Cage's 'You Don't Love Me' from 1959, Willie Cobbs' 'You Don't Love Me' from 1961, and Junior Wells' 'You Don't Love Me Baby'. Stax blueser Albert King covered 'You Don't Love Me' from his 1968 album 'Years Gone By' and a year later Ike and Tina Turner covered the song, titled 'You Don't Love Me (Yes I Know)', for their ultra-funky 1969 album 'Hunter'.

Dawn Penn's original version of 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)' was released in 1967, though most dancehall fans will know the 1995 remake of the song, also titled 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)'. Another notable version on the 'No, No, No' riddim is Big Youth's 1973 hit 'Screaming Target' from his album of the same title. Since the 1995 version, 'No, No, No' has become a must have for DJs inside and outside of dancehall. The song has been covered and sampled many times, including Melaaz's remarkable 1998 French language version titled 'Non Non Non' and Eve's less remarkable 'No, No, No' produced by Stephen Marley from her 2001 album 'Scorpion'. In 2005, Rihanna covered 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)' with Vybz Kartel on her dancehall inflected debut album 'Music of the Sun'.


The Lowdown:
Bo Diddley 'She's Fine, She's Mine'
from 'She's Fine, She's Mine' 10" (1955) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Clarence Edwards, Cornelius Edwards, and Butch Cage 'You Don't Love Me'
from 'Country Negro Jam Sessions' (1959) (MP3/CD)
Willie Cobbs 'You Don't Love Me'
from 'You Don't Love Me' 7" (1961) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Junior Wells 'You Don't Love Me Baby'
from 'Hoodoo Man Blues' (1964) (MP3/CD)
Albert King 'You Don't Love Me'
from 'Years Gone By' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Ike and Tina Turner 'You Don't Love Me (Yes I Know)'
from 'Hunter' (1969) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Dawn Penn 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)'
from 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)' 7" (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Dawn Penn 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)' (1995 Version)
from 'No No No' (1995) (MP3/CD not available)
Big Youth 'Screaming Target'
from 'Screaming Target' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Melaaz 'Non Non Non'
from 'Melaaz' (1998) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Eve 'No, No, No'
from 'Scorpion' (2001) (MP3/CD)
Clean Edit: 'No, No, No'
Rihanna 'You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)'
from 'Music of the Sun'(2005) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Pull Up: Drum Song Riddim (Dawn Penn appearance)

Pull Up: Stalag Riddim

For the first post in this blog's section dedicated to dancehall, I chose to devote a two post arc about the Stalag Riddim (concluding next post with Sister Nancy's influence on hip-hop). The Stalag Riddim is, possibly, the most used dancehall riddim with well over a hundred versions over its 30 year lifetime. The origin of the Stalag Riddim is 1973's 'Stalag 17' by the Techniques, produced by Winston Riley.

The bulk of the classic dancehall songs recorded on the Stalag Riddim are from the early 80s, including two of the most recognizable dancehall singles of all time: 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm'. 'Bam Bam' from Sister Nancy's 1982 album 'One, Two' (which is full of classics) is a sure-fire party starter and a popular sample source for 90s hip-hop. Similarly, Tenor Saw's immortal 'Ring the Alarm' is one of dancehall's most played singles.

Not as widely known as 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm', but a giant hit in Jamaica, is Big Youth's 'All Nations Bow' from 1982's The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style'. One of my personal favorite versions on the Stalag Riddim is 'Love is the Light' by dancehall veteran and Massive Attack co-conspirator Horace Andy. Andy's vocals are fit for almost any riddim, but they work wonderfully on this track.

The Lowdown:
The Techniques 'Stalag 17'
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam'
from 'One, Two' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Tenor Saw 'Ring the Alarm'
Big Youth 'All Nations Bow'
from 'The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Horace Andy 'Love is the Light'