"Love Me Like You Mean It" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Josh Kerr, Forest Glen Whitehead and Lance Carpenter.[1] It was released on July 8, 2014, as Ballerini's debut single and the lead single from her debut studio album, The First Time, released on May 19, 2015, by Black River Entertainment.[2][3] The song is about a young woman showing interest in a man. The song was previously released in promotion of Ballerini's 2014 self-titled EP.[4]
"Love Me Like You Mean It" peaked at number one on the BillboardCountry Airplay chart, making Ballerini the first solo female to top that chart with her debut single since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2006 and the first female country music artist to accomplish that on an independent label. It also charted at number five on the Hot Country Songs chart and number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 596,000 units in the US as of May 2016. It achieved similar chart success in Canada, peaking at number three on the Canada Country chart and number 61 on the Canadian Hot 100. It garnered a Gold certification from Music Canada, denoting sales of 40,000 units in that country.
The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Kristin Barlowe, was shot in Nashville and features Ballerini playing party games outside with her friends and performing throughout various locations.
On April 5, 2024, in honor of the song's tenth anniversary, Ballerini released a new version of the song entitled "Love You Like You Mean It (Reimagined)".[5]
Content
The song is a mid-tempo country pop song that, according to the digital sheet music published by Hal Leonard Music Publishing, is composed in the key of E major, in cut time with a primary chord pattern of E–B–F♯m7add4–Asus2. Ballerini's vocal ranges one octave, from B3 to B4.[6] Natalie Wiener of Billboard called "Love Me Like You Mean It" a song "about being a young woman who's openly expressing interest in a man," making the song a subtle message of feminism.[7] She compared the song's opening line, "Oh hey, boy with your hat back/Mmm I kind of like that/if you wanna walk my way," to Carly Rae Jepsen's 2012 hit, "Call Me Maybe".[7]
Reception
Critical
Taste of Country reviewed the single favorably, saying that "Ballerini mixes modern production techniques with a straight-up country message to create an identifiable country-pop blend."[8] In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin placed "Love Me Like You Mean It" at number one on his top 10 list of Ballerini's best songs.[9]
Commercial
"Love Me Like You Mean It" debuted at number 60 on the US BillboardCountry Airplay chart for the week of October 18, 2014,[10] and debuted at number 48 on the US BillboardHot Country Songs chart for the week of December 13, 2014. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart for the week of July 4, 2015, making Ballerini the first solo female to send her debut single to the top of that chart since Carrie Underwood did with "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2006; it also made her the first female country music artist to do so on an independent label.[11] The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on July 14, 2015, and certified Platinum on August 4, 2016.[12] The song has sold 596,000 copies in the US as of May 2016.[13] In Canada, the song reached the top three of the Canada Country chart and peaked at number 61 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was certified Gold by Music Canada on September 12, 2016.[14]
Music video
An acoustic music video was directed by Robert Chavers and premiered in November 2014.[15] The official music video, directed by Kristin Barlowe,[16] was filmed in Nashville[17] and premiered in March 2015.[18] In it, Ballerini is seen playing games like musical chairs and Twister with her friends outside, while performing the song from various locations inside a trailer and in the doorway of a house.
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
Some Hearts is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood, released in the United States on November 15, 2005, by Arista Nashville. The album contains the number one country singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Don't Forget to Remember Me", "Wasted", and "Before He Cheats". The North American version contains the Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Inside Your Heaven", as a bonus track.
American country music singer Carrie Underwood has released nine studio albums, one greatest hits album, and 29 singles. Underwood rose to fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was released in 2005 and is the fastest-selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It also became the best-selling solo female country debut in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) history, as well as the top-selling debut album of any American Idol contestant in the United States.
Carnival Ride is the second studio album by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States on October 23, 2007, by Arista Nashville. On this album, Underwood was more involved in the songwriting process; she set up a writers' retreat at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium to collaborate with Music Row tunesmiths such as Hillary Lindsey, Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, and Gordie Sampson.
Blown Away is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States and Canada on May 1, 2012, by Arista Nashville. After finishing her successful Play On Tour in December 2010 to promote her third studio album Play On, Underwood started working on the album, but took her time, as she "wanted to change things up", and needed to step away from the "celebrity bubble" to "have real things to write about and to sing about". It took her over one year to finish the album, which, according to Underwood, ended up having a "darker storyline" than her previous efforts.
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini is an American country pop singer and songwriter. A four-time Grammy Awards nominee, she has gained success since the 2010s, being honored with the Gene Weed Milestone Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music.
The First Time is the debut studio album by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. It was released on May 19, 2015, by Black River Entertainment. The album's track listing and cover art was released on April 1, 2015. With the album's first three singles all reaching number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, Ballerini became the first new female artist to send her first three releases to the top of the charts.
"Dibs" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini for her debut studio album The First Time (2015). Ballerini co-wrote the song with Josh Kerr, Ryan Griffin, and Jason Duke. It was released to American country radio by Black River Entertainment on July 20, 2015 as the album's second single. The song was previously included on Ballerini's 2014 self-titled EP.
"Dirty Laundry" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller (2015). The song was written by Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and Hillary Lindsey, with production from Jay Joyce, and was released as the fourth single from the album in the United States and Canada. The single was shipped to country radio on August 22 and made its official impact on September 5. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 23, 2020.
"Church Bells" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller. The song was written by Zach Crowell, Brett James, and Hillary Lindsey, with production from Mark Bright, and was released as the third single from the album in the United States, being shipped to radio on April 3, 2016, and had an official impact date of April 11, 2016.
"Peter Pan" is a song co-written and recorded by American recording artist Kelsea Ballerini. It was released to American country radio by Black River Entertainment as the third single from her debut studio album The First Time (2015). Ballerini co-wrote the song with Forest Glen Whitehead and Jesse Lee. The track is a country pop ballad about a lost love being compared to the song's namesake as a metaphor for being immature and having a tendency to run off to his own fantasy.
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"Yeah Boy" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini for her debut studio album, The First Time (2015). Ballerini co-wrote the song with Forest Glen Whitehead and Keesy Timmer. It was released to American country radio on October 10, 2016 and was to be the album's fourth and final single. The song garnered a positive reception from critics praising its upbeat nature and Ballerini's bubbly charm for being a return to her first two singles. The song was previously included on Ballerini's 2014 self-titled EP.
"Legends" is a song by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini for her second studio album, Unapologetically (2017). Ballerini co-wrote the track with Hillary Lindsey, and Forest Glen Whitehead. The song was released as a digital single on June 7, 2017 and impacted American country radio on July 10, serving as the lead single for the album.
American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini has released four studio albums, two extended plays, one compilation album, one remix album, and 14 singles, including two as a featured artist. Her first three singles all reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Ballerini the first female artist since Wynonna Judd in 1992 to accomplish this feat. The third such single, "Peter Pan", also made Ballerini the first female to top the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts simultaneously since the latter was reformatted in 2012.
"Miss Me More" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini for her second studio album, Unapologetically (2017). Ballerini co-wrote the song with David Hodges and Brett McLaughlin. "Miss Me More" was released digitally on October 20, 2017, as the album's third and final promotional single, and was later serviced to American country radio on October 15, 2018, as the third and final single from the album. Ballerini named her 2019 tour after the single.
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"The Bones" is a song by American country music singer Maren Morris from her second studio album, Girl (2019). Morris co-wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, and it was produced by Greg Kurstin. "The Bones" was released digitally as a promotional single on February 22, 2019, and was later serviced to hot adult contemporary radio on May 20, 2019, as the album's second single. The song became a sleeper hit, peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2020. The song ended up being the second-biggest country song of 2020 in the US. It is certified four-times platinum in the US.
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