Justin Bieber–Love Me

Released: 26 October 2009
Billboard: #37
UK Charts: #71

The 16-year old Canadian teen-pop sensation, also the target of many haters online, has released a variety of singles; some of which I find bad (like One Time), but not all of them are that bad – honestly, though I wouldn’t really choose to listen to them, Baby featuring Ludacris and Somebody To Love featuring Usher are really not that bad – not really good, but not unlistenable to me either.

This one falls somewhat in between though. Bieber’s singing is… okay, really. Yes, his singing is somewhat higher than what I would expect of any 16-year old; then again, cause I know he’s the one behind this song, that is somewhat excusable. Of course, with auto-tuning I don’t see significant pitch problems at all… In terms of sound, it’s pretty much average and forgettable, but inoffensive.

That said, the lyrics in this song are pretty twisted, so bad until even just casually listening to it causes me to pick up the sheer incredulity behind it all. The song is supposed to be sweet, probably reflecting the songwriters’ ideas of the emotions one experiences with ‘puppy’ or first loves. However, if we look at what exactly he is singing…

My friends say I’m a fool to think that you’re the one for me
I guess I’m just a sucker for love
‘Cuz honestly the truth is that you know I’m never leavin’
‘Cuz you’re my angel sent from above

Okay, nothing too bad so far. I tend to dislike the metaphor of angels that some songwriters use – however, the idea of being a protector, a guardian of some sort is acceptable. It only runs downhill from here, though…

Baby you can do no wrong, my money is yours
Give you a little more because I love ya, love ya
With me, girl, is where you belong
Just stay right here, I promise my dear I’ll put nothin above ya, above ya

Sigh. He sets her up on a pedestal it seems, elevating her to the level of an idol by claiming she is infallible (can do no wrong), and even seems to want to use cash to get at her. Pretty surprising for a then 15 year old, I think.

Love me, love me, say that you love me
Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me

!!!

Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me
Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you (love me) (repeat chorus)

Meh. The chorus is a minor variation on that of the Cardigans’ LoveFool; no wonder it sounds pretty familiar, and is actually not too problematic, except given the singer! Seriously, the chorus is not appropriate for Mr. Bieber to sing… at such a tender age, at least.

I won’t really go into the second verse, but that just puts on the sugar even more (A minute without you is worth more than/A thousand days without your love) and very unfortunately reminds me of a certain Praise and Worship song… All in all, the song is catchy, and musically isn’t bad, but is a complete failure in the lyrics, I find. The depiction of love given is overblown and extreme to the point of being somewhat unbelievable and incredulous.

OVERALL RATING = 3.5 / 10
Love Me isn’t really a bad song in purely musical terms; however, its lyrics bear numerous defects that can sometimes make the song difficult to listen to.