"Love 'Em All" is a song recorded by American singer

K. Michelle Kimberly Michelle Pate (born March 4, 1982) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She is most known from VH1's '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' and after appearing as a regular cast member for two seasons on the reality televi ...

from the second studio album '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' (2014). It was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the record on September 16, 2014, through

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. "Love 'Em All" was written by Michelle and

Bianca Atterberry Bianca Deiandra "Blush" Atterberry is an American songwriter and producer. Atterberry has co-written for Demi Lovato, Blackpink, K. Michelle, Mary J. Blige, Macy Gray, and Meghan Trainor, among others. In 2021, Atterberry co-wrote Demi Lovato s ...

and composed by B.A.M.,

Lil' Ronnie Lil' Ronnie (born Ronnie Jackson) is an American record producer from Kansas City, Missouri and Atlanta, Georgia, who has produced tracks for artists R. Kelly, T.I., Bow Wow, Britney Spears T-Pain, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Reuben Studda ...

and

Shea Taylor Robert "Shea" Taylor is a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. He established an early successful songwriting partnership with Def Jam's R&B singer-songwriter phenom Ne-Yo, and has also worked with Rihanna, Beyoncé ...

. Taylor co-produced the single with Lil' Ronnie and B.A.M. A

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

and R&B

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, its lyrics are about sexuality and a woman pursuing multiple relationships. Michelle said that "Love 'Em All" is a response to Chris Brown's 2013 single " Loyal".

Critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

responded positively to "Love 'Em All", and it peaked at numbers 26 and 35 on the

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

and

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

''Billboard'' charts, respectively. An accompanying video, released on November 3, 2014, features Michelle dancing with a chair and singing on a throne. Michelle also promoted "Love 'Em All" through live performances. Atlantic also released remixes of the single, including one featuring American rapper Jeezy.

Recording and release

"Love 'Em All" was written by Kimberly Michelle Pate, and

. It was composed by B.A.M.,

and

. Taylor co-produced the single with Lil' Ronnie and B.A.M. and played the instruments. Atterberry produced the song's vocals, which were recorded by C Travis Kr8ts.

released "Love 'Em All" on September 16, 2014 as the

from Michelle's second studio album '' Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'' (2014). To precede the song's release, Michelle held a livestream on

Google Chat Google Chat (formerly known as Hangouts Chat) is a communication service developed by Google. Initially designed for teams and business environments, it has since been made available for general consumers. It provides direct message, group co ...

. https://twitter.com/kmichelle/status/511696554227294208 Describing her debut album '' Rebellious Soul'' (2013) as "a glorified mixtape" due to her "angry and aggressive" approach, Michelle said that she recorded "Love 'Em All" to pursue a "new vibe" and act "innovative and progressive". Prior to its release, she posted a preview on her Instagram account. A remix with an additional verse from Jeezy was released on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

. Kevin Goddard of HotNewHipHop described the remix as "adding some hip-hop flavor to the grungy love ballad", and wrote that Jeezy rapped with "braggadocious rhymes and slick analogies for the streets". The remix was not included on the album. On March 10, 2015, additional remixes by Redondo and Toyboy & Robin was made available on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

Composition and lyrics

"Love 'Em All" is a

and R&B

that lasts four minutes and five seconds. The instrumental includes "pounding drums", and Emily Tan of ''

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'' interpreted the composition as containing a "driving beat". BuzzFeed's Alex Naidus identified Michelle's vocals as "brassy ndwailing". With lyrics revolving around sexuality and a woman "playing the field", "Love 'Em All" is a response to Chris Brown's 2013 single " Loyal". Michelle said that the single was based on the line "these bitches ain't loyal", and explained that she wanted to make "a record that basically said what most women do but they won’t say".

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

described "Love 'Em All" as a "heartbreaker anthem". The song opens with Michelle narrating: "They say I move too fast / Going man to man / Always holding a new hand.” She sings about her relationships in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

: 'Cause they think I love 'em / But I love 'em all / I need another one to get over the other one.” Other lyrics include: “I broke another heart today / And I didn’t care, I just walked away / ‘Cause they think I love ’em, but I love ’em all.”

Reception

"Love 'Em All" received primarily positive reviews from music critics. Mike Wass of

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

praised it as a "killer lead single", and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's Andy Kellman selected it as one of the album's highlights. Kevin Apaza of

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felt that it would be successful on

rhythmic radio Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses h ...

, and commended it as "an anthem for many women". ''Vibe'''s

Michael Arceneaux Michael Arceneaux (born April 12, 1984) is an American writer. He is the author of the 2018 essay collection '' I Can't Date Jesus'', a ''New York Times'' bestselling book. His second book is titled ''I Don't Want to Die Poor'' (2020). Early l ...

praised the single, along with the album track "Judge Me" as "the best introduction to the K. Michelle of 2014". Alex Naidus and DJ JusMusic of

Singersroom Singersroom is an online music magazine devoted to news, reviews, interviews, music, videos, lifestyle and fashion trends on R&B and urban-pop culture. Owned by MusicLife Entertainment Group, it has an audience of more than 500,000 readers per ...

included "Love 'Em All" on their lists of the best R&B releases of 2014. In a more negative review, ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

''' Devone Jones criticized the song as "good enough despite the boring lyrics". While he felt its opening set up an expectation for "a beautiful rock ballad", Jones wrote that it "just becomes another typical R&B song that isn’t a car crash". Commercially, "Love 'Em All" peaked at 26 and 35 on the

and

''Billboard'' charts, respectively.

Music video and promotion

On November 3, 2014, the single's accompanying music video debuted on VH1. It was shown after the debut of Michelle's

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

'' K. Michelle: My Life''. It was uploaded on the singer's

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account on the same day. Dressed in a sparkling leotard, Michelle dances with a chair; she appears alongside a group of back-up dancers in a room full of black mannequins. The singer is also seen singing while sitting on a throne. A writer for '' Rap-Up'' praised it as "her fiercest video yet". Comparing Michelle's choreography to that in Britney Spears' music video for her 2000 single " Stronger", Kevin Apaza responded positively to the visual's "sexy treatment". As February 2, 2015, the video received over 7 million views on YouTube. Michelle also promoted "Love 'Em All" through live performances. On December 12, 2014, she performed it on ''

Big Morning Buzz Live ''Big Morning Buzz Live'' is a live daily morning news and pop culture talk show on VH1 that premiered on May 9, 2011, and aired its last episode on June 5, 2015. Broadcast weekday mornings and hosted by Nick Lachey, the show featured entertain ...

''. Rahsheeda Ali responded positively to Michelle's performance, writing that she "sounded amazing". She sang "Love 'Em All" as part of her 2015 My Twisted Mind Tour. The song was also included on the setlist for her 2016 Hello Kimberly Tour. Joey Guerra of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

'' praised her performance as "an early highlight" of the show, and described it as "a stunning display of poise and power".

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits were adapted from the liner notes from ''Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart?'': * Kimberly Pate – lyricist * Bianca Atterberry – lyricist, vocal production * Shea Taylor –production, music, instrumentation * B.A.M. – co-production, music * Ronnie "Lil Ronnie" Jackson – co-production, music * C Travis Kr8ts – recording * Jaycen Joshua – mixing * Maddox Chhim – mixing assistantance * Ryan Kaul – mixing assistantance * David Kutch – mastering

Charts

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control K. Michelle songs 2010s ballads 2014 singles 2014 songs American pop rock songs Answer songs Atlantic Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs with feminist themes Songs written by K. Michelle Songs written by Shea Taylor Song recordings produced by Shea Taylor Songs written by Bianca Atterberry