"Love Me Like You" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released through

Syco Music Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music relea ...

and Columbia Records, as the second single from the group's third studio album, ''

Get Weird ''Get Weird'' is the third studio album released by British girl group Little Mix, on 6 November 2015, through Syco Music and Columbia Records. The group began work on a previous album before it was scrapped in 2014, with only a few tracks makin ...

'' (2015). It was produced by Steve Mac, who co-wrote the song with

Iain James Iain James Farquharson, more commonly known as Iain James or Sparx, is a British singer, songwriter and vocal producer from Bristol, but based in London. He started as part of the British boyband Triple 8 in 2003 as their lead singer and known ...

Camille Purcell Camille Angelina Purcell, known professionally as Kamille (stylised KAMILLE), is an English singer, songwriter, producer and record label owner. Personal life and career beginnings Camille took part in many school productions and plays and st ...

and James Newman. "Love Me Like You" is a pop song with a down-tempo retro homage to doo-wop, with lyrics about

puppy love Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by someone's looks and attractiveness at first sight. Such feelings f ...

. The song received positive reviews from critics who praised its vintage style and highlighted it as an album standout. It charted at number eleven on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and charted in eight other countries including Australia, Ireland, and Japan. The song was performed by the group at the Royal Variety in 2015. The song received renewed attention in 2022 after becoming viral on the video-sharing social platform,

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version o ...

Background and release

"Love Me Like You" was written by Steve Mac,

and James Newman for Little Mix's third studio album, ''

'' (2015). It was published by Rokstone Music Ltd. under exclusive licence to BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd; Kobalt Music Group; Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Black Butter Music Publishing and BMG Rights Management. The song was produced by Mac and mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

. It was engineered for mixing by John Hanes and engineered by Chris Laws and Dann Pursey, and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

by Tom Coyne and Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in New York. The track was recorded at Rokstone Studios in London. Purcell also provided background vocals. The keyboards were performed by Mac, and the guitars were played by Paul Gendler. Laws and Pursey performed the drums and the percussion, respectively. The group announced on 9 September 2015 that "Love Me Like You" would be the second single to be released from the album, and that it would be made available to pre-order on 11 September, and be released on 25 September. It was released by

Syco Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2005 through So ...

and Columbia in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 25 September 2015."Love Me Like You" was released as a single in Ireland and the UK on 25 September 2015: * * The single's artwork was released on the same day. In their review, MTV News joked that the group were suggesting that it would be number-one due to each of the band members eyeline, writing "We can't help but get the hint they're on the hunt for ANOTHER chart topping trophy. Leigh-Anne clearly thinks she can see it in the distance, Jesy is just imagining it with her brain, Jade definitely thinks she can hear the noise of records being sold and Perrie is convinced it's on the floor." '' M'' magazine writer Heather Thompson described the artwork as "vibrant". A collection of alternate versions called "Love Me Like You (The Collection)" was also released in Australia and New Zealand in addition to Ireland and the United Kingdom on 16 October 2015. It consists of a Christmas mix, several remixes and an instrumental version of "Love Me Like You", an exclusive interview and another album track called "Lightning"."Love Me like You (The Collection)" was released in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and UK on 16 October 2015: * * * *

Composition

"Love Me Like You" has been described as a down-tempo "ode to '60s doo-wop" retro style pop song, which lasts for a duration of three minutes, seventeen seconds. The song is composed in the key of

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable composi ...

using

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

and a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 106

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

. Instrumentation is provided by "vintage" pianos, bells and a "pumping" tenor sax. The use of percussion gives the a track a more modern style. During the track, the band members vocal range spans one octave, from the low note of D₄ to the high note of E₅. The song opens with the group harmonising "Sha la la la" over pianos. The lyrics are about

, as they yearningly sing "Last night I lay in bed so blue / Cause' I realized the truth/ They can't love me like you / I tried to find somebody new / Baby they ain't got a clue/ Can't love me like you." Fuse writer Jeff Benjamin described the song as being reminiscent of 1960s girl group

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

but with a more modern feel for 2015 radio, highlighting the line "They try to romance me but you got that nasty and that's what I want" as an example. Digital Spy writer Lewis Corner thought that the line "He might got the biggest ca-aa-ar" does not fool listeners into thinking that "they're not actually talking about his

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." Several music critics compared the song to recordings from the Motown era in the 1950s and 1960s, with Andy Gill of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' likening it to material composed by

Shadow Morton George Francis "Shadow" Morton (September 3, 1941 – February 14, 2013) was an American record producer and songwriter best known for his influential work in the 1960s. In particular, he was noted for writing and producing "Remember (Walking in ...

. Emilee Lindner of MTV News likened the production to material composed by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

. The Christmas mix version features added church bells and jingles.

Critical reception

Andy Gill of ''The Independent'' described the track as having a "nice" retro sound, and singled it out as being one of his top three songs from the album to download, along with "

Black Magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 14 ...

" and "Grown". Writing for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', Nick Levine thought that "Love Me Like You" was reminiscent of songs recorded by Stooshe, but added that Little Mix performed the Motown style "without the forced sense of fun." Similarly, '' Billboard'' writer Malorie MaCall and Digital Spy critic Jack Klompus likened the retro style to songs performed by

Meghan Trainor Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...

and

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

, respectively. Music Times writer Carolyn Menyes praised its composition for being "charming" and described the track as "totally charming." A reviewer for ''Press Play OK'' commented that the song was "less club night and more prom night." Broadcaster

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

criticised the track when interviewed by ''

Newsbeat ''Newsbeat'' is the BBC's radio news programme broadcast on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. ''Newsbeat'' is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically yo ...

'' about his review of a selection of songs released in 2015. He described it as "horrible" and a modern-day "hideous, toxic compound" take on a Phil Spector song. Joe from ''Attitude'' wrote "The modern do-wop sound doesn’t always land, but this takes the vintage sound of The Ronettes, complementing 60s sound, whilst giving it a modern edge with those filthy innuendos. To think this was originally called ‘F**k me like you".

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "Love Me Like You" debuted at number 21 on the

on 8 October 2015. It later peaked at number 11 on 7 January 2016. It also peaked at number nine on the

UK Singles Downloads Chart The UK Singles Downloads Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the music industry. Since July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, with the chart date given as the following Thursday. The main chart con ...

. The track has been certified platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI) for 600,000 combined sales and streaming units. In Scotland, the song reached number five. It achieved success in Ireland, reaching number 8 on 31 December 2015. It peaked at number 66 on the Belgium

Ultratip Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

Flanders chart on 31 October 2015. It also peaked at number 64 in Slovakia, number 81 in the Czech Republic, and number 140 in France. Outside of Europe, "Love Me Like You" reached number 80 on the Japan Hot 100, number 27 in Australia, and number one on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Love Me Like You" was released on 10 October 2015. The video takes place at a school dance, where a professor in the hall (the same man who appeared in their previous single's video "

") tells everyone that it is the last dance. Jade, Leigh-Anne, Jesy and Perrie are waiting for their dates to arrive. Scenes of the girls waiting for their date are intercut throughout the video of them sitting at a table while all of the other couples are dancing. Unbeknownst to them, the man, played by ''

Power Rangers Samurai ''Power Rangers Samurai'' is the eighteenth season of the children's television series ''Power Rangers'', which is based on the Japanese ''Super Sentai Series''. The season was the first to be produced by SCG Power Rangers, after Saban Brands ( ...

'' star Hector David Junior, has invited each of them to go to the dance after meeting them in different situations prior to that night. He asked Jade by picking her up in his car to go on a date. As she gets in, he invites her to be his date at the dance and presents her with a

corsage A corsage is a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or around her wrist for a formal occasion. They are typically given to her by her date. Today, corsages are most commonly seen at homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welc ...

to wear on her wrist on the night. He meets Leigh-Anne at a high school basketball game, where she and her girlfriends were watching him and some other boys play on the court. He sees that she is infatuated by how good he is at the sport, walks up to her, and asks her to be his date by giving her a corsage. He asked Jesy to be his date while they were at the cinema as they shared a bucket of popcorn. As he gives her the corsage, she throws the bucket over her shoulder and eagerly jumps on his lap, causing them to fall off the chair. Finally, he invited Perrie to be his date after she fell off her bike while staring at him work out on a field and pouring water over his torso to cool down. He helps her up, and gives her a corsage. Toward the end of the video, they sit on a bench next to the entrance, and see their date walk in with another girl wearing the same corsage as the ones that he had given each of them. They realise that they have all been two-timed by the same guy, and are all dateless. It ends with the girls being each other's date and solemnly dancing whilst everyone else has a good time. ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

'' writer Rebecca Lewis noted that the man in the video strongly resembled Perrie's former fiancé

Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...

One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...

. She also wrote that fans had noticed that she was still wearing her engagement ring in the video, meaning that the video was filmed before they split up in August 2015.

Live performances

Little Mix performed "Love Me Like You" live on the seventh season of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' in Australia on 13 October 2015. Capital praised their performance, writing that it set an "amazing example" for the contestants on the show and that their vocals were "pitch perfect". On 1 November, the group performed a "Love Me Like You"/"Black Magic" medley on the twelfth series of ''

'' in the United Kingdom. Little Mix sang the track live on '' Good Morning America'' in the United States on 5 November. They returned to the UK to perform "Love Me Like You" at the Radio 1 Teen Awards at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...

on 8 November, and again the following morning on breakfast show ''

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''. "Love Me Like You" was included on the set-list of their segment at Capital's annual

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, ...

on 6 December, along with the other singles to be released ''Get Weird'' "Black Magic" and " Secret Love Song", as well as previous singles "

Salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...

", "

Move Move may refer to: People * Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move Go ...

" and "

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

Track listing

*Digital download #"Love Me Like You" – 3:17 *Digital download — The Collection #"Love Me Like You" (Christmas Mix) – 3:29 #"Lightning" – 5:09 #"Love Me Like You" (J-Vibe Reggae Remix) – 3:04 #"Love Me Like You" (Bimbo Jones Remix) – 3:07 #"Love Me Like You" (7th Heaven Remix) – 3:10 #"Love Me Like You" (Exclusive Interview) – 3:16 #"Love Me Like You" (Instrumental) – 3:15

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2015 singles 2015 songs Little Mix songs Syco Music singles Songs written by Iain James Songs written by Steve Mac Songs written by Kamille (musician) Song recordings produced by Steve Mac Songs written by James Newman (musician)