Details
The original version is a soul/disco/gospel track (released in the UK by Streetwave in 1986) written by Anthony B. Stephens, Arnecia Michelle Harris and John Bellamy. It featured an a cappella version utilised by Paul Simpson for a remix of the Adeva song "Musical Freedom" in 1989. The original Candi Staton track had been recorded for a video-only 1980s documentary about an obese man who was trying to lose weight. When approached by The Source, Candi said she couldn't remember having recorded a song called "You Got the Love". It was only later that she realised she had performed the song years earlier for the documentary. The producers of the video had selected the song for her to sing, but as they had no funds to pay her, they donated half of the copyright and publishing to Candi.
The Candi Staton a cappella was originally mixed over an instrumental version of the Frankie Knuckles/Jamie Principle house song "Your Love", (a stripped down version of the 1982 italo-disco track "Feels Good (Carrots and Beets)" by Electra) by John Truelove (later to record as The Source) on his 1989 release 'Love/Rock' on a track titled 'Untitled (You Got The Love / Your Love)'. This bootleg release was a recording of John mixing the two pieces of vinyl together. A more polished version was re-released 2 years later, again by John Truelove, called 'You Got The Love (Erens Bootleg Mix)'. This version was mixed in the studio by Eren Abdullah.
The DJ Eren re-release reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. It was remixed and re-issued in 1996 (including the Now Voyager mix), this time reaching number 3, the song's highest position, and then re-issued again in 2006 with new mixes by the Shapeshifters among others, reaching number 7. The 2006 mix also featured more lyrics than the first two versions.
The "Now Voyager mix" (released in 1996 and 1997) of the track was used on the series finale of the HBO comedy dramedy series Sex and the City "An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux".
The track's new mixes and the inclusion of the track in the show is one factor of its 2006 reissue. The Original Bootleg Radio Mix of the track was also featured in the film Layer Cake in the club where Sidney talks to the film's protagonist as he looks on at Sidney's girlfriend.
In 2007, Manchester Band The Longcut recorded a version as part of their double A-Side release on Melodic Records
"Florence and the Machine" version was released 16 November 2009, from the acclaimed album "Lungs", and is considered to be the song that launched their career. This version of the track was used on the series finale of the CW drama series Gossip Girl "New York, I Love You XOXO".
The song has a clear Christian message: Staton talks of giving up on God, only to discover that He has "got the love I need to see me through", and that "the Saviour's love is real". The theme behind the song is one of uplift and empowerment.
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