"Love Remembers" is a song co-written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Craig Morgan Craig Morgan Greer (born July 17, 1964) is an American country music artist. A veteran of the United States Army as a forward observer, Morgan began his musical career in 2000 on Atlantic Records, releasing his self-titled debut album for that ...

. It was released in May 2008 as the first single from his fifth studio album '' That's Why'', his first release for the

BNA Records BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, was a label group that shared ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, T ...

label, as well as his eleventh top 40 hit on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country charts. Morgan wrote the song with his producer, Phil O'Donnell. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by

Roman White Roman White is a music video and film director who has directed most of Carrie Underwood's videos. He has also directed music videos for Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Cassadee Pope, Josh Groban, Easton Corbin ...

Content

The song is a mid-tempo in which the narrator addresses a former lover, telling her that although she may not remember the details of their former relationship, that "love remembers" those details — such as "the taste of cotton candy lip gloss on the lips of a long kiss / And the plans we made together". In the second verse, he tells her that she might be driven to drink because of his memory ("You might convince yourself there's shelter in a bottle"). The radio edit omits a piano intro.

Critical reception

The song received a "thumbs down" review from the country music site The 9513. Reviewer

Jim Malec Jim Malec is an American journalist and pop music critic known for writing about country music. Malec attended State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, where he worked as an editor for the college's student newspaper and was involved in a cen ...

said of the song's production and lyrical content, "it's exceptionally disappointing to hear

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

succumb to the temptations of the format", when compared to his "quirky, often twangy" works such as his 2005 single "

Redneck Yacht Club "Redneck Yacht Club" is a song written by Thom Shepherd and Steve Williams, and recorded by American country music singer Craig Morgan. It was released in May 2005 as the second single from his album ''My Kind of Livin. It peaked at number two ...

". He also referred to this song as "crescendoing and over-sung", comparing it to a

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousi ...

song. Although he did point out "vibrant, colorful imagery" in the lyrics, he added "it is a song less concerned with telling a story in sequence than it is with creating an aesthetic." Jessica Philips of ''

Country Standard Time ''Country Standard Time'' is a website dedicated to country music and related genres including Americana, bluegrass and rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1993 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a p ...

'' magazine described the song more favorably in her review of the album, saying " t melds together several vivid images of a love that is gone. The ending becomes an almost-

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

, and Morgan really lets it rip."

Music video

The music video was directed by

and premiered in mid-2008. It features Morgan performing the song in front of a glass house while in standing water and fountain, whose faucets intensify as the song builds. The storyline is of a young couple who meet outside a bar one night, when it suddenly starts to rain. They eventually find an open car and make out in the front seats.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2008 singles 2008 songs Country ballads 2010s ballads Craig Morgan songs BNA Records singles Music videos directed by Roman White Songs written by Craig Morgan Songs written by Phil O'Donnell (songwriter)