Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Let Me Love You (Mario song)

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Released
  
November 16, 2004

Genre
  
R&B

Label
  
J Epic

Recorded
  
2003

Length
  
4:09

Format
  
12" CD digital download

"Let Me Love You" is a song by American singer Mario, from his second studio album, Turning Point (2004). It was written by Ne-Yo, and produced by Scott Storch. The remix of the song, also produced by Storch, contains rapped verses from Jadakiss and T.I.. The song was an instant hit, garnering Mario a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2006.

Contents

In 2008, it was ranked at number 45 on Billboard's All-Time Top 100 Hot 100 singles during the first 50 years of the chart. It was the eighth most successful single of the decade according to the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade chart released in December 2009. In 2013, it was ranked at number 53 on Billboard's All-Time Top 100 Hot 100 singles during the first 55 years of the chart.

Music and structure

"Let Me Love You" is a moderate R&B ballad in the Dorian mode, centered around the progression C minor / G minor / F major. It is written in common time. The song was written by Ne-Yo, and features him singing backing vocals in two-part harmony and unison.

Critical reception

Jon Parales from The New York Times commented that "Let Me Love You" "looks back to another 1980s blockbuster, lifting its keyboard sound from Tina Turner's 'What's Love Got to Do with It'."

Accolades and nominations

In 2004, "Let Me Love You" was nominated for a Vibe Award for Best R&B Song and two Teen Choice Awards, Choice Love Song and Choice R&B/Rap Track, but it failed to receive any awards. In 2005, it received nominations for Billboard Music Awards, including "Hot 100 Single of the Year", "Hot 100 Airplay Single of the Year", "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year", "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Single of the Year, winning in both the R&B categories. It was also nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B Single, a Viewer's Choice award at the BET Awards, Best Single at the MOBO Awards, and Best R&B/Soul Song at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 2006, Mario was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance with "Let Me Love You". He also received an MTV Australia Awards nomination for Best R&B music video for "Let Me Love You".

Commercial performance

"Let Me Love You" held the number-one position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks from January to February 2005, and, as of 2017, is Mario's biggest single. It also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally, it reached the number-one position on the singles charts in Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart (held off the top spot by "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo"), making it Mario's biggest hit to date in the UK. The single also holds the honor of being one of the highest-selling ringtones with 1.6 million downloads.

Music video

The music video was directed by Little X.

Covers

  • Charlotte Church covered the song as a B-side to her "Call My Name" single.
  • The cast of Glee covered the song in the season 3 episode "Heart".
  • Zayn Malik from One Direction sang the song at his audition for The X Factor in 2010.
  • Austin Mahone and Justin Bieber each covered the song at the start of their careers.
  • Indonesian singer Dhika Moela covered the song in 2014.
  • Mario and Zendaya performed the song on ABC's Greatest Hits in 2016 (season 1, episode 5).
  • Country pop artist Chris Lane recorded a cover version of the song for his debut studio album, Girl Problems.
  • The Voice Nigeria contestants Chike and Patrick from team Patoranking did a cover version of the song for their battle round in 2016.

    • Track listing

    U.S. CD single
    1. "Let Me Love You" (album version)
    2. "Let Me Love You" (remix version)
    3. "Let Me Love You" (Mauve Remix Extended)
    4. "Let Me Love You" (video)
    U.S. promo CD
    1. "Let Me Love You" (album version)
    2. "Let Me Love You" (Mauve Remix Edit)
    Australian CD single
    1. "Let Me Love You" (album version)
    2. "Let Me Love You" (remix version)
    3. "Whiz"
    4. Multimedia track
    12-inch maxi single
    1. "Let Me Love You"
    2. "Let Me Love You" (instrumental)
    3. "Call Out Hook"
    Remix
    1. "Let Me Love You" (featuring Jadakiss and T.I.)

    References

    Let Me Love You (Mario song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA