Dawn Penn has joined the short list of female Jamaican artists with solo singles surpassing sales of 500,000 units in the US. On the cusp of the 30th anniversary of the most beloved rendition of her hit “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No),” produced by Steely and Clevie, the song has sold 511,000 equivalent units in streams and sales in the US, according to data provided to WMV by Luminate.
Of that amount, Luminate confirmed exclusively with WMV that as of February 7, 2024, 90,000 pure copies of the Big Beat release were sold, along with 58.7 million official US streams. It is now eligible for Gold Certification in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The only other female Jamaican artist to be certified Gold with solo single in the US is Diana King with “Shy Guy,”(1995 Columbia Records.)
“You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” released on February 17, 1994, is the title track for her debut album and has been sampled by a range of pop artists including Alicia Keys, Stephen Marley, Eve, Rihanna, Ghostface Killah, Usher, and others.
Recently, “No, No, No” was prominently featured on the soundtrack of the movie “The Color Purple” in the song “Hell No Reprise,” which features Fantasia Barrino, Shenseea, and Missy Elliot.
The version produced by Steely and Clevie, released in February 1994, reached No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in April 1994 and entered the UK Charts at No. 9 before climbing to No. 3.
On May 13, 2022, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the song as Gold after surpassing 400,000 copies sold in the UK. Penn’s musical legacy also includes a dubplate version of the song, often used by sound system selectors in clashes.
Last week Calvin Klien released their menswear campaign featuring Idris Elbra walking down the street while the song is being played in the background.
Dawn penned the heartfelt reggae lyrics of “You Don’t Love Me ( No, No, No)” and credit is given to Willie Cobbs and Bo Diddley as the lyrics were an interpolation from Cobbs 1961 track “You Don’t Love Me.”
She told the Sunday Gleaner seven years ago that, “The lyrics came about because I was in love like everyone else and had a broken heart in the process.”
Reflecting on the journey of the song, saying the initial recording of “You Don’t Love Me” in 1967 had an error, “Mr Dodd made me re-record it in 1968. He told me at the 35th anniversary for Studio One in the music business that he found it in his archives.”
Twenty-two years later, the song was revisited in 1990 for producer King Jammy, then in 1992 for Trojan, and in 1993 for Steely and Clevie. The fourth attempt proved to be the charm, with Penn noting, “Steely and Clevie were asked by Mr. Dodd to do an album project for Heartbeat, celebrating Studio One’s 35 years in the music industry.”
The song debuted on the Hot 100 the week of February 26, 1994 and remained on the chart for 12 weeks. Other reggae infused songs on the chart at the time was Big Mountain’s “Baby I Love Your Way,” Ace Of Base‘s “All That She Wants” and “The Sign” at No. 2 which eventually peaked at No. 1.
Penn reflected on the song’s other chart success, stating, It entered the UK Charts at number nine and went to number three.”
Recalling the Studio One recording sessions, Penn highlighted the contributions of notable musicians such as Tommy McCook, Johnny Moore, Lloyd Brevett, Roland Alphonso, Lloyd Knibb, and Jackie Mittoo. She noted a structural difference between the original Studio One version and the 1993 rendition by Steelie and Clevie.
While the pain remains Penn’s, she acknowledged, “In fact, eight people said they wrote the song when it became a hit.” Despite the song’s origin, it holds a special place in Penn’s heart, as she expressed, “My favorite recording of the many that I have done would be my signature track, ‘You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No).'”
