Don't Let Go (Love)

"Don't Let Go (Love)"
Single by En Vogue
from the album Set it Off
Released	October 22, 1996
Format	CD single, Cassette single
Recorded	August 1996
Genre	Pop, urban contemporary
Length	4:52 (Album/Soundtrack Version) 4:04 (Radio Edit)
Writer(s)	Andrea Martin; Ivan Matias; Marqueze Ethridge; Organized Noize
Producer	Organized Noize
En Vogue singles chronology
"Whatta Man" (1993) "Don't Let Go (Love)" (1996) "Whatever" (1997)

"Don't Let Go (Love)" is a 1996 Grammy-nominated single by En Vogue from the Set It Off soundtrack, also appearing on the group's third album, EV3. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over 1,000,000 units. The song was the last single by En Vogue to feature former band member Dawn Robinson (as of April 2008, she has returned to the group). The song became En Vogue's biggest international single, peaking in the top ten of many countries. It hit #5 in the UK in early 1997 and spent thirteen weeks in the UK top forty, eight of those weeks in the top ten. It reached #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (becoming their third #2 hit on the chart). The song was a #1 R&B song for 1 week becoming En Vogue's sixth and final #1 R&B Hit to date. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 127 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".^[1] The song was notable in the 1996 movie Set It Off.

This song compelled Elektra mogul Sylvia Rhone to place En Vogue back in the studio to record their EV3 for release in 1997. However, Dawn felt her solo career and membership in En Vogue were feasible while other members, producers, and executives focused on the new album. Forced to choose, Dawn decided to leave En Vogue for a solo career with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records. The turn of events following the success of Don't Let Go (Love) was the beginning of a long and tumultuous era for En Vogue as member changes became quite frequent.

Music video

A music video was released to promote the single in which they sang in front of an audience in black outfits while some clips of the "Set it Off" movie were inserted. A second video was released using the same footage of En Vogue singing in front of an audience, but the scenes from Set it Off were replaced with images that followed a new storyline. In this version, Mekhi Phifer plays a man who has been secretly dating all four members of En Vogue. The four women find out about each other and confront Phifer's character at a party.

Versions

During promotion of the single, several versions surfaced. The main album version was essentially used for the music video, but with a slightly different ending where Terry Ellis ad libs as the final chorus fades. An edit version which cut out several seconds in the beginning, as well as the instrumental following Cindy's ad libbing towards the end, was mainly spun at radio stations.

In 1997 Don't Let Go (Love) went to number one on the Norwegian top 20 singles chart (VG-Lista Topp 20) and stayed at the top spot for six consecutive weeks. In total it stayed in the top 20 for 16 weeks.

Peak positions Chart (1996–1997) Peak Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 1 U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 2 U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks 16 U.S. 2 Dutch Singles Chart 2 Norwegian Singles Chart 1 Swedish Singles Chart 6 Irish Singles Chart 3 UK Singles Chart 5 Australian ARIA Chart 3

End of year charts End of year chart (1997) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] 7 End of decade charts Chart (1990–1999) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 83

Cover versions

• American Rock band Deepfield covered this song on their debut album, Archetypes and Repetition.

• In 2008 on their Change Tour, the girl group Sugababes performed the song.

• Australian Pop Singer Ricki-Lee Coulter used this song as her audition song when she auditioned for the second season of Australian Idol. Other Australian Idol contestants that have used this song include Season 3's Laura Gissara, who used it for her Top 30 Semi-Final performance song, and Season 3's James Kannis, who used it in the Top 100 Theatre Rounds.

• The song was sampled in the 2009 recording, also titled "Don't Let Go", by British Hip Hop artist Professor Green.

• In 2011, Korean Girlgroup Bella released a Korean-language version of the song as their debut single.

• In 2011 on X Factor band Little Mix performed the song.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award
1997	Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("Don't Let Go (Love)").
1997	Won Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B, Rap or Soul Single by Group, Band or Duo ("Don't Let Go (Love)").
1997	Billboard Music Award nomination for Top Soundtrack Single for "Don't Let Go (Love)"

Sources

1. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/3
2. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1997". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1997. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
3. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. http://books.google.co.kr/books?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&lr&rview=1&pg=RA1-PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved October 15, 2010. 

• Chartpositions: http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=En+Vogue&titel=Don%27t+Let+Go+%28Love%29&cat=s
• Norwegian chart position VG-lista Topp 20: http://lista.vg.no/album_info.php?AlbumOp=show&albumId=1887&albumtype=song&albumtype_id=

See also

• R&B number-one hits of 1997 (USA)
• List of number-one hits in Norway