The song was covered by English
indie rock band
Florence and the Machine as "'''You've Got the Love'
" and released as the fifth single from their debut album, Lungs (2009). It was first released on 1 December 2008 as the B-side to their second single "Dog Days Are Over". It was then later released as a digital download only single on 5 January 2009 in the United Kingdom only, after the mass praise it received during the release of "Dog Days Are Over". After being released before Lungs'' was finally recorded and released, it was later featured on the album as its bonus track. The single was given a re-release on physical format on 16 November 2009 in the United Kingdom. For the reissue a
music video was shot.
Background The track, which is significantly shorter than the original, was produced by Charlie Hugall, who also produced three other tracks on
Lungs. Hugall was also involved in the bass and percussion development of the song. The track features Isabella Summers on piano, Christopher Lloyd Hayden on drums, Tom Moth on harp, Rob Ackroyd on guitar and Florence Welch on vocals. Florence Welch explained her inspiration behind covering "one of her favourite songs ever": As a kid, going to clubs and raves, this song made me feel love. At Bestival last year we were top of the bill on that stage, so we were thinking of an amazing cover we could do, and I thought of
Candi Staton. Even in rehearsals, playing it was just the most euphoric feeling. Then playing it live and seeing everyone's arms in the air, and the faces – it was the best feeling ever! I was dressed as a genie sea-monster, and I remember looking at my guitarist as we played the first chords, and then there was the reaction and it was like tearing ourselves open and just exploding on the crowd, and then all did it back. It's a feeling you couldn't express. I'm really excited that now in our live shows I'm going to be playing one of my favourite songs ever, loads. "You've Got the Love" is a fan favourite of the band and has been played at numerous festivals around the United Kingdom during 2008 and 2009. Including the Bestival,
Glastonbury, Way Out West,
Brighton, Electric Picnic,
Leeds, Smash & Grab and with an acoustic version being performed at a festival in
Reading. It's also been performed Live In Ibiza on
BBC Radio 1 and at the BBC Live Big Weekend. Florence also made a guest appearance during
the xx's 2010
Glastonbury Festival performance, where they played their remix of the track. In 2013, a
children's choir rendition of the song was used in
TV spots for
Coca-Cola. At Bestival 2014, Candi Staton performed the song live in a duet with Florence and the Machine.
Critical reception "You've Got the Love" received positive reviews who notably commented on the song in reviews of "Dog Days Are Over".
MusicOMH commented on the song by saying that "Following with her tradition of some finely chosen cover versions, there's even an excellent rendition of The Source's You Got the Love." Altsounds.com reviewed the track, writing, "You've Got the Love" is a standard pop number that does something in a non-standard fashion – it isn't afraid of looking at its simplistic melodic hooks and accepting it with a touch of lyrical honesty and contemplative imprint."
Contactmusic.com also commented on the song by saying that "The B-side cover of
The Source ft.
Candi Staton's "You Got the Love" is equally strong." Dailymusicguide.com also positively reviewed the single, writing, "Florence + The Machine have used the format of the original remix but have certainly breathed new life into this old classic. With Florence Welch's distinctive voice she makes this song her own. The inclusion of a harp only adds to the gentle sway effect produced by the track, bursting gently in without malice at around eighteen seconds in. The song's lyrics are empowering: Florence's heavenly voice has a vulnerable quality which, as it has with relatively short career so far, grows stronger through You've Got The Love's verse and chorus. It's empowering, liberating and moving all at the same time, not least conveyed by the emotion in Welch's vocals. Rating: 4/5"
Commercial performance Upon its original release, "You've Got the Love" reached number 158 on the
UK Singles Chart. The song later re-entered the chart at number 124 and moved up to number 68 in the next week's chart. The following week it fell to number 75 before dropping out of the top 100. It then re-entered the chart, two weeks later on 22 August 2009 at number 59, where it peaked before dropping out the top 100 again. Its re-entry pattern then continued when it re-entered three weeks later on 12 September 2009 at number 88. The song peaked at number 16, after the single's actual release in 2009. It spent a total of eight weeks within the top 100, longer than both previous singles "
Kiss with a Fist" and "
Dog Days Are Over". In November 2009,
BBC Sport used the song at the end of the
Formula 1 coverage of the
2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (and the whole
2009 season) for a season review video which covered highlights of all 17 races that were held that year. On 3 January 2010, "You've Got the Love" climbed 18 places to a new peak of number 13 on the UK Singles Chart after its use in the last episode of
Gavin & Stacey on 1 January 2010. One week later, on 10 January 2010, the song peaked at number five in its 34th week on the chart, becoming the band's first top-10 single. Following their Brit performance in February 2010, "You've Got the Love" climbed to number 12, just missing out on the Top 10. It has spent 30 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. As of June 2018, the song has sold over 1.8 million combined sales/streams in that country. On 8 January 2010, "You've Got the Love" climbed up the
Irish Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number 21, whereas before it had only reached number 30. After falling out of the chart, on 26 February 2010, "You've Got the Love" re-entered the Irish chart, reaching a new peak of number 16. In January, "You've got the Love" entered the Australian singles
ARIA Charts at number 50, and remained within the top 50 for a large amount of time. In February and March, it was consistently increasing positions, where it eventually reached a peak of number 30. Due to popular television shows like
Domestic Blitz and
MasterChef Australia using it in commercials, the song rapidly climbed to number 17, on 4 April, and to its highest peak of number nine on 11 April. It hasn't been released as a physical single, and has relied solely on digital sales, where it has peaked at number five. In New Zealand the single began receiving mainstream radio airplay causing it to rise to 50 on the airplay chart, however, the airplay has since dropped.
Music video Despite originally being released as a single almost nine months earlier, the band announced on 18 September 2009 that a
music video would be made for the song and would be shot on 21 September 2009 in London. It features Welch in a white, sparkly leotard dancing on a large moon-shaped platform suspended over a nightclub, an homage to
Studio 54. The video later shows many people beneath her dancing to the song. The video that aired on United Kingdom television has a different version of the song to the one on the album.
Track listings •
Original release • "You've Got the Love" – 2:58 •
UK CD single • "You've Got the Love" – 2:49 • "You've Got the Love" – 7:51 • "
Addicted to Love" – 3:20 •
UK 7" single • "You've Got the Love" – 2:40 • "You've Got the Love" – 5:36 •
Digital EP • "You've Got the Love" – 2:48 • "You've Got the Love" – 7:53 • "You've Got the Love" – 6:21 • "You've Got the Love" – 3:45
Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications =="You Got the Dirtee Love"==