"Love Yourself" is a song recorded by Canadian singer
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
for his fourth studio album ''
Purpose
Purpose is the end for which something is done, created or for which it exists. It is part of the topic of intentionality and goal-seeking behavior.
Related concepts and subjects:
* Goal, a desired result or possible outcome
* Intention, the state ...
'' (2015). The song was released as a
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
on November 9, 2015, and as the album's third official single on December 7, 2015. It was written by
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
,
Benjamin Levin and Bieber, and produced by Levin. A
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' ( ...
song, "Love Yourself" features an
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
and a brief flurry of
trumpets
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...
as its main instrumentation. During the song, Bieber uses a husky tone in the lower registers. Lyrically, the song is a
kiss-off to a narcissistic ex-lover who did the protagonist wrong.
On the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and 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 ...
, the song became Bieber's third consecutive number-one, wherein the United States it spent 24 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten (later named the
best-performing single of 2016) and was also Bieber's first number one on the
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart, while in the United Kingdom it spent six weeks at the top. "Love Yourself" topped the charts in fifteen countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden. "Love Yourself" was nominated for two
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
:
Song of the Year and
Best Pop Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop S ...
. It was the seventh-best-selling song of 2016 in the US.
The music video for the song was released along with the Purpose: The Movement project on November 14, 2015. It features dancers Keone & Mari Madrid doing an
interpretive dance
Interpretive dance is a family of modern dance styles that began around 1900 with Isadora Duncan. It used classical concert music but marked a departure from traditional concert dance. It seeks to translate human emotions, conditions, situation ...
in a house. Bieber promoted the song with performances on TV shows, as well as awards shows throughout 2015–16, while adding it on the set list of his
Purpose World Tour
The Purpose World Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, in support of his fourth studio album ''Purpose'' (2015). The tour started on March 9, 2016, in Seattle, Washington, and concluded on July 2, 2017, in London, Un ...
.
Background and release
![Ed_Sheeran_(8508821340)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Ed_Sheeran_%288508821340%29.jpg)
On September 29, 2015, Justin Bieber announced in an interview with Australia's
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
A ...
morning show that British singer and songwriter
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
had written a song for his then-upcoming album. Later, during an interview for
Capital FM, Bieber revealed details about the song, saying: "It's just me and a guitar. Basically that's how I started, playing on the street with a guitar." About Sheeran, he said: "I think he's one of the most talented writers in the game right now, so just to have his input and his stories and our stories and match them up together and say 'What have you been through?,' and telling the same story." In another interview for the same radio network, he commented about the collaboration, stating: "It was a process. Just getting us together, you know, in the same room cause we did a lot of it separate. He is a good guy, super talented. Really good songwriter so just to be able to work with that calibre of songwriter was really, really awesome." In 2017, Sheeran revealed that "Love Yourself" was written for his album ''
÷''. He said in an interview that the track would have been scrapped before Bieber took the song.
On November 9, 2015 "Love Yourself" premiered on ''
Beats 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod) ...
'' along with "The Feeling".
The song was also made available on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
in the same day as a promotional single of ''Purpose'',
and later it was announced as the album's official third radio single. When talking to
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of '' Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and ' ...
, Bieber said "Love Yourself" is "definitely about someone in my past, someone who I don't want to put on blast," he described the song as "cool because so many people can resonate with that because how many women do we bring back that mom doesn't really necessarily like?."
Composition and lyrics
"Love Yourself" was written by
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
,
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is als ...
and
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
, with production being done by
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is als ...
, who was also responsible for the song's instrumentation and programming. It features lyrical vocals by Bieber and background vocals by Sheeran. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...
, the song is composed in the
key of
E major
E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equiva ...
with a moderate
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 100
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 ...
and a
time signature
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 va ...
of . Bieber's vocals range from the note of
B2 to
B3. It is an
acoustic pop
Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the ad ...
,
folk and
blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly-black Motown and Stax ...
song, featuring just vocals and an
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
,
and a brief flurry of
trumpets
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...
,
which was considered "the most subdued and least electronic of Bieber's new tracks."
Lyrically, "Love Yourself" is a
kiss-off to a narcissistic ex-lover who did the protagonist wrong,
with Bieber singing in a snappy tone
while criticizing "a girl for loving herself too much."
In the pre-chorus, he sings with a husky tone in the lower registers:
"My mama don't like you, and she likes everyone," "in a style that molds well to Sheeran's," according to ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' Brittany Spanos.
"And I
ever
Ever may refer to:
* Ever (artist), creator of street art, from Buenos Aires, Argentina
* Ever, Kentucky
* -ever, an English suffix added to interrogative words in forms like ''wherever''
* KT Tech EVER, a South Korean mobile phone manufacturer ...
like to admit that I was wrong. And I've been so caught up in my job, didn't see what's going on, and now I know, I'm better sleeping on my own," he continues.
In the chorus, Bieber sings, "Cause if you like the way you look that much, oh baby, you should go and love yourself,"
which according to
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
's Amy Davidson, "'love yourself' means 'go f**k yourself' in this context."
On March 7, 2017, composer Ed Sheeran stated on the ''
Howard Stern Show'' that he had
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...
in mind for the song at first, and the original lyric was indeed "fuck yourself". In the song's bridge, Bieber uses a "
brass-and-vocalese" style.
Critical reception
The song received critical acclaim. Andrew Unterberger of ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...
'' called it "an earth-salting, cruelly chuckling kiss-off track, it features an unprecedented-for-Bieber caliber of lyrical detail, and its minimal arrangement allows every lyrical barb to pop like one of the song's palm-mutes. For such sour grapes, though, 'Love Yourself' still sounds exultant; one of many reminders this year that for all his insistence on being a good person, Bieber may ultimately be best served as a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
heel."
Leah Greenblatt of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' complimented the track as one of her favourites from the album, naming it "the world's first campfire-folk
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the t ...
."
Amy Davidson of
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
agreed, calling it a 'deliciously evil poison-pen ballad'.
Sheldon Pearce of ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' praised "
Sorry" and "Love Yourself" for "display
ngthe best of Bieber in tandem: the full scope of his pop stylings—blue-eyed soul fleshing out both electronic and acoustic spaces."
Kenneth Partridge of ''
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 ...
'' wrote that Bieber "overplay
his renewed spirituality ... mak
nglike
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...
doing
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
," citing the track as an example.
Josh Gonzalez of Music Times thought the song was "a cool change of pace and nod musically to his 2014 duet with
Cody Simpson
Cody Robert Simpson (born 11 January 1997) is an Australian swimmer and singer-songwriter. Since his debut, he has released four solo studio albums: ''Paradise'' (2012), '' Surfers Paradise'' (2013), '' Free'' (2015), and ''Cody Simpson'' (20 ...
'
Home to Mama
"Home to Mama" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber and Australian singer Cody Simpson credited as JB X CS (referring to their initials). The song appears only in the Japan edition of Bieber's fourth studio album ''Purpose''.
Background
Eve ...
'," adding: "Bieber is a great vocalist and does well on acoustic tracks."
For ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' editor Janine Schaults, "all the credit goes to
Sheeran's cherubic magic powers. Refreshingly, just a guitar and a lonely trumpet interlude accompany Bieber's coy delivery." Michelles Geslani of the same publication opined that the track "sounds exactly what you'd expect from a meeting of these two minds," considering it "'
Thinking Out Loud
"Thinking Out Loud" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, recorded for his second studio album, '' ×'' (2014). It was written by Sheeran and Amy Wadge, and produced by frequent collaborator Jake Gosling. It was released in the ...
' crossed with low-key, lovelorn Bieber." Kitty Empire, writing for ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'', appreciated the song for "strip
ing
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
everything back very effectively to a guitar line and a vocal."
Annie Zaleski
Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author.
Career
Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...
of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' was mixed, noting that "despite being a nicely deadpan kiss-off to a snobby ex, is generic acoustic-pop."
In a less favorable review,
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
's Brad Nelson wrote that, lyrically, "it's needlessly mean, neither funny nor clever, and it doesn't do much to justify the severity of its perspective." Al Horner of ''
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 ...
'' noted that the song is "more traditionally Bieber, and
tsbig pop hook
sout of place amidst the forward-thinking electronic scuttle."
Sam C. Mac of
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
called the lyrics "unintentionally hilarious."
Alex Macpherson of ''
The National'' called it "a cloying Ed Sheeran collaboration."
''
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 ...
'' ranked "Love Yourself" at number 34 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list.
Chart performance
United States
In the United States, the song debuted at number four on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Bieber his ninth top ten song and his third consecutive top-ten debut from ''Purpose''. It debuted at number two and four on the
Digital Songs
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...
and
Streaming Songs
The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...
charts respectively, with 141,000 downloads and 17.4 million streams. The following week, it descended to number seven on the Hot 100. Two weeks later, it ascended from seven to five on the Hot 100, meanwhile Bieber's "
Sorry" and "
What Do You Mean?
"What Do You Mean?" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album ''Purpose'' (2015). The song was released on August 28, 2015, as the album's lead single by Def Jam. The song was produced by MdL and co-produced ...
" were at number two and four respectively. Thus, as he did three weeks prior when "Love Yourself" debuted at number four, Bieber had three concurrent songs in the Hot 100's top five, becoming the third act to achieve it since
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
in 2005. Bieber and
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
are the only acts to earn the honor as a lead artist on all three songs. On the chart dated February 6, 2016, "Love Yourself" ascended from three to two on the Hot 100, meanwhile Bieber's "Sorry" was at number one. With the feat, Bieber became the 17th act in the Hot 100's history to rank at numbers one and 2 simultaneously. He was also the 11th act to hold the Hot 100's top two as a lead artist on both songs.
The following week, "Love Yourself" replaced "Sorry" at number one, becoming his third consecutive number-one single. Thus, Bieber was the 12th artist to succeed himself in the Hot 100's 57-year history; the last artist before Bieber was
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
, who is also from Canada. Additionally, Bieber's ''Purpose'' became the first album by a male artist to produce three number-one songs since
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
's ''
FutureSex/LoveSounds
''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake, released on September 8, 2006 by Jive Records and Zomba. Following a three-year writing hiatus, Timberlake conceived the album in collabora ...
'' did so in 2006–07. After being replaced at the top of the Hot 100 by
Zayn's debut single as a solo artist, "
Pillowtalk", for one week, it returned to the number one position the following date. Also, "Love Yourself" replaced "Sorry" at the top of the
Radio Songs chart with 144 million weekly audience, becoming Bieber's second number-one song on the chart. However, the next week, "Love Yourself" was replaced at the top by
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...
's "
Work
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an animal t ...
" and descended to number two. By the middle of 2016, the song had sold 1.6 million copies in the U.S.
On the chart dated 7 May 2016, "Love Yourself" spent its 23rd consecutive week in the Hot 100's top ten, breaking the record for the most consecutive weeks logged in the top 10 from a song's debut, previously set by
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
's "
Starships",
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
's "
Sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
" and Bieber's both "What Do You Mean?" and "Sorry". It has since been passed by
The Chainsmokers
The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM- pop duo achieved a breakthrough with the ...
's "
Closer" (2016–2017), which spent 32 weeks in the top 10. And then later passed by
Post Malone
Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...
's "
Circles
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...
" with 33 weeks. Additionally, the song spent an eleventh week at the top of the Radio Songs chart. Additionally, on the chart dated 14 May 2016, "Love Yourself" became Bieber's first chart-topper on the
Adult Contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...
. The song was the most-played song in the United States in 2016, with nearly 4 billion audience impressions.
During 2016, "Love Yourself" sold 1.8 million copies in the US, thus being listed seventh on the best-selling songs of the year list. Overall, it has sold 2.7 million copies in the country.
"Love Yourself" finished at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End of 2016 released in December 2016, becoming Bieber's highest-charting song on Hot 100 Year-End to date, surpassing "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female ...
" on the Hot 100 Year-End of 2012. This made him the youngest artist to date to receive a No. 1 single on a Hot 100 Year-End chart in Billboard's history.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, "Love Yourself" debuted at number three 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 ...
on 19 November 2015, after the release of ''Purpose''. The following week, it rose to number two before replacing "
Sorry" at the top of the chart on 4 December 2015. Bieber is the first artist to replace themselves at the chart's summit since
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
in 2005. "Love Yourself" marked Bieber's third consecutive chart-topping song in Britain. The following week, the song stayed at the top of the chart with 114,000 combined sales and "Sorry" stayed at number two, which made Bieber the first artist ever to knock himself off the top spot with both songs holding at one and 2 for two consecutive weeks. "Love Yourself" and "Sorry" remained at the same place the next week, which made Bieber the first artist ever to log four weeks at numbers one and 2 consecutively, breaking the record previously held by The Beatles, who logged three consecutive weeks at numbers one and 2 in 1967–68. "Love Yourself" was beaten to the top by NHS Choir's "
A Bridge Over You" charity single by nearly 31,000 chart sales. However, the single rose to the number-one spot the next week, logging a fourth week at the summit and claiming the first number-one song of 2016. The following week, it remained at number one, making Bieber the first artist 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 ...
to occupy the top three spots on the chart at the same time with "Sorry" at number two and "What Do You Mean?" climbing one place to three. "Love Yourself" spent six non-consecutive weeks at number one. On 4 January 2016, the Official Charts Company announced that 'Love Yourself' has earned 719,000 combined sales.
Australia
In Australia, "Love Yourself" debuted at number three on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, after the release of ''Purpose'', giving Bieber his fifth top-three single in the country. That week the singer had three songs inside the top ten: "Sorry" (2), "Love Yourself" (3) and "What Do You Mean?" (7). Two weeks later, "Love Yourself" was the most streamed track in the country and rose to number two, also it earned a gold certification for sales of over 35,000 copies. In its fourth week, the song ascended from two to one, dethroning
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
's "
Hello
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
" and earning a platinum certification for sales of over 70,000 copies. With that, Bieber became the only act to have two number-one songs in 2015 following previous single "What Do You Mean?", which topped the chart during four consecutive weeks in September.
The song stayed at the top of the chart the following two weeks. On its third week at number one, Bieber's 'Sorry' and "What Do You Mean?" were at number two and eight, respectively. With that, Bieber became the first act to dominate the top two positions since
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are an American hip hop duo from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2008 by Macklemore, a rapper,Trust, Gary (2013)Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Makes Hot 100 History, ''Billboard'', May 8, 2013. Retrieved January ...
did in 2013 with "
Same Love
Same may refer to:
* Sameness or identity
Places
* Same (Homer), an island mentioned by Homer in the ''Odyssey''
* Same (polis), an ancient city
* Same, East Timor
Same ( ) is a town in the Same administrative post in the interior of East ...
" and "
Thrift Shop
Thrift may refer to:
* Frugality
* A savings and loan association in the United States
* Apache Thrift, a remote procedure call (RPC) framework
* Thrift (plant), a plant in the genus ''Armeria''
* Syd Thrift (1929–2006), American baseball exe ...
". He also was the first act to have three singles inside the chart's top ten since 2012. The song was the first number-one song of 2016 and has spent seven consecutive weeks at number one, which places Bieber at number 8 on the list for the most accumulated weeks (11) at number one in the 2010s. Also, it is his longest-running number-one single in Australia. "Love Yourself" also topped the charts in Sweden, Ireland, New Zealand, Netherlands and Denmark.
Music video
Purpose: The Movement
The song's music video was released on YouTube on November 14, 2015, along with the videos for the other songs from "Purpose: The Movement". The video starts with Bieber saying: "Love isn't 'do this for me and I'm going to do this for you.' That's not what love is. Love is just 'I'm gonna do this for you because I wanna do this for you.'" Later, the video features husband and wife dancers Keone and Mari Madrid dancing their way through their house. They are later seen dancing on their phone screens. The video ends when the wife wakes up and finds a note on her husband's pillow saying, "Love Yourself".
The video was directed by
Parris Goebel
Parris Renee Goebel (), also known professionally as Parris, is an Emmy Award winning New Zealand Choreographer, Dancer, Singer, Director and actress. She is the Founder and main Choreographer of the Dance School, “The Palace Dance Studio", ...
. As of September 2021, the music video has received over 1.6 billion views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Live performances and covers
![Justin Bieber at the BRIT Awards 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Justin_Bieber_at_the_BRIT_Awards_2016.jpg)
Bieber first performed "Love Yourself" on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...
'' during ''Purpose'' week release. On November 18, 2015, the song was also performed on ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...
'' along with other tracks from the album. Bieber also added the song to the set list of his show on
Capital FM's
Jingle Bell Ball 2015. He performed the song at the
58th Annual Grammy Awards
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...
. The singer performed an acoustic version of the track with
James Bay
James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...
on the guitar before performing "Sorry" during the
2016 Brit Awards
Brit Awards 2016 was held on 24 February 2016 and was the 36th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The awards ceremony was held at The O2 Arena in London and were presented by Ant & Dec. Award nominations wer ...
. He also performed an acoustic version of the song during the
3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards before proceeding to a full performance of "
Company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
". "Love Yourself" is also part of the set list of his
Purpose World Tour
The Purpose World Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, in support of his fourth studio album ''Purpose'' (2015). The tour started on March 9, 2016, in Seattle, Washington, and concluded on July 2, 2017, in London, Un ...
. The performance has Bieber on acoustic guitar while seated on a red velvet couch down center stage.
He performed the song at
Radio Disney Music Awards
The Radio Disney Music Awards (RDMA) were an annual awards show operated and governed by Radio Disney, an American radio network. Beginning in 2001, the show was originally broadcast only on Radio Disney, but later began being televised on Di ...
during a special pocket show for fans, previously recorded. On June 4, 2017, Bieber performed "Love Yourself" at the ''
One Love Manchester
One Love Manchester was a benefit concert and British television special on 4 June 2017, organised by American singer Ariana Grande, Simon Moran, Melvin Benn and Scooter Braun in response to the Manchester Arena bombing after Grande's concert t ...
'' benefit concert for the victims of the
Manchester Arena bombing
On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande.
Twenty-three people were killed, including ...
.
Canadian singer
Alessia Cara
Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, to Italian Canadian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploadi ...
posted a video covering of the song on her
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel on November 14, 2015. English singer
Conor Maynard
Conor Paul Maynard (born 21 November 1992) is an English singer. Born and raised in Brighton, he signed a recording contract with Warner Music Group in 2011. Maynard rose to fame in 2012 when he was nominated for, and subsequently won, MTV's ''M ...
also posted a video covering the song on his YouTube channel on November 17, 2015. American singer
Halsey also performed a cover version for
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
's
Like a Version
''Like a Version'' is a weekly segment on Australian youth radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing two songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs (an "original") and then a cover version, h ...
studio in Australia on February 4, 2016. Her version garnered attention since she replaced "love yourself" with "fuck yourself." British singers Yo Preston and Kelly Kiara teamed up to write a reply to the song, with the version being called "Love Yourself vs F*ck Yourself." In their version, Kiara responds to Bieber's lyrics taking about the boy's cheating habits and overwhelming jealousy.
Their version charted on the
ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, reaching the top-twenty, peaking at number 16.
The song was also covered by American pop punk band
Grayscale
In digital photography, computer-generated imagery, and colorimetry, a grayscale image is one in which the value of each pixel is a single sample representing only an ''amount'' of light; that is, it carries only intensity information. Graysca ...
for
Punk Goes Pop Vol. 7
''Punk Goes Pop Vol. 7'' is the eighteenth compilation album in the '' Punk Goes...'' series by Fearless Records and the seventh installment in the Punk Goes Pop franchise. The album contains mainstream pop songs covered by thirteen bands from ...
, a compilation album of covers, which was released by
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the ''Fearless Flush Sampler'' and ''Punk Bites'' releas ...
on July 14, 2017. And Spanish singer
Maikel Delacalle posted a video covering of the song on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel on November 18, 2016.
Nataly Dawn
Natalie Dawn Knutsen Conte (born October 29, 1986), known by her stage name Nataly Dawn, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is one half of the duo Pomplamoose with her husband Jack Conte and has released four studio albums and f ...
released an acoustic version as a single in 2016.
Credits and personnel
Recording
*Recorded at Record Plant, Los Angeles
*Mixed at Henson Recording Studios
Personnel
*
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
– vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
*
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is als ...
– production, songwriting, instrumentation, programming
*
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
– songwriting, backing vocals
*Philip Beaudreau – trumpet
*Chris "Anger Management" Sclafani – engineering
*Simon Cohen – engineering
*Josh Gudwin – engineering, mixing
*Chris "Tek" O'Ryan – additional engineering
*Henrique Andrade – additional engineering
* Derrick Stockwell – mixing assistant
*Andrew "McMuffin" Luftman – production coordinator
*Seif "Mageef" Hussain – production coordinator
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Purpose'',
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
and
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of best-selling singles in Australia
This is a list of highest-certified singles in Australia according to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Since 1983, ARIA certifies a single Platinum for shipment of 70,000 copies across Australia. Single figures can include "q ...
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of 2016
*
List of number-one singles of 2015 (Australia)
The ARIA Singles Chart ranks the best-performing singles in Australia. Its data, published by the Australian Recording Industry Association, is based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales. In 2015, nineteen singles cla ...
*
List of number-one singles of 2016 (Australia)
The ARIA Singles Chart ranks the best-performing singles in Australia. Its data, published by the Australian Recording Industry Association, is based collectively on the weekly physical and digital sales of singles. In 2016, fifteen single ...
*
List of Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles of 2016
*
List of number-one singles of 2016 (South Africa)
The South African Airplay Chart ranks the best-performing singles in South Africa. Its data, published by Entertainment Monitoring Africa, is based collectively on each single's weekly airplay.
List of number-one singles of 2016
Number-one art ...
*
List of number-one international songs of 2016 (South Korea)
*
List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2010s
The UK Singles Chart is a weekly record chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. As of 10 July 2015, the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday with the chart-date given as the following Thu ...
*
''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2016
References
{{authority control
2015 songs
2015 singles
2010s ballads
American folk songs
Justin Bieber songs
Songs written by Ed Sheeran
Songs written by Justin Bieber
Songs written by Benny Blanco
Song recordings produced by Benny Blanco
Pop ballads
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Number-one singles in Australia
Number-one singles in Denmark
Number-one singles in Israel
Number-one singles in New Zealand
Number-one singles in Portugal
Number-one singles in Scotland
Number-one singles in Sweden
South African Airplay Chart number-one singles
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Diss tracks
Def Jam Recordings singles
Folk ballads