The Woman I Love (song)
| "The Woman I Love" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"The Woman I Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz. It was released as the third official single from his fourth studio album, Love Is a Four Letter Word (2012), on February 4, 2013. It was written by Mraz and David Hodges, and produced by Joe Chiccarelli. "The Woman I Love" is a pop rock ballad, with country pop influences and talks about reminding a woman of how special she is, expressing unconditional love, commitment and faithfulness.
Background and release
After his activist outings during 2010-2011, Mraz felt inspired to write an album and told that it was based around the theme of love.[1] However, he realized that the fundamentals of making "an album about love" took some time and hard work. "I thought it would be pretty easy as a songwriter to always write through a filter of love," Mraz told Jam! Canoe.[2] "But the challenges at first were trying to write songs about love from the heart that weren't cheesy. What I learned quickly was that when a song was cheesy, it usually just came from the mind. It usually came from the craft of songwriting which anyone can do. So what I needed was experience, things that were going to rip my heart open to show me what I'm made of."[2]
"The Woman I Love" was released as the third single from "Love Is a Four Letter Word" on February 4, 2013, on iTunes. The single includes the "Original Version" of the song and its music video.[3]
Composition
"The Woman I Love" was written by Jason Mraz and David Hodges, while production was handled by Joe Chiccarelli.[4] It is a pop rock song with country pop influences.[5] "With my hand behind you, I will catch you if you fall. Yeah, I’m gonna love you like the woman I love," he sings.[5] Lyrically, it acknowledges that any relationship has occasional annoyances, but these aren't enough to prompt Mraz to give up on it.[6]
Mraz further explained the track, in a "track-by-track" commentary for Billboard:
"I try to keep my music gender neutral, but this is obvious, its called 'The Woman I Love,' but I'd like to dedicate to the men in the relationships because every so often the woman forgets her own greatness and she goes a little bat sh-- crazy sometimes. So its up to the other half to love that person back into the person we know them to be. That's basically what this song's about."[7]
Critical and commercial reception
The song received mixed reviews from music critics. Bill Lamb of About.com called it "forgettable," writing that Mraz "let the slick pop of 'The Woman I Love' play gently in the background, but their impact quickly fades."[8] Nikita Ramkissoon of Times LIVE called its lyrics, "quite silly and soppy."[9]
"The Woman I Love" debuted on the Gaon Chart at number 13, selling 1,663,688 copies. In its second week, it fell to number 21, selling 1,111,172 copies. In its third week, it fell to number 31, selling 857,840. In its fourth week, the song only fell to number 35, with sales of 622,396 copies. In a month, it sold over 4 million copies only in South Korea.[10]
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Elliott Sellers with graphics by Blend Studios, and was released on February 4, 2013. The video is the result of an unprecedented online contest where Twitter users were invited to answer the question, "What does 'The Woman I Love' mean to you?." More than 10,000 responses followed, tweeted, in 140 characters or less. The best of those submissions were then used to inspire the storyboarding and overall video concept. Users whose ideas are featured in "The Woman I Love" are credited by Twitter handle. [11]
Track listing
- Digital download[3]
- "The Woman I Love" – 3:10
Chart performance
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (GAON)[12] | 59 |
References
- ^ Lipshut, Jason (April 14, 2012). "Jason Mraz Is Focusing on Green Issues With New Album". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
- ^ a b MacNeil, Jason (April 17, 2012). "Mraz faces darker side on 'Love'". Jam! Canoe. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ a b "iTunes - Music - The Woman I Love - Single by Jason Mraz". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ Love is a Four Letter Word (Media notes). Atlantic Records. 2012.
{{cite AV media notes}}:|format=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|artist=ignored (|others=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "ALBUM REVIEW: JASON MRAZ – LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD". Kim the Fan Girl. April 24, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ "Jason Mraz | Love is a Four Letter Word | Album Review | Plugged In". Plugged In. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ Benjamin, Jeff (April 16, 2012). "Jason Mraz, 'Love Is a Four Letter Word': Video Track-By-Track". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
- ^ Lamb, Bill. "Review: Jason Mraz - Love Is a Four Letter Word". About.com. New York Times Company. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
- ^ Nikita, Ramkissoon (June 8, 2012). "Album review: Jason Mraz - 'Love is a Four Letter Word'". Times LIVE. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: April 15, 2012 to April 21, 2012)". Gaon Chart. 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|Week=ignored (help) - ^ "WATCH 'THE WOMAN I LOVE' MUSIC VIDEO NOW!". Jason Mraz. February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Gaon Chart)". Gaon Chart. Retrieved 04 May 2013.
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