"A Little Bit Longer" is a song by the
Jonas Brothers, written and sung by
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
. The song was released as the first promotional single from their
third studio album of the same name.
Background and composition
The title of the album, "A Little Bit Longer", comes from their song of the same name, which
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
wrote about his feelings with having
type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar ...
.
Nick explained his motivations for writing the "life song" about his battle with type 1 diabetes at a press conference Wednesday morning (August 6). "I had a day when my sugar was out of range, and I sat down at the piano and wrote it in 20 minutes," he said. "And it was because I had this strong inspiration. A lot of people have told me it's inspiring." In their book ''Burning Up'', Nick said that he wrote a song about diabetes called "A Little Bit Longer": "I was in Canada shooting ''Camp Rock'', and I was having one of those days where my blood sugar was a little bit out of control. I walked into a banquet room at the hotel where we were staying and saw a baby grand piano. Nobody was in there, so I sat down and began to play. Fifteen minutes later I called everybody into the room to come listen to the song. They all loved it. It was a really great feeling, because I had been feeling so down."
Other uses
A live version of the song was used in 2008 as a B-side of their single "Burnin' Up".
The song was included on their 2009 EP ''iTunes Live from SoHo''. The live version of the song played at SoHo was also featured on the "Fly with Me" EP.
On May 11, 2010 the song formed part of a medley with the song "Black Keys" on the live album ''
Nick Jonas & The Administration Live at the Wiltern January 28th, 2010''.
The song was also a part of the ''
Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience'' movie set list.
Critical reception
Chris Willman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the album a grade of B+ and wrote: "The album really has only one true, through-and-through ballad — the closing title song, a tune Nick wrote about being hospitalized for diabetes, which comes off as surprisingly matter-of-fact and unsentimental. Several more upbeat numbers bear comely choruses that suggest they might have been conceived as ballads, but rather than simply indulge worshipful lasses who'd probably gladly sway their arms to goop, the boys can't help but keep credibly rocking out. For that, Jonas Brothers, the parents of the world salute you...and, possibly, secretly burn copies of their daughters' CDs to play on their way to work."
Live performances
Nick Jonas performed "A Little Bit Longer" for the first time during the Jonas Brothers'
When You Look Me in the Eyes Tour. The performance of the song consisted of Nick Jonas singing the song behind the piano. During the song Nick would often do a short speech about the song, and would finish it with a backing band. It became a feature of every subsequent tour. During the
Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009
The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 was the sixth concert tour and third headlining tour by the Jonas Brothers. It began on May 18, 2009 in Lima, Peru and ended on December 13, 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Jonas Brothers played on multiple c ...
he performed the song in a medley with the song "Black Keys". In 2010 during his time as
Nick Jonas & the Administration
Nick Jonas & the Administration was a band formed in late 2009 as a side project by Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Performers included singer, pianist, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter Nick Jonas, bassist John Fields, drummer Michael Bland, ...
he performed the song in a medley with "Black Keys" as part of their
Who I Am Tour
The Who I Am Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American band Nick Jonas & the Administration, showcasing their debut album, '' Who I Am''. The tour took place in small, intimate venues around the United States. The tour kicked began ...
. In 2011 he performed the song with the Administration; first in a medley with the
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
song "
Yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...
" during their performance at the Cisco Bluesfest in
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, Canada on July 16. On August 13 of the same year he performed during
Musikfest
''Musikfest'' is an American music festival that has been held annually since 1984 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the nation's largest non-gated free music festival. The festival begins on ...
an acoustic version of "A Little Bit Longer" again in a medley with Coldplay's "Yellow" and "It Takes Two" from the musical ''
Hairspray
Hairspray may refer to:
* Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind
* ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters
** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album
** ''Hairspray ...
''. He once again performed the song as a medley with "Yellow" during the
Nick Jonas 2011 Tour, and regularly sang it during the Jonas Brothers'
2012/2013 World Tour. On some dates he performed the song on a guitar. On November 28, 2012 the song was again performed in a medley with "Yellow". The following day, Nick performed the song acoustically in a medley with "Yellow" and the
Rihanna song "
Diamonds
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...
".
On March 3, 2013 the song was performed in Argentina alongside "Diamonds" again.
On July 13, the song was performed as part of the set list of the
Jonas Brothers Live Tour. On July 23, July 25, and July 31, "A Little Bit Longer" and "Black Keys" were both performed in a medley.
On August 3 it was performed in a medley with "
Dear God".
Versions
* "A Little Bit Longer"
(album version) – 3:25
;Other versions
* "A Little Bit Longer"
(''iTunes Live from SoHo'') – 5:47
* "A Little Bit Longer"
(live version) – 8:38
* "Black Keys / A Little Bit Longer"
(live) – 7:16
Personnel
Credits for ''A Little Bit Longer'':
*Nick Jonas – lead vocals, piano
*John Fields – producer
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Bit Longer
Jonas Brothers songs
2008 songs
Songs written by Nick Jonas
Pop ballads
Rock ballads
2000s ballads
Song recordings produced by John Fields (record producer)