"Love Song" is the first song released by American musician Sara Bareilles, who writes her own songs. It came out in June 2007 through Epic Records as part of her second album, Little Voice (2007). The song was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Awards in the categories of Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
"Love Song" was in the top ten for 19 weeks and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 41 weeks, reaching number four on that chart. It also reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts. The song was number one on the Canadian Hot 100 and topped the US Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart. Additionally, it was at the top for many weeks on the Hot Adult Pop Songs and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, and was ranked number one at the end of the year for both charts.
Background
In an interview with MTV, Bareilles talked about the song's origin. She said her label encouraged her to keep writing, but she wasn't having any luck. One day, she went to a rehearsal space, sat down, and wrote something for herself. The song "Love Song" came easily, and she called it "totally honest." She also said she was lucky the label liked it.
Later in 2011, she explained that the song was written for her record label. She had been sending them new music, but they kept saying they weren't ready to record yet. She didn't know what they were waiting for, so she kept sending songs, asking, "Is this what you want?" Each time, she received a negative response. Frustrated, she eventually wrote "Love Song."
In 2014, she said the song was "very tongue-in-cheek," meaning it was written as a response to the label pressuring her to create safe, "radio-friendly" songs.
Chart performance
The song "Love Song" was first offered as the free iTunes song of the week on June 16, 2007. It became popular later, entering the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 100 a few months after its release. After Sara Bareilles performed "Love Song" in a Rhapsody TV commercial, the song's ranking on the Hot 100 improved quickly, moving from number 72 to number 16, and on the Hot Digital Songs chart, it rose from number 32 to number 5. In the first week of 2008, the song reached the top 10 on the Hot 100, peaking at number 9. It stayed in the top 10 for 19 weeks, even though it never reached the top three. This was longer than many other songs that reached higher positions but did not last as long. The single received six platinum certifications from the RIAA for over six million sales.
As of April 2014, the song had sold 3,717,000 digital copies in the United States. It was ranked number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart for 2008. It also reached number one on both the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks charts in 2008.
The song first appeared on the UK Singles Chart at number 30 and later reached number 4. In Canada, it debuted at number 100 on the Hot 100 the week of January 31, 2008, and reached number 1 the week of March 29, 2008. In Australia, "Love Song" peaked at number 4 during its ninth week on the chart. In New Zealand, it reached number 7 on the RIANZ Singles Chart.
Music video
The music video, directed by Josh Forbes, shows a small version of Sara Bareilles playing the piano inside a coin-operated jukebox that plays love songs. Men and women enter the booth one after another, inserting coins to watch her through a small hole. She plays the same song every day, and the lyrics show her growing frustration as she says, "I’m not gonna write you a love song today." Bareilles then takes the next coin that enters the jukebox and uses it to stop the gears. The next morning, the booth owner (seen earlier in the video) arrives. He notices the jukebox is no longer working and is surprised to find Bareilles inside. He takes the stuck coin from the gears and gives it to her.
The music video uses the album version of the song. British actor Adam Campbell appears in the video as the booth owner.