Format Digital download Length 3:00 | Genre Disco-boogie Label A&M/Octone | |
Released August 17, 2010 (Digital download)
October 12, 2010 (US mainstream radio) Writer(s) Adam Levine
Jesse Carmichael
James Valentine | ||
"Give a Little More" is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released on August 17, 2010 as a digital download. The song is the second single from their third studio album, Hands All Over. The song officially impacted US mainstream radio on October 12, 2010.
Contents
Background and composition
"Give a Little More" was written by Adam Levine with keyboardist Jesse Carmichael and guitarist James Valentine. The lyrics talk about how to ask more of a woman who so clearly has you wrapped around her finger, "You were wrong for turning me on and on and on," Levine sings. "I'm waiting for something, always waiting / Feeling nothing, wondering if it'll ever change." Ultimately, he resigns himself to the fact that, "I have no defense / I know you're gonna get me in the end."
Critical reception
The song received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Ron Harris from the Associated Press wrote that the song "almost strays into disco territory with it's [sic] body-moving beat." He commented that the song "would not have been terribly out of place in 1979", while complimenting that the song is "fun and funky, which is the prime directive of Maroon 5." Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote a positive review, stating that "M5 are always best when they’re uptempo, so we’re happy to hear that the song falls in line with the band’s more danceable tracks like "Wake Up Call" and "Misery." Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Levine's romantic roundelay trundles on, through this airy disco-boogie." Mikael Wood from LA Times wrote that "a light-funk groove as neatly executed as the one in “Give a Little More,” for instance, is its own reward". Chris Ryan from MTV News was direct, writing that "the track is classic Maroon; a slithering groove and chicken-scratch guitar laying the foundation for singer Adam Levine's nasal coo and come-hither lyrics."
Music video
The music video is directed by Paul Hunter. The video was released on September 9, 2010. It is shot using a grainy film style complete with intro countdown and outro of the film running off the reel, and consists of quick cuts between close-ups of Levine singing, along with scenes of the band playing at a party inside an older house, with everyone dancing to the music.