"Love Faces" is a song by American recording artist

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, ''Trey Day'', ...

. It was released on January 11, 2011, as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from his fourth studio album, ''

Passion, Pain & Pleasure ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'' (stylized as PASSION PAIN & PLEASURE) is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz; it was released on September 14, 2010. The album serves as a follow-up to his commercial breakthrough ''Re ...

'' (2010). Written by Songz with Tony Scales, Troy Taylor and Edrick Miles, and produced by the latter two, "Love Faces" is a

mid-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 (often ...

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 ...

and uses the

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as its foundation. Beginning with a spoken introduction, the song discusses facial expressions during

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...

. "Love Faces" received a mixed response from critics, and reached number sixty-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the

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 ...

, becoming Songz' tenth top-five hit on the latter chart. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the single was co-directed by Songz and Justin Francis, and follows Songz's girlfriend's art opening, where the two pretend not to know each other. Songz performed the track on ''

The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show is distributed by Debmar-Me ...

'' and his Love Faces Tour.

Background and composition

"Love Faces" was written by

along with Tony Scales, Troy Taylor and Edrick Miles, while Taylor and Miles produced the track. Songz said of the tune's conception, "I'm sure any man can relate when you look at a beautiful woman and you imagine those things, and I'm sure

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

do those things too when they get into that mental frame when looking at someone. So I thought it would be a great concept: Beautiful women make beautiful faces when they making love." "Love Faces" revolves around facial expressions that people make when having

. The song is a

slow jam A slow jam is music with rhythm and blues and soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', whi ...

-based

. It opens with Songz speaking, "When I met you woman, I couldn't help but notice a face so beautiful. I imagined the faces you would make if we ever made love." Prior to the release of ''

'' in September 2010, "Love Faces" was leaked online.

Release and reception

"Love Faces" was sent to

urban radio Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

on January 11, 2011, as the third single from the album. A writer for ''

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'' noted "Love Faces" as one of the best tracks from ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure''. Kyle Jarmon from Parlé Magazine commended Songz' vocals and the tune's

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

-reminiscent sound. Mark Edward Nero of

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

described "Love Faces" as a "bump-n-grind anthem", writing that Songz' lovemaking songs are his best work. Tyler Lewis of

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 ...

was impressed by Songz' vocals on and the melody of "Love Faces".

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's Mike Diver praised the "silken" production on the tune, however David Hayter of 411mania.com criticized the song's production for being too heavy and destroying the song's mood, while calling the backing vocals "laughable".

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 ...

's Becky Bain negatively reviewed "Love Faces", dubbing it a "supremely generic love track". "Love Faces" debuted at number one hundred on the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated March 12, 2011, and peaked at number sixty-three, spending fourteen weeks on the chart. On the

, the song debuted at number seventy-nine on January 1, 2011, and reached number three, becoming Songz' tenth song to reach the top five of that chart. It spent a total of thirty-six weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Music video

An accompanying

for "Love Faces" was directed by Justin Francis and Songz and was shot in two days in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. The video premiered on

MTV.com MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

on February 14, 2011, after a preview was released on February 10. Songz said of the clip, "I love the treatment so much. I think it's gonna be a lot different than what people expect it to be and a lot of that is contributed to the narrative, and I want people to be surprised when they see it." The video is in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

, except for Songz' solo scenes and the art centrepiece. It opens with Songz and his girlfriend having a telephone conversation about her art show that evening. She requests that they arrive at the gallery separately, and pretend that they do not know each other so that she may be judged by her artistic work, not who she is dating. Songz drops her off in a convertible

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

before arriving himself later. Songz inspects some paintings before being "introduced" to his girlfriend. The clip ends with Songz and his girlfriend placing their hand prints on the artwork. Chris Ryan from

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

lauded the "mood, feeling, vibe and atmosphere" of the music video.

Live performances

Songz and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

performed at the

Best Buy Theater Palladium Times Square (formerly PlayStation Theater, Best Buy Theater and Nokia Theatre Times Square) is an indoor live events venue in New York City, located in One Astor Plaza, at the corner of Broadway and 44th Street. It was designed by archi ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on October 5, 2010, to promote

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

's "So Kodak" promotional campaign. Songz performed "

I Invented Sex "I Invented Sex" is a song by American R&B singer Trey Songz, and features Canadian recording artist Drake. Together, they wrote the song alongside Tony "Chef Tone" Scales and its producer, Los Da Mystro. It was released to urban airplay as the ...

", "

Say Aah "Say Aah" is a song by American singer Trey Songz featuring American rapper Fabolous. The track was written by the two along with Nate Walka, Ronald M. Ferebee, Jr., Tony Scales, and Don Correll, with the latter producing it with Troy Taylor an ...

", "

Neighbors Know My Name "Neighbors Know My Name" is a song by American R&B singer Trey Songz. It was written by Songz with Patrick Hayes and Troy Taylor, who produced the song with John "$K" McGee. It was released to rhythmic and urban airplay as the fifth and final si ...

Can't Be Friends "Can't Be Friends" is an R&B song by American recording artist Trey Songz. It was officially sent to U.S. urban radio on September 28, 2010 as the second single of Songz' fourth studio album, ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure''. The song is produced by M ...

", " Bottoms Up" and "Love Faces". On February 10, 2011, Songz performed "Love Faces" on ''

''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Trey Songz songs 2011 singles Contemporary R&B ballads 2010 songs Songs written by Trey Songz Songs written by Troy Taylor (record producer)