En Vogue

Released: September 21, 1993

Songwriter: Denzil Foster Thomas McElroy

Producer: Denzil Foster Thomas McElroy

[Intro]
Mhm, oh oh oh
Ooh ooh, oh oh oh oh

[Verse 1: Maxine Jones & Cindy Herron]
There's a question with so many answers
No one knows them all, oh
No high powered scholar high paid by the hour
Could come up with answers to this complex question

[Chorus: En Vogue & (Maxine)]
What is love? (I gotta know)
What is love? (I just gotta know, yeah)
What is love? (I gotta know)
What is love? (Oh oh oh oh)

[Post-Chorus: En Vogue]
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)

[Verse 2: Maxine Jones & Cindy Herron]
How is that we can make mass destruction
With one single bomb, oh oh
But can't find a solution to one simple problem
That's troubled us all, oh, oh-ho
Why is that we can make smart computers
That think for themselves, oh
But can't make a computer to match lonely people
With one thing in common, to fall in love with each other

[Chorus: En Vogue, Maxine, Cindy]
What is love? (I gotta know)
What is love? (Really gotta know, yeah)
What is love? (Oh, I wanna know)
What is love? (Hey hey hey hey hey)

[Post-Chorus: En Vogue]
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)

[Verse 3: Maxine Jones & Cindy Herron]
Maybe one day they'll make up a word
Which sums up the word love, yeah
That won't be so complex and fits in with the rest
But for now we are stuck with this word and no love

[Chorus: En Vogue, Maxine, Cindy]
What is love? (I gotta know)
What is love? (Won't somebody tell me so, yeah)
What is love? (I gotta know)
What is love? (Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh)

What is love? (I gotta know, I want to know)
What is love? (Somebody, somebody tell me so)
What is love? (I wanna know)
What is love? (I, I, I wanna know now)

[Post-Chorus: En Vogue]
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)

[Break]

[Outro: En Vogue]
What is it? (What is it?)
Love
What is it?
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)
Love (Love)
What is it? (What is it?)

Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, Maxine Jones, and Dawn Robinson are the original members of the R&B girl group En Vogue. The group was put together by producers Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster after a talent search in Oakland, California in 1989. Their debut album Born to Sing was released in 1990 and featured the #1 R&B hits “You Don’t Have To Worry,” “Lies,” and their platinum debut single “Hold On,” which also peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a Billboard and Soul Train Music Award. Their 1992 follow-up album Funky Divas hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on its way to triple platinum status. The lead single, “My Lovin' (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” helped propel that success as it hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also featured the #1 R&B hit cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” as well as the Top 10 pop single “Free Your Mind.”

In 1993, they released the EP Runaway Love and made appearances on the TV shows In Living Color, Roc and A Different World. In 1994, they collaborated with Salt-N-Pepa on their Top 3 platinum single “Whatta Man” and in 1996 they contributed to the Set It Off soundtrack with their hit single “Don’t Let Go (Love)” which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the R&B Singles chart.

While working on their third album, Dawn Robinson decided to leave the group due to issues with management. The group decided to go on as a trio and released their third platinum album EV3 in 1997 featuring the Top 10 R&B/Top 20 pop hit “Whatever,” which was produced and co-written by Babyface. They went on to release three more albums—Masterpiece Theatre in 2000, The Gift of Christmas in 2002, and Soul Flower in 2004. During that time, Maxine Jones left the group in 2001 and was replaced by Amanda Cole, and Cole was later replaced in 2003 by Rhona Bennett. While the original four members have reunited for performances throughout the years, the current lineup consists of Herron, Ellis, and Bennett, and they released the single “Déjà Vu” in 2016 and released their album Electric Café in 2018.

more tracks from the album

Runaway Love (EP)

From the album

Runaway Love (EP) (1993)

En Vogue popular songs

What Is Love (Club Remix)En Vogue

En Vogue

Runaway Love (EP)