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)

Rewind: Wu-tang Clan 'Enter the Wu-Tang' (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our look at 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'.

'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F--- Wit' may not be an A-side single, but its one of Wu-Tang's most endearing and well known tracks. The track, produced by the RZA and Method Man, samples the break from Lafayette Afro Rock Band's 'Hihache', the opening break from the Honey Drippers' 'Impeach the President', and elements of Biz Markie's 'Nobody Beats the Biz'. The biggest single from 'Enter the Wu-Tang', maybe the biggest single of the Wu's career, is 'C.R.E.A.M.'. This classic uses a sample of the Stax single 'As Long as I've Got You' by the Charmels, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Don't sleep on that download link, this track has never been easy to come by!



Method Man takes on a track solo for 'Method Man' which samples 'Sport' by Lightnin' Rod (featuring instrumentation by an early Earth, Wind and Fire), 'Sundown' by Gordon Lightfoot, and re-interpolates Hall and Oates' 'Method of Modern Love' from 1984's 'Big Bam Boom'. The Wu's first single, originally released independently but redone for the album, was 'protect Ya Neck' which contains samples of Lowell Fulsom's 'Tramp' and Albert King's 'Cold Feet'. Finally, 'Tearz' samples another Stax 7": Wendy Rene's 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)'.

Wu-Tang Clan, following the release of their debut, became a legacy with more albums as a group and dozens of solo releases from the Wu members. Look for more Wu-Tang Clan associated posts in the future of this blog.

The Lowdown:
Wu-Tang Clan 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F--- Wit', 'C.R.E.A.M.', 'Method Man', 'Protect Ya Neck', and 'Tearz'
from 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' (1993) (MP3/CD)
Lafayette Afro Rock Band 'Hihache'
from 'Soul Makossa' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
The Honey Drippers 'Impeach the President'
from 'Impeach the President' 7" (1973) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Biz Markie 'Nobody Beats the Biz'
from 'Goin' Off' (1988) (MP3/CD)
The Charmels 'As Long As I've Got You'
from 'As Long As I've Got You' 7" (1967) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Lightnin' Rod 'Sport'
from 'Hustler's Convention' (1973) (MP3 not available/CD)
Gordon Lightfoot 'Sundown'
from 'Sundown' (1974) (MP3 not available/CD)
Hall and Oates 'Method of Modern Love'
from 'Big Bam Boom' (1984) (MP3/CD)
Lowell Fulsom 'Tramp'
from 'Tramp' (1967) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Albert King 'Cold Feet'
from 'King of the Blues Guitar' (1969) (MP3/CD)
Wendy Rene 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)'
from 'After Laughter (Comes Tears)' 7" (1964) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Bonus Cuts:
Wu-Tang Clan 'C.R.E.A.M.' (Acapella)