Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)

"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" is a song by British dance act Sub Sub. It was released as a single in March 1993 and features Temper Temper's Melanie Williams on vocals. In the music video, Jimi Goodwin plays bass, Jez Williams plays keyboards and percussion, and Andy Williams plays keytar. This song was the act's biggest single, reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Chart and becoming one of many dance singles in 1993 to cross over into mainstream popularity in the UK.[1] After struggling to repeat the success of the single, and after a fire destroyed the band's Ancoats studio in 1996, the group eventually reformed with a radically different sound as Doves in 1998.[1]

"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)"
Single by Sub Sub featuring Melanie Williams
from the album Full Fathom Five
Released29 March 1993 (1993-03-29)
Recorded1992
Genre
Length
  • 2:47 (radio edit)
  • 5:17 (original mix)
LabelRob's Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Sub Sub
Sub Sub singles chronology
"Coast EP"
(1992)		 "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)"
(1993)		 "Respect"
(1994)
Music video
"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" on YouTube

Background and release

Twin brothers Andy and Jez used to go to a fair when they were kids. One day Andy won a record there. They brought it home and played it, but didn't like it. The record was put away. In 1991, after Sub Sub had a hit with "Space Face" they wanted to make a follow-up to it. They spent time searching for the right sample they could use in the new song. Then Jez put the forgotten record from the fair on. It was "Good Morning Starshine" by Revelation. Jimi learned to play the bassline on a Roland Juno-106 keyboard, and the whole track came together quickly.

"I made a pact years ago that I would never complain about the song – however many times I had to sing it – or get upset about people not knowing other things that I’ve done, because it was such a privilege to be a part of."

—Melanie Williams talking about the song.[2]

There is also another well-known sample on there, but it has never been officially known what it is, only that it is a sound, rather than a song.[2] The band had only done instrumental and wanted to find someone to sing lyrics to their melody. Jimi's best friend, Joe Roberts, was dating singer Melanie Williams from the soul band Temper Temper at that time. They contacted her and she thought it was perfect. Williams also wrote the third verse for the song. The track was then recorded at Revolution Studios in Manchester. Sub Sub's manager Dave Rofe, Rob's Records' Pete Robinson and North South's promoter Karen Hampton were targeting BBC Radio 1 and taste-making DJ Pete Tong to give the song a listen. He got right behind it and it spread like wildfire through Radio 1.[3] The band and Williams also performed the song on the British music chart television programme Top of the Pops after they was the highest new entry at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The single sold in 700,000 copies and peaked at number 3 in April 1993.

Critical reception

Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger described "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" as a "excellent" and "tune-heavy, hands-high dance-pop".[4] Katrine Ring from Gaffa said "it is almost like hearing Deelite. Grooovey!"[5] Australian music channel Max placed the song at number 604 in their list of 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2012.[6] Music & Media wrote that "the arrangements are smoothly funky and combined with a voice that soothes like honey and rings like a bell, you can feel that real party enthusiasm which is so reminiscent of late '70s disco."[7]

Chart performance

"Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" proved to be quite successful on the charts on several continents. It managed to climb into the Top 5 in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 3 in its third week at the UK Singles Chart, on April 18, 1993.[8] The single spent six weeks inside the UK Top 10. It was a Top 20 hit in Ireland and the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it hit number 11 in May 1993. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" was also a hit in Belgium, where it went to number 47. Outside Europe, it charted in Australia and Israel, peaking at number 11 and 23. The single earned a silver record in the UK, after 200,000 units were sold there.

Track listings

CD (CDROB9):

  1. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Radio Edit) – 2:47
  2. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Original Mix) – 5:17
  3. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Parkside Mix) – 7:46
  4. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (On the House Mix) – 6:29

7" vinyl (7ROB9):

  1. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Radio Edit) – 2:47
  2. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Original Mix) – 5:17

12" vinyl (12ROB9):

  1. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Original Mix) – 5:17
  2. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Parkside Mix) – 7:46
  3. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (Parkside Raw Dub) – 6:00

On Remixes 12" vinyl (12ROB9R):

  1. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (On the Floor Mix)
  2. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (On the House Mix)
  3. "Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (On Yer Face Mix)

Charts and certifications

Usage in media

The song was featured in the 1997 American film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion but was not featured on the soundtrack album.

References
  1. Petridis, Alexis (2002-04-17). "Where did it all go right?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  2. Welch, Andy (18 June 2019). "How we made Sub Sub's Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. "No Substitute For Know-How" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 20. 15 May 1993. p. 14. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  4. "D:REAM – "Things Can Only Get Better"". Freaky Trigger. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. "Groove". Gaffa (in Danish). 1 September 1993. p. 12. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  6. "TOP 1000 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME – 2012". Max. 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  7. "No Substitute For Know-How" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 20. 15 May 1993. p. 14. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  8. "Official Singles Chart Top 75 18 April 1993 - 24 April 1993". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  9. "Australian-charts.com – Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams – Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  10. "Ultratop.be – Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams – Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 1 May 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 38, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams – Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  16. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  17. "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  18. "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
  19. "British single certifications – Sub Sub – Ain't No Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
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