100% Pure Love

"100% Pure Love" is a 1994 single recorded by American singer and songwriter Crystal Waters from her second studio album, Storyteller (1994). It was released on May 10, 1994 as the album's lead single. The song was a hit in many countries, reaching the top 20 in Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was certified Platinum in Australia and Gold in the US. Australian music channel Max placed the song at number 698 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.[1] In 2017, BuzzFeed ranked it at number 9 in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s".[2]

"100% Pure Love"
Single by Crystal Waters
from the album Storyteller
ReleasedMay 10, 1994
Recorded1993
Genre
Length4:40
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
  • Crystal Waters
  • Teddy Douglas
  • Thomas Davis
  • Jay Steinhour
Producer(s)
  • Teddy Douglas
  • Jay Steinhour
Crystal Waters singles chronology
"Makin' Happy"
(1991)		 "100% Pure Love"
(1994)		 "Ghetto Day/What I Need"
(1994)
Music video
"100% Pure Love" on YouTube

Background and release

The song is inspired by her relationship at the time. The singer says she chose the stylings of the song as a reaction to the popularity of gangsta rap during the mid-1990s in the United States.[3]

Looking to write a positive song, she sent an early draft to her production team Basement Boys who "hated the hook" but "loved the verses." Originally the song was built on the lyrics, "the beat goes boom," before she went back to the drawing board and considered the reasons she was writing the song in the first place. "From the back to the middle and around again, I'm going to be there 'til the end, 100% pure love," emerged as the next draft and became the lyrics in the completed version of the song.[3]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "the enigmatic voice behind the 1991 smash 'Gypsy Woman' returns with a percussive pop/dance twirler from her new 'Storyteller' opus. Though it seemed impossible to come up with a hook as catchy as 'la-da-di, la-di-da', Waters and cohorts the Basement Boys have done exactly that, and wrapped it with dramatic strings and butt shagging cowbells."[4] Anderson Jones from Entertainment Weekly stated that "the hip-swaying infectious grooves" of "100% Pure Love" "can't be denied."[5] Bradley Stern from Idolator noted that the song is "armed with a real subtle earworm of a chorus", calling it a "campy house anthem".[6] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty said it is "100% fierce!"[7] Orla Swift from Record-Journal described it as a "bright, dynamic number" that is "displaying a knack both for catchy melodies and innovative arrangements".[8] Eddie B. Allen Jr. from Toledo Blade noted that the song is the "most forceful" of the dance singles on the album.[9]

Chart performance

The single reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 38 on the US R&B chart. It spent a total of 45 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming one of the longest charting singles in the US to date. The song won a Billboard Music Award for Top-Selling Hot Dance Music Club Play Single at the 1994 Billboard Music Awards. The song was certified Gold in the United States.[10] In Europe, it managed to climb into the Top 20 in Finland, the Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single peaked at number 15 in its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on April 24, 1994.[11] Additionally, it was a Top 30 hit in Austria and Iceland, and a Top 40 hit in Belgium and Germany. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "100% Pure Love" hit number 49, but on the European Dance Radio Chart, it peaked at number-one.

The song proved to be most popular in Australia. It first entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 40 on June 26, 1994, then reached number three three weeks later. On July 31, the song reached its peak position of number two, behind Wet Wet Wet's runaway hit "Love Is All Around".[12] It dropped to number three the next week, then spent four more weeks at that position before falling to number four on September 11. Afterwards, it remained in the chart for a further seven weeks before dropping out of the top 50 on November 6. It finished 1994 as Australia's 11th best-selling single, the second best-selling number-two hit of the year behind Bon Jovi's "Always".[13] It has since received a Platinum certification from ARIA for sales exceeding 70,000 copies.

Music video

The music video, directed by Matthew Rolston and choreographed by Michael K. Williams (who later went on to star as Omar Little on The Wire), was also nominated for Best Dance Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. It was uploaded to YouTube in October 2009. By September 2020, the video had more than 15.9 million views.[14]

Track listings

CD-Maxi[15]

  1. "100% Pure Love" (Radio Mix) – 3:06
  2. "100% Pure Love" (Club Mix) – 8:04
  3. "100% Pure Love" (Gumbo Mix) – 5:22

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "TOP 1000 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME – 2011". Max. 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  3. Glitterbox Ibiza (June 14, 2017), Glitterbox Radio Show 011: w/ Crystal Waters, retrieved August 29, 2017
  4. "Billboard: Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  5. Jones, Anderson (May 20, 1994). "Storyteller". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  6. Stern, Bradley (November 20, 2014). "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews with Ace of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)". Idolator. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. May 6, 1994. p. 26. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  8. "Off the Record". Record-Journal. April 15, 1994. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  9. "SOUNDS: "STORYTELLER" Crystal Waters". Toledo Blade. July 3, 1994. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  10. "American single certifications – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 14, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 24 April 1994 - 30 April 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  12. "Single Top 50 31/07/1994". Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  13. "1994 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  14. "Crystal Waters - 100% Pure Love (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  15. "Crystal Waters - 100% Pure Love (Song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  16. "Australian-charts.com – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  17. "Austriancharts.at – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2627." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  20. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2512." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  21. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. May 7, 1994. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  22. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. May 14, 1994. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  23. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  25. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 20.01.1994 – 26.01.1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  26. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – 100% Pure Love". Irish Singles Chart.
  27. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  28. "Dutchcharts.nl – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  29. "Charts.nz – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". Top 40 Singles.
  30. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  31. "Swisscharts.com – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  33. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  34. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  35. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  36. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  37. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  38. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  39. "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. October 15, 1994. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  40. "Top 50 Dance Tracks on 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  41. "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  42. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  43. "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  44. "Billboard Top 100 – 1995". Retrieved August 27, 2010.
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