Rock My Heart

Last updated

"Rock My Heart"
Rock my heart.jpg
Single by Haddaway
from the album The Album
ReleasedMarch 1994
Genre
Length3:57
Label Coconut
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dee Dee Halligan
  • Junior Torello
Haddaway singles chronology
"I Miss You"
(1993)
"Rock My Heart"
(1994)
"Stir It Up"
(1994)
Music video
"Rock My Heart" on YouTube

"Rock My Heart" is a song by Trinidadian-German musician Haddaway, released in March 1994 by Coconut Records as the fourth and final single from his debut album, The Album (1993). It was written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan and Junior Torello. Like the previous single "I Miss You", the song was a hit in several countries, particularly in the UK, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Ireland and Belgium, where it reached the top 10. "Rock My Heart" shot into the Eurochart Hot 100 at number 17 on 9 April 1994 and peaked at seven four weeks later. Its accompanying music video featured Haddaway in a desert-like setting, and received heavy rotation on European music television channels.

Contents

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis noted that "Rock My Heart" "shine just as brightly" as "What Is Love" and "Life". [3] A reviewer from Billboard magazine deemed the song "among the most potent offerings" from the Haddaway-album. [4] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Escorted by his steady female background singers, Haddaway bounces like a pinball wizard on a synthesiser trampoline." [5] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it a score of four out of five, saying, "This busy bounder is more akin to the happy house style of 'What Is Love' and 'Life', though with some Cappella-like synth phrases. As with all Haddaway songs, it's more contagious than the common cold." [1]

Dele Fadele from NME felt it "is not a patch" on "What Is Love", remarking that the rhythm "sports some 2 Unlimited lifts", and concluding that "you get the feeling that he'll be around to bother you for a while yet." [6] The Reading Evening Post called the song "effervescent", adding that it "should follow his others into the charts". They also wrote that "he undeniably has a way with this sort of repetitive Euro synth pop." [2] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update named it a "typically cheesy 130bpm Euro galloper" in his weekly dance column. [7]

Chart performance

"Rock My Heart" entered the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the single peaked at number nine on 10 April 1994, [8] during its third week on the UK Singles Chart, spending two weeks at that position. On the Music Week Dance Singles chart, it reached number eight. Additionally, it was a top-20 hit in Austria, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. In Italy, the song was a top 30 hit, peaking at number 21. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Rock My Heart" climbed to number seven in May 1994, after having debuted as number 17 on the chart. It also reached number seven on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart, number 25 on the US Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart, number 43 in New Zealand and number 83 in Australia.

Airplay

"Rock My Heart" entered the European airplay chart Border Breakers at number 16 on 26 March 1994 due to crossover airplay in West Central-, West-, North West- and South-Europe. It peaked at the third position on 23 April. [9]

Music video

The music video for "Rock My Heart" features Haddaway in a desert-like setting along with backing singer Natascha Wright, who has also worked with DJ BoBo and La Bouche. She appears like a tall tree-like creature with her hair looking like twigs. In between, dancers painted in gold and silver performs. Haddaway also performs choreography with them in some scenes. The video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA. [10] [11]

Track listings

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
EuropeMarch 1994Coconut
United Kingdom21 March 1994
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
Logic [42]

References

  1. 1 2 Jones, Alan (19 March 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles" (PDF). Music Week . p. 12. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Haddaway Rock My Heart". Reading Evening Post . 25 March 1994. page 48.
  3. Promis, Jose F. "Haddaway – The Album". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  4. (December 1993). "Haddaway – Haddaway". Billboard .
  5. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 13. 26 March 1994. p. 7. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  6. Fadele, Dele (2 April 1994). "Singles". NME . p. 42. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  7. Hamilton, James (19 March 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 7. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  9. Holt, Karen (19 November 1994). "Border Breakers: Monitoring The Impact Of Euro Talent" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 47. p. 20. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  10. "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 17. 23 April 1994. p. 29. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  11. "Station Reports > VIVA TV/Cologne" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 17. 23 April 1994. p. 29. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  12. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 07 Aug 1994". ARIA . Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  13. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  14. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  15. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2545." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  17. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 20. 14 May 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  18. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 19. 7 May 1994. p. 11.
  19. "Hits of the World: Finland". Billboard . Vol. 106, no. 17. 23 April 1994. p. 47. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  20. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  21. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  22. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (28 April 1994 – 4 May 1994)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 28 April 1994. p. 20. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  23. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rock My Heart". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  24. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 1 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Haddaway".
  25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Haddaway" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  26. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  27. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart". Top 40 Singles.
  28. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  29. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  30. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart". Singles Top 100.
  31. "Haddaway – Rock My Heart". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week . 16 April 1994. p. 24. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  33. "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 2 April 1994. p. 22. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  34. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 26 March 1994. p. 8. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  35. Billboard AllMusic.com (Retrieved 9 September 2008)
  36. "Jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  37. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  38. "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  39. "Single top 100 over 1994" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  40. "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  41. "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week . 14 January 1995. p. 9.
  42. "Single Releases". Music Week . 19 March 1994. p. 21.