"Lost on You" is a song recorded by American recording artist LP (Laura Pergolizzi). It was released on November 20, 2015, as the second single from her third EP, ''Death Valley'' and the fourth studio album of the same name (2016). The song experienced commercial success, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe and Western Asia, and topped the charts of thirteen countries. The single was certified quadruple Platinum by the

Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

for sales exceeding 200,000 units. By November 2018, "Lost on You" received a release as a single in Mexico to much success. It was among the most-played songs on Top 40 radio stations in the country, mainly popular in Mexico City. In 2023, the song was included in the soundtrack of the Brazilian telenovela '' Terra e Paixão''.

Background

Being about a failed relationship in her life, LP wrote the song after realizing that her girlfriend was not going to be her partner anymore. "I felt like my lover was drifting away – slowly leaving the building – and there was nothing that I could do," she stated. "It's a breakup song, but it happened almost a year before we broke up, and it was kind of like, 'Hey, do you see what's happening? Is it lost on you that this is going to die?' And then it did." The song was misconstrued, according to LP, although she did not mind it. "People would make it that it was romantic, like, I'm lost on you...Like it's about being lost being in love with you, and that's not really what 'Lost On You' is about. That's the beauty of songs."

Composition

Lasting 4 minutes and 26 seconds, the

midtempo 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 (often ...

song is described as having "a really laid-back vibe, no beats and no rapping...just some strange wailing which sounds like an animal in its death throws, alone somewhere on the bleak

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mou ...

, with only the darkness of winter for company."

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

called the song "an anthem, a juggernaut..."LP’s ‘Lost On You’: The Hit Record The Music Business Almost Lost
Oisin Lunny, Forbes. November 13, 2019.

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

described it as a "post-breakup arena-folk anthem" and The Brag Media described it as a " southern-infused, ukulele- blues, whistling cry from a broken heart".Foul-mouthed pop star LP swears she didn’t know ‘Lost on You’ was a life-changing hit
By Ben Rayner from

. February 6, 2019 The song is written in the key of

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

, with a

shuffle rhythm In music, the term ''swing'' has two main uses. Colloquially, it is used to describe the propulsive quality or "feel" of a rhythm, especially when the music prompts a visceral response such as foot-tapping or head-nodding (see pulse). This sens ...

, and has a tempo of 86

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 ...

. LP plays

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

during the course of the song, in addition to her intermittent

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a lar ...

Reception

Forbes praised the song as being "a cry from a

broken heart Broken heart (also known as a heartbreak or heartache) is a metaphor for the intense emotional stress or pain one feels at experiencing great and deep longing. The concept is cross-cultural, often cited with reference to unreciprocated or lost ...

watching the fading embers of a dying love... It is a break-up song that has resonated with millions of people all over the world...It is resigned and hopeful, fragile and strong; the intimate lyrics and stadium-sized chorus capture the emotional rollercoaster of a heartbreak." Rachael Scarsbrook from Renowned For Sound said the song "is reserved yet nuanced enough to strike a real connection between artist and listener." Michelle Blakey from The Lesbian Review describes 'Lost on You' as "a deeply emotional song chronicling the demise of a relationship...It climbs steadily toward a chorus in which her voice erupts into an injured rage...It is a gut-wrenching song that anyone who has ever felt betrayed by a loved one can relate to."

Success

Although the song was released in November 2015, with the singer already playing the song to various record companies, it did not initially achieve any chart success. In May 2016, however, the song managed to

jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

to number one in the Greek charts. The song held this top position for 18 weeks, making it the most successful song of the year in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. Billboard said the reason for their success was that many vacationers heard their music on the beach and the song was then able to spread across Greece over the summer months. At the end of June 2016, the song also reached the French and Italian charts. In France, the title also reached the top position. In Italy, the song peaked in the top 5 and stayed in the top 10 of the singles chart for over three months. The song was also the fourth most Shazamed song in the world. Regarding its success in Greece, Panagiotis Loulourgas, head of international and A&R manager at the Greek record label Cobalt Music, said it was due to "the feeling of the track, it’s everything. It touches you". In Russia the "Lost on You" Swanky Tunes & Going Deeper Remix was No. 12 on the iTunes sales chart.LP’s ‘Lost on You’ Finds Unexpected Success in Greece, Launching a European Hit
By Colin Stutz from Billboard.com. 23 September 2016. After the song became a huge hit in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, LP stated "...I was already fuckin' 30 to 40 songs away in my

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...

. I get these interviews that are very kind and in awe of the whole thing and they'll be, like, 'You must have known it was a huge hit when you wrote it.' And I didn’t know shit. I was on

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, they got new people in who didn't like me, who didn't sign me, who didn't care, and they basically said 'Hey, come in and play us your new shit, so we can decide if we want to keep you on the label." LP says that although she still has the scars of the breakup, she is very proud of the song's success.

Music video

In the music video, LP alternates with a red-haired woman. The woman is photo model Laura Hanson Sims. LP knows her privately, but has no close relationship with her. LP often looks yearnful in the music video and drinks to get over the grief, thus representing her own character. At the end of the music video, LP's girlfriend Lauren Ruth Ward can be seen kissing her passionately in the final seconds of the video. Also featured in the video is LP's band member, bassist Brian Stanley.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2015 songs 2015 singles SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in the Commonwealth of Independent States Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in Poland Number-one singles in Romania Songs written by Nate Campany Songs written by Mike Del Rio Songs written by LP (singer) Songs about heartache Torch songs LP (singer) songs