You're the Greatest Lover

Infobox Single
Name = You're the Greatest Lover


Artist = Luv'
from Album = With Luv'
B-side = Everybody's Shakin' Hands On Broadway
Released = July 1978
Format = 7" Vinyl Single
Recorded = 1978
Genre = Pop
Length = 2:50
Label = Philips Records/Phonogram Records
Writer = Hans van Hemert and Piet Souer (a.k.a Janschen & Janschens)
Producer = Hans van Hemert
Last single = "U.O.Me (Theme from Waldolala"
(1978)
This single = "You're the Greatest Lover"
(1978)
Next single = "Trojan Horse"
(1978)

You're the Greatest Lover is the fourth single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in the summer of 1978 by Philips Records. It appears on the 1978 debut album, With Luv' and is Luv's international breakthrough as it was a successful chart topper in a large part of Continental Europe and South Africa. Luv' reached its peak with this million seller. This song is often considered as the signature song of the female pop act.

ong history

After the success of U.O.Me in the Benelux, Luv's producers noticed that the uptempo and light pop/disco arrangements were more appropriate for the girl formation than a more serious repertoire (like the trio's first singles). That's why, they composed You're the Greatest Lover which became a big selling record as it topped the charts in a dozen of countries. This track was the first of a string of international hit singles. It reached the first position in some countries in Continental Europe. It was a moderate hit in France (where it was entitled Sing Me, Sing Me A Chanson to adapt the French market) and succeeded in being a Top 20 hit in South Africa. A Spanish version (entitled Eres Mi Mejor Amante) was recorded, which permitted Luv' to have a minor hit in Spain.
Because Luv' performed "The Greatest Lover" in two famous German TV music shows ( Disco and Musikladen), the female pop trio became a household group in German speaking countries. 600 000 units of the single were sold only in Germany. The song was also used for the soundtrack of the fifty fourth (or in other words) the second episode of the sixth season (entitled Anschlag auf Bruno) of Derrick (TV series) [ [http://www.derrick-fanclub.de/filmmusik.htm Music Tracklisting of Derrick episodes] ] .

The song was also used over the credits of a 1979 German sex comedy film called "Sunnyboy und Sugarbaby", which received a lot of late-night airplay in the early days of HBO under its English-language title, "She's 19 and Ready".

Cover versions

* In 1978, Ulla Norden covered the song in German as Wir Sind Verrückt (Wir Beide).
* In 1979, Jonathan King recorded a cover version of Luv's hit that reached the 67th position of the UK Singles Charts [ [http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=8324 Details about "You're the Greatest Lover" by Jonathan King in the UK Singles Charts ] ] .
*Irish pop group Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions had a top 10 hit with this song in the Irish Charts in 1979. [http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement]
* In 1980, British group Brotherhood of Man recorded a version of the song for their "Good Fortune" album.
* An East German sister duet, Die Molly Sisters, sang a German version entitled He, hallo, du bist ein Mann geworden.
* In 1999, Kristina Bach sang a Schlager version of "The Greatest Lover" (entitled Hey, ich such' hier nicht den größten Lover).
* In 2000, a dance music oriented cover by Loona renamed "Latino Lover" [ [http://www.loona.com Loona's official website] ] was a hit single in German speaking countries (#6 and gold single (250 000 units sold) in Germany, #9 in Austria and #6 in Switerzland in 2000).

* A German industrial band Massiv in Mensch proposed an electro version in 2004.
* In 2005, the version of "The Greatest Lover" by the Flemish dance group Swoop peaked at #25 on the Ultratop singles charts in Flanders.

Charts & certifications

You're the Greatest Lover was a #1 hit single in the Netherlands, in Flanders (Belgium), in Germany, in Switzerland and Denmark. It peaked at #2 in Austria, #15 in South Africa and #37 in France.

References