(I Wanna Give You) Devotion
"(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" is a song by the English electronic group Nomad. The track was a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1991, where it reached number 2. In the US, it reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in June 1991 and stayed there for one week.[1] The song also reached number-one in Greece. In November 2011, MTV Dance placed "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" at number 32 in their list of The 100 Biggest 90s Dance Anthems Of All Time.[2]
"(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" | ||||
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Single by Nomad featuring MC Mikee Freedom | ||||
from the album Changing Cabins | ||||
Released | 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Genre | Hip house | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Damon Rochefort | |||
Nomad singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" on YouTube |
Background and release
The track was produced by Damon Rochefort, who also shares writing credits with fellow Nomad member Steve McCutcheon and rapper MC Mikee Freedom. It also quotes from the earlier club hit "Devotion" by Ten City. Although Freedom and singer Sharon Dee Clarke were the featured artists on this track when it was released in the United Kingdom and other territories (even though Freedom was the only one to get his name credited), they were listed as uncredited in the US single version up until the act's full-length CD Changing Cabins was released Stateside in the autumn of 1991. Both artists were featured in the video for the track, which had them dressed in body paint while they were performing the song at a rave concert.
The song is notable for being the first song that Steve Mac ever wrote.[3] When asked about the track and its success in an April 2010 interview, Mac said:
It was a real accident. I just remember struggling to get the drums right - I didn’t really know how to work the sequencer properly. I didn’t have that much knowledge of what I was doing, and I think if I had then it wouldn’t have been as good a track. I love the naiveté of what I was doing back then, and I miss that a little bit now.[3]
In addition to the rap version, there is also a Soul Mix version that features Clarke's vocal performance without the rap. Both versions along with the Italo house version are included on the Changing Cabins CD.
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Stewart Mason described the song as a "terrific dance club staple" and noted further that singer Sharon Dee Clarke has a "soulful, expressive voice", and writer/programmer Damon Rochefort gives the whole thing a "perky, bouncy feel".[4] David Taylor-Wilson from Bay Area Reporter said it is "extremely enticing", complimenting Clarke's vocals as "superb".[5] Billboard stated that the song recently topped dance charts "thanks to Sharon Dee Clark's belting vocals and Damon Rochefort's savvy beat and melody construction."[6] Another editor, Larry Flick complimented its "contagious melody, a slammin' groove, and a well-timed trade-off between rapid male rapping and diva-styled femme singing."[7] Pop Rescue wrote that "it's audience cheers as Sharon declares that she wants 'to give you devotion' before that familiar bassy synth follows and she lets out that unmistakeable 'heeee-eee-hooo-oooo' piece. Rapper MC Mikee Freedom joins in, in what is a great example of early 1990s chart rap – somewhat slower and devoid of the sexual violence that you'd expect in most rap now."[8] Johnny Dee from Smash Hits noted the track as "utterlly brill" in his review of Changing Cabins.[9]
Chart performance
"(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" went on becoming a major hit on the charts in Europe, peaking at number-one in Greece. In the United Kingdom, it reached number 2 in its seventh week at the UK Singles Chart, on February 17, 1991.[10] The song was held off the top spot by The Simpsons' "Do the Bartman". It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it hit number 6. Outside Europe, "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in the US, number 3 on the RPM Dance/Urban Chart in Canada and number 37 in Australia. It earned a silver record in the UK, with a sale of 200,000 singles.
Music video
The music video of "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" was directed by Jerome Redfarn.[11]
Track listings
- 12" CD (UK)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (6:42)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Instrumental Mix) (6:42)
- Sang - Froid (3:32)
- 12" Maxi CD (UK/US)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (7" Mix) (4:09)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Original Mix) (6:46)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Instrumental) (6:37)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Soul Mix) (5:00)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (The Joey Negro Mix) (6:48)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Rock Shock Mix) (6:39)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Trouble's Club Mix) (6:41)
- (I Wanna Give You) Devotion (Trouble's Underground Club Mix) (6:37)
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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References
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 190.
- MTV Dance, Tuesday 2011-12-27
- "Interview With Steve Mac". HitQuarters. April 12, 2010. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- "Nomad - Changing Cabins". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- Taylor-Wilson, David (1991-08-15). "The Beat". Bay Area Reporter. p. 39. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
- "Album Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. 1991-09-07. p. 66. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
- Flick, Larry (1991-05-25). "Single Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. p. 67. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
- "REVIEW: "CHANGING CABINS" BY NOMAD (CD, 1991)". Pop Rescue. 1991-11-04. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- "Review: LPs". Smash Hits. No. 328. 1991-06-26. p. 46. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100 17 February 1991 - 23 February 1991". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
- "Nomad (I wanna give you) Devotion". mvdbase.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
- "Australian-charts.com – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Austriancharts.at – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 1590." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Top 10 Greece" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- Radio Luxembourg Singles, 10 February 1991
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 13, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Swisscharts.com – Nomad feat. MC Mikee Freedom – (I Wanna Give You) Devotion". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 2 February 1991. p. xii. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "RPM Dance Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 51–52. 21 December 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 11 January 1992. p. 20.
- "British single certifications – Nomad – Devotion". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 April 2020.