"
Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter
Meghan Trainor for her first studio album
Title(2015). The song features American singer
John Legend. It was written by Trainor, Justin Weaver, and Caitlyn Smith, and produced by
Chris Gelbuda and Trainor. Released by
Epic Records on June 23, 2015, as Trainor's fourth and final single from the album, it is a
soulsong. Lyrically, it is an optimistic and inspiring
love song with a theme of
fatalism and conveys the message to not take time with loved ones for granted.
The song topped the Australian singles chart for four consecutive weeks and reached number one in New Zealand for three weeks.
[1]The song peaked at number eight on both the
Billboard Hot 100,
[2] and the
Canadian Hot 100, becoming Trainor's third top 10 single in both countries. The song's
music video was directed by Constellation Jones and released on July 9, 2015. It depicts Trainor and Legend singing in the candlelight as it rains outside. Trainor promoted "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" in a number of appearances, including live performances at the
2015 Billboard Music Awards and on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. It was also performed at Trainor's
That Bass Tour and
MTrain Tour (2015).
Writing and development[edit]
['Like I'm Gonna Lose You' has] very emotional lyrics that take you to a real place. I wrote it in Nashville about ... you know when you have those nightmares that your brother or sister or boyfriend just dies? And you wake up sweating and crying and then you have to go check on them to make sure they're still alive and they are and you're like, 'Oh my God – thank God'. It's like I'm going to love you like I'm going to lose you because I know what it feels like from that dream and I'm not going to let it happen.
“
”
—Trainor on the song's conception in an interview with Digital Spy[3]
"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" was written by Meghan Trainor, Justin Weaver, and Caitlyn Smith.
[4] It was composed as a demo "years ago", but Trainor was at first hesitant to show the song to her record label during the recording of her debut album,
Title (2015).
[5]
At the request of Trainor's uncle, Burton Toney, her management listened to the track. Trainor recalls one of her managers being brought to tears by the song, resulting in the decision to include it on the album.
[5] The song was produced by Trainor and
Chris Gelbuda, who she had first met in 2011 at a music conference in
Colorado. They later co-wrote
Sabrina Carpenter's "
Can't Blame a Girl for Trying". During their recording of the track "3am" for
Title, Trainor told Gelbuda about "Like I'm Gonna Lose You", a
reggae song which she felt was a poor fit for the album. The pair brainstormed, with Gelbuda playing various melodies on a
guitar, resulting in a change in sound and
tempo. "She dug it and it just worked. We built the track together, she sang the vocals, and I worked at it for weeks," Gelbuda recalls.
[6][7] They recorded "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" in 2014 at The Green Room, Gelbuda's home studio, in
East Nashville, Tennessee. Trainor and Gelbuda performed all of the track's instrumentation, production, and
programming.
[4][7]
Initially intended to be a solo recording,
L.A. Reid sent it to
John Legend, who shares the same management as Trainor.
[5][6] Legend said, "I love this: I want to be a part of it".
[5] Trainor announced her collaboration with Legend in an interview with
MTV News at the
iHeartRadio Music Festival in September 2014.
[5] His vocal was recorded as a duet with Trainor's by Jason Agel at Germano Studios in
New York City, with the assistance of Kenta Yonesaka. "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" was
mixed by
Manny Marroquin at Larabee North Studios in
Universal City, California and mastered by Dave Kutch at The Mastering Palace in New York City.
[4] Gelbuda describes it as "classic and
jazzy" and "a big departure from everything she's done".
[7]
Composition[edit]
The song features guest vocals by American singer
John Legend
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A 22-second sample of "Like I'm Gonna Lose You", featuring Trainor singing the track's chorus, which is complemented by minimal harmonies and instrumental accompaniment.
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Problems playing this file? See media help. |
"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is a
retro style soul ballad.
[8] It features Trainor's
soprano vocals in a duet with Legend, and includes additional
background vocals by Trainor and Gelbuda.
[4][9] The track comprises minimal harmonies and instrumental accompaniment, showcasing Trainor and Legend's vocals at its forefront.
[10] Critics noted the song as a more earnest, tender, and subdued sound compared Trainor's other material.
[11][12][13] The track is set in the
time signature of
12
8 time, with a slow tempo of 72 beats per minute. It is composed in the
key of
C major and has a sequence of C–F/C–C–Em–Am–F–C/E–Dm
7–F/G as its
chord progression.
[14]
Characterized as a
love song with a lyrical theme of
fatalism, "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" channels anxiety about losing someone into determination to make the most of every moment.
[12][15][16] According to Gelbuda, the track is about not taking time with loved ones for granted.
[6]
Critical reception[edit]
Rolling Stone writer Chuck Arnold called the song "finger-snapping balladry" and likened it to duets by
Marvin Gaye and
Tammi Terrell.
[17] Melanie J. Sims of the
Associated Press felt that "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" was the most refreshing track on
Title, writing "Not only is it a nice change of pace sonically, but in a rare moment, the track gives Trainor's vocals the main stage, without a catchy hook or quirky production yanking away the spotlight".
[13] Similarly, Elysa Gardener of
USA Today wrote: "Trainor is at her most appealing when she doesn't try to be sly or subversive. Her yearning soprano is a perfect match for guest John Legend's silky voice and presence on 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You'".
[9] Glenn Gamboa of
Newsday called the song "classic-sounding" and said that it would "stick with Trainor throughout her sure-to-be-lengthy career".
[8] Martin Townsend of the
Daily Express named "Like I'm Gonna Lose You", along with "Walkashame", as the album's best tracks.
[18] Virgin Media's Ian Gittins opined that the song manifested Trainor's vocal prowess.
[19]
In a mixed review,
The Daily Telegraph's Helen Brown opined that the ballad was formulaic, but complimented Legend's sincerity of tone.
[20] Daily News writer Jim Farber commented that the track "played to the smarm of Legend", and further added, "Trainor can turn earnest—not always in a good way".
[11] Marc Hirsh of
The Boston Globe wrote, "When [Trainor] steps away from
pastiche, she struggles; John Legend comes through loud and clear on boilerplate ballad 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You,' while she could be anybody at all".
[21] Billboard writer Carl Wilson shared the views of Farber and Hirsh, and said that Legend's vocal added "deeper textures to an otherwise static [song]".
[22]
Chart performance[edit]
"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" debuted at number 63 on the
Canadian Hot 100 and number 11 on the US
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles charts issued for January 31, 2015.
[23][24] The song later re-entered US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at a new peak of number 10 for the chart dated June 6, 2015.
[25] For the chart dated July 25, 2015, the track debuted on the Hot 100 at number 95. On the week charting October 3, 2015, the song charted at number 45 and steadily rose to a peak position of number 18 on November 6, and later reached a new peak of number 8, on the issue dated 12 December, thus becoming Trainor's third and Legend's second top-10 single. It also peaked at number one on the
Adult Top 40 chart.
[26]
In Australia, "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" debuted at number 80 on the
Australian Singles Chart issued for June 8, 2015. It climbed 61 positions to number 19 the following week, marking Trainor fifth consecutive top-20 hit in the country.
[27] The following week, it ascended to number five, finally hitting the number one position on the chart the following week.
[28] It stayed at number one for a total of four weeks.
[29] In New Zealand, the song debuted on the
New Zealand Singles Chart at number 26 on the chart dated June 29, 2015. In its second week, the song dropped to number 32, before rising to number 13 the following week. After four weeks on the chart, the song was certified gold and reached number one, marking Trainor's third number-one hit and fifth top-10 hit.
[30][31] It gave Legend his first number-one single in the country and his second top-10.
[31]
Music video[edit]
On June 18, 2015, Trainor confirmed that the shooting for the "Like I'm Gonna Lose You"
music video had begun.
[32] She premiered the music video in
Times Square on July 9, 2015.
[33] Trainor released the videos behind the scenes on July 21, 2015.
[34][35]
In the video, directed by Constellation Jones, Trainor is singing amid candlelight in a darkened building as it rains outside. As the video continues, different aspects of love are shown in the rain: a mother and child, romantic couples, and friendships, braving their way through the same rainy night.
[36]
The music video on YouTube has more than 380 million views as of May 27, 2017.
[37]
Live performances[edit]
Trainor performing "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" on
The Today Show in May 2015
Trainor performed "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" during her
That Bass Tour as a duet with either Matt Prince or George Sheppard of
Sheppard at selected dates.
[38][39] At the tour's date in
Birmingham on April 11, 2015, Trainor was joined by
Nathan Sykes for a duet of the song.
[40][41] In a review of Sykes and Trainor's rendition, Noelle Devolle of
Seventeen said, "It goes without saying that these two are pretty much cementing themselves as the new King and Queen of doo-wop and soul, and they need to collaborate".
[42]
Trainor and Legend's first performance together of "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" was at the
2015 Billboard Music Awards on May 17, 2015.
[43][44]According to Hugh McIntyre of
Forbes, the rendition was widely applauded.
[45] It was the third most-tagged performance of the night on
Shazam. William Gruger of
Billboard wrote, "It's notable that Shazam was so popular with the slow, ballad-oriented tracks, which suggested that they were some of the most engaging moments of the evening".
[46] The performance spurred a 45% increase in
Title's unit sales in the United States, helping it rise seven positions to number five on the
Billboard 200 that week.
[47] Trainor climbed from number seven to number four on the
Billboard Artist 100as a result.
[44] Joe Lynch of
Billboard described the rendition as "one of the night's quiet victories: Not a show-stopper, but a performance that stuck with you".
[48] Trainor and Legend sang "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 21, 2015.
[7] She performed the track solo in a set for
The Today Show on May 22, 2015, along with "
Dear Future Husband", "
All About That Bass" and "
Lips Are Movin".
[49] An
a cappella rendition of the song by Trainor and Legend premiered on May 27, 2015, by
Entertainment Weekly, as part of
Pop TV's "Massive Musical Mash-Up".
[50] Trainor also performed along with Legend on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 14, 2015.
[51] Trainor performed the song on the
American Music Awards of 2015 on November 22, 2015, in a medley with
Charlie Puth's collaboration "
Marvin Gaye".
[52]
Credits and personnel[edit]
- Management
- Personnel
- Meghan Trainor – lead vocals, writer, singer, record producer, all instruments, programming, additional background vocals
- Chris Gelbuda – record producer, all instruments, programming, additional background vocals, recording
- John Legend – singer, lead vocals
- Justin Weaver – writer
- Caitlyn Smith – writer
- Jason Agel – recording
- Kenta Yonesaka – recording assistant
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
- Dave Kutch – mastering
Credits and personnel adapted from
Title album liner notes.
[4]
Charts and certifications[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
Certifications[edit]
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Release history[edit]
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