"Love Has No Name" is a song from British-New Zealand electronic dance music group Babble, which was released in 1996 as the sole single from their second and final studio album Ether. The song was written by Alannah Currie (lyrics) and Tom Bailey (music), and was produced by Bailey, Currie and Keith Fernley. It reached number 10 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play chart.[1]

"Love Has No Name"
Single by Babble
from the album Ether
Released1996
Length
  • 5:35 (album version)
  • 3:39 (remix edit)
LabelReprise, Eternal
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Tom Bailey
  • Alannah Currie
  • Keith Fernley
Babble singles chronology
"Beautiful"
(1994)
"Love Has No Name"
(1996)

The song features Teremoana Rapley as guest vocalist. It is the only track on Ether not to feature Bailey or Currie on lead vocals.[2]

Critical reception

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On its release, Larry Flick of Billboard described Babble as an act which "deftly blends electro-pop gloss with gritty dance and world beat rhythms" and praised Rapley as an "enigmatic vocal presence" which "bring[s] the melodramatic pose of a French chanteuse to the song". Flick also praised Todd Terry's house remix and drew comparisons to Terry's remix work on "Missing" by Everything but the Girl.[3] In a review of Ether, Daina Darzin of Cash Box praised the song as "particularly memorable" and noted its "undulating dance beat" and "sensual, Sade-style vocals".[4] Chuck Campbell of the Knoxville News–Sentinel noted it had a "livelier rhythm" than the rest of Ether, but added that the song was "in need of development".[5]

Track listing

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12-inch single (UK and Germany)[6]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze6:32
2."Love Has No Name"Archaeopteryx Dub7:02
3."Love Has No Name"Vita Brevis Mix9:09
4."Love Has No Name"Ars Longa Mix5:34
12-inch promotional single (UK)[7]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze6:32
2."Love Has No Name"Tee's Club6:35
3."Love Has No Name"Vita Brevis Mix9:09
4."Love Has No Name"Ars Longa Mix5:34
12-inch promotional single (US)[8]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze6:32
2."Love Has No Name"Tee's Club6:34
3."Love Has No Name"Bonus Beats3:10
4."Love Has No Name"Jasminder5:29
5."Love Has No Name"Vita Brevis Mix9:09
2x 12-inch promotional single (US)[9]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze6:32
2."Love Has No Name"Tee's Club6:35
3."Love Has No Name"Vita Brevis Mix9:09
4."Love Has No Name"Ars Longa Mix5:34
5."Love Has No Name"Jasminder5:28
6."Love Has No Name"Archaeopteryx Dub7:04
7."Love Has No Name"Remix Edit3:39
8."Love Has No Name"Instrumental6:35
9."Love Has No Name"Bonus Beats3:10
CD single (US)[10]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Album Edit3:40
2."Love Has No Name"Remix Edit3:39
3."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze6:35
4."Love Has No Name"Jasminder5:26
5."Love Has No Name"Vita Brevis Mix9:07
6."Love Has No Name"Tee's Club6:33
7."Love Has No Name"Archaeopteryx Dub7:01
8."Love Has No Name"Ars Longa Mix5:26
CD single (Germany)[11]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Remix Edit3:39
2."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze6:32
3."Love Has No Name"Vita Brevis Mix9:09
4."Love Has No Name"Ars Longa Mix5:34
5."Love Has No Name"Jasminder5:25
6."Love Has No Name"Archaeopteryx Dub7:02
CD promotional single (Europe)[12]
No.TitleNotesLength
1."Love Has No Name"Tee's Freeze - Eternal Radio Edit3:15

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the US double 12-inch vinyl single and the Ether CD booklet.[8][13]

Production

  • Tom Bailey – producer, programming, recording, mixing
  • Alannah Currie – producer, recording, mixing
  • Keith Fernley – producer, engineer, programming, recording, mixing

Remixes

  • Tom Bailey – all remixes except "Remix Edit", "Tee's Freeze" and "Tee's Club"
  • Simon Rycroft – assistant remixer on all remixes except "Remix Edit", "Tee's Freeze" and "Tee's Club"
  • Todd Terry – remixer and additional production on "Remix Edit", "Tee's Freeze" and "Tee's Club"
  • Matthias Heibron – engineer on "Remix Edit", "Tee's Freeze" and "Tee's Club"

Other

  • V8 with Babble – sleeve design
  • Melanie Bridge – photography

Charts

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Chart (1996) Peak
position
UK On a Pop Tip Club Chart (Record Mirror)[14] 35
US Hot Dance Music Club Play (Billboard)[1] 10

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hot Dance Music - Club Play" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 17. 27 April 1996. p. 26. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ Paoletta, Michael (24 February 1996). "Jungle enriches voice of Babble - Reprise act shows spiritual, sedate side on 'Ether'" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 8. p. 28. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ Flick, Larry (17 February 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 7. p. 88. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ Darzin, Daina (30 March 1996). "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 59, no. 29. p. 9. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ Campbell, Chuck (16 February 1996). "Music". Knoxville News–Sentinel. p. 15.
  6. ^ Love Has No Name (UK and German 12-inch single sleeve notes). Babble. Reprise Records. 1996. WO336T, 9362-43682-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Love Has No Name (UK 12-inch promotional single sleeve notes). Babble. Eternal. 1996. SAM 1776.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ a b Love Has No Name (US 12-inch single sleeve notes). Babble. Reprise Records. 1996. 9 43644-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Love Has No Name (US 2x 12-inch promotional single label notes). Babble. Reprise Records. 1996. PRO-A-8070.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Love Has No Name (US CD maxi-single liner notes). Babble. Reprise Records. 1996. 9 43644-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Love Has No Name (German CD maxi-single liner notes). Babble. Eternal. 1996. WO336CD, 9362-43681-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Love Has No Name (European CD promotional single liner notes). Babble. Eternal. 1996. WO336CDDJ.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Ether (US CD album booklet). Babble. Reprise Records. 1996. 9 46012-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Jones, Alan (30 March 1996). "On a Pop Tip Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 27 March 2022 – via World Radio History.