Format Digital download Length 3:32 | Genre Synthpop
R&B Label Universal Republic | |
 | ||
Released October 14, 2009 (2009-10-14) Writer(s) Leighton Meester
Robin Thicke
Mike Caren
Ollie Goldstein
Rico Love
Shahine Ezell | ||
"Somebody to Love" is a song by American actress and singer Leighton Meester featuring Robin Thicke. Written by Meester, Thicke, Mike Caren, Ollie Goldstein, Rico Love, and Shahine Ezell, and produced by Caren, the song was released as a digital single on October 14, 2009 by Universal Republic Records.
Contents
The song was featured in the ninth episode of the third season of the television series Gossip Girl (in which Meester starred as Blair Waldorf), titled "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" and originally aired November 9, 2009. It is also included on the soundtrack to the 2010 film Valentine's Day.
Composition
"Somebody to Love" is a midtempo electropop song that combines Meester's "pop-electronica vibe" with Thicke's "smooth R&B stylings". The track contains a synth-driven sing-along chorus, and was said to "[hark] back to Madonna's early-'90s dance music". Meester told MTV News that the song is "basically about how I can't get any—I can't find anyone to love." In an interview for On Air with Ryan Seacrest on October 13, 2009—where the song was premiered—, Meester said, "I really wanted to make something that's completely different from anything that's on the radio right now. I feel like it's really dancy and fun, but it's still laid back and relaxed and moody and sexy." Of the single, songwriter Love told MTV News, "I was honored when I found out that my record was chosen to be Leighton's first single. It's exciting to be able to show a different side of my work and me."
Critical reception
Sarah MacRory of Billboard described the song as "a carefully constructed ode to vintage Madonna—particularly in its 'Vogue'-like verses, where Meester semi-raps rather than sings. The lyrics are lovelorn, as she celebrates her jet-setter lifestyle but also mourns her inability to settle down." She noted Thicke's cameo as "[t]he song's high point", as he "delivers a catchy chorus that cries out for a sped-up dance remix." Pitchfork Media's Stephen M. Deusner, however, gave it a mixed review, praising Meester's "sleepy/sexy delivery" but criticizing her "very narrow" vocal range and her "[mangling of] simple French pronunciation", referring to her pronunciation of the French phrase "Je t'adore" ("I adore you").
Music video
The music video was directed by Zoe Cassavetes and filmed in New York City in October 2009. A preview of the video was first shown during the November 2, 2009 episode of Gossip Girl, with the full-length video being launched on CWTV.com on November 9 immediately after its broadcast on The CW Network. Meester explained the concept of the video, saying, "I want it to be telling a story. But a lot about the photography and the lighting, and mostly about the clothes." Meester added to MTV News, "It's basically going through ... a sexy day in my life. We start off in the car, we come in, I keep on fantasizing and dreaming that I'm with somebody I can love. He [Thicke] kind of comes and goes."
The video is about finding love in a world consumed with fleeting lust and one-night stands. It consists mostly of shots of Meester in the back of a limousine in the city at night and posing on a couch. It is intercut with scenes of Meester fantasizing about hooking up with Thicke inside an elevator and in her apartment, as well as scenes of Thicke performing his parts of the song. It also includes cameo appearances by Laker Girl Vanessa Curry and one of the song's writers, Shahine Ezell.
Promotion
Meester performed "Somebody to Love" live for the first time on It's On with Alexa Chung on November 24, 2009.