My Love Is for Real

Song information

"My Love Is for Real" was written by Abdul and Rhett Lawrence. The song is a fusion of R&B and traditional Middle Eastern instruments and features vocals by Israeli singer Ofra Haza. The single's B-side is the mid-tempo song "Didn't I Say I Love You", written by Elliot Wolf and Stacey Piersa.

The single featured remixes by British dance band Strike, who subsequently recorded and released their own version of "My Love Is for Real" featuring singer Victoria Newton. Their version of the song became a UK Clubs Dance Top 10 hit.

Music video

The music video, directed by Michael Haussman, features Middle Eastern inspired imagery with Abdul appearing as the head mistress of a harem. The video received two MTV Video Music Award nominations: Best Dance Video and Best Choreography in a Video.

Chart performance

"My Love Is for Real" was intended to be a comeback single for Abdul who had not released an album since 1991's triple platinum Spellbound. The single was not as successful as Abdul's previous releases and peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song fared better on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart where it reached the #1 position.

The single was moderately successful internationally. It peaked at #3 in Canada, #7 in Australia, was a Top 20 hit in New Zealand and peaked at #28 in the U.K. In other European and Asian countries, the single mostly charted in the bottom Top 50.

Formats and track listings

U.S. 12" single

1. "My Love Is for Real" (E-Smoove's Fever Mix)
2. "My Love Is for Real" (Strike's Pink Wig Dub)
3. "My Love Is for Real" (Downtempo Club Dub)
4. "My love is for real" (Strike's Straight Up There Mix)
5. "My love is for real" (E-Smoove's Fever 7" Edit)
6. " Didn't I Say I Love You"

U.S. 5" CD single

1. "My Love Is for Real" (Radio edit)
2. "Didn't I Say I Love You"
3. "My Love Is for Real" (LP version)
4. "My Love Is for Real" (R&B Remix)

Official remixes