"Luv Me, Luv Me" is a song by Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy. It was first released in 1998 with Janet Jackson credited as a featured artist. The song was re-recorded in 2000 with Samantha Cole's vocals after Jackson's label withheld the song from being included on Shaggy's next album. It was released in 2001 as the third official single from his 2000 album Hot Shot.
The song "Luv Me, Luv Me" was originally recorded in 1998 as a duet between Janet Jackson and Shaggy, to be featured on the motion picture soundtrack to How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998). The song originally sampled "Impeach The President" (1973) by The Honey Drippers,[1] with the chorus of Rose Royce's "Ooh Boy" sung by Jackson ("Ooh, boy, I love you so; never, ever gonna let you go…once I get my hands on you" and "…I hope you feel the same way, too"). The music video features Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King, Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs, stars of the film, making cameos. Shaggy later described working with Jackson as "the worst experience of his musical career", claiming she "didn't want to cooperate" and was "a complete nightmare".[2] The version of the song with Janet Jackson was ultimately released with the How Stella Got Her Groove Back soundtrack. However, when Shaggy announced he wanted to include the track on his subsequent studio album, which would eventually be titled Hot Shot (2000), Jackson's label, Virgin Records, withheld the rights to her vocals, essentially nullifying the track for inclusion on Shaggy's album;[3] ultimately, Shaggy would go on to re-record the song, as he wanted to include it on the record, albeit with new vocals by Samantha Cole. It was Cole's version that was included on Hot Shot and was released to radio stations as a single. Although the version featuring Janet Jackson did receive some initial airplay in 1998, it was later shelved for Cole's version, but later included on Shaggy's greatest hits album, Mr. Lover Lover – The Best of Shaggy... Part 1 (2002).
Billboard changed their chart policies near the end of 1998, allowing tracks without a commercial release to chart and rank within their system. This resulted in "Luv Me, Luv Me" debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1998 due to airplay alone. However, despite its popularity, the song only peaked at No. 76 in the US, ending Janet Jackson's record-breaking streak of 18 consecutive top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the song was a hit, reaching No. 4 in Belgium and Ireland, No. 5 in the UK, and No. 10 in Australia, along with the Top 40 or Top 20 of several other countries.
