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Revision as of 02:45, 22 March 2013

"Let There Be Love"
Song

"Let There Be Love" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera for her seventh studio album, Lotus (2012). It was written by Max Martin, Shellback, Bonnie McKee, Oliver Goldstein, Oscar Holter and Jakke Erixson, with production done by Martin and Shellback. In a Lotus album preview with VEVO, Aguilera revealed that she knew of Martin when she first debuted in the music industry, but wanted to collaborate with other producers before working with him. The singer continued to say that now she has come full circle in her career, and that she felt like it was the right time collaborate on material for her album. "Let There Be Love" is a multi-genre song, combining dance, dancepop, EDM, electronica, eurodance and trance. Its instrumentation consists of synths, "loud" drums and electronicas, and received comparisons to the songs recorded by Usher, "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "Scream", both of which were produced by Martin.

It garnered positive reviews from music critics. Many of them praised Aguilera for not over singing and delivering a solid vocal performance, while others complimented the musical structure and composition. It was also deemed as one of the best songs on Lotus and that it would have been a better lead single option over "Your Body". Upon the release of Lotus, the song debuted on the South Korea international singles chart at number 92 with digital download sales of 2,945. Aguilera performed the song for first time at the 40th American Music Awards on November 2012, as part of a medley with Lotus tracks "Lotus Intro" and "Army of Me". She also performed the song on The Voice with the team who she coaches.

Background and recording

Following the release of Aguilera's sixth studio album, Bionic (2010),[1] the singer filed for divorce from her husband Jordan Bratman, starred in her first feature film, Burlesque and recorded the accompanying soundtrack.[2] She then became a coach on NBC's singing competition show The Voice[2] and appeared as a featured artist on Maroon 5's single "Moves Like Jagger" (2011), which spent four weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3] Following these events, Aguilera announced that had plans to begin production of her seventh album, stating that she wanted high quality and "personal" songs for the record.[3] Regarding the creative direction, she revealed that the album would be a "culmination of everything I've experienced up until this point ... I've been through a lot since the release of my last album, being on ('The Voice'), having had a divorce ... This is all sort of a free rebirth for me."[4] She further said "I'm embracing many different things, but it's all feel-good, super-expressive [and] super-vulnerable."[4] The singer continued to say that the album would be about "self–expression and freedom" because of the personal struggles she had overcome during the last couple of years.[5]

Speaking about her new material during an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2012, Aguilera said that the recording process for Lotus was taking a while because "I don't like to just get songs from producers. I like them to come from a personal place ... I'm very excited. It's fun, exciting, introspective, it's going to be great".[6] Recorded at MXM Studios by Shellback in Stockholm, Sweden, "Let There Be Love" was written by Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Bonnie McKee, Oliver Goldstein, Oscar Holter and Jakke Erixson.[7] It was produced by Martin and Shellback.[7] Aguilera's vocals were recorded by Oscar Ramirez at The Red Lip's Room, Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills in California; the background vocals engineer was Sam Holland.[7] Programming and keyboards were carried out by Shellback and additional keyboards were performed by Holter, Erixson and Martin.[7]

Development

Aguilera explained how she and Max Martin had met early on in her career, but it was a creative and mutual decision not to collaborate with each other at that stage in her career as she wanted to explore different avenues.[8] However, she felt at this point in her career with Lotus, Aguilera felt it was the right time to work together, saying:

I definitely don't go the straight and narrow path, and you know, I definitely kinda like to experiment and collaborate. And so, I think it's taken me and Max this long to work together because of that, because what he does is genius and he is a classic hitmaker. But when I was coming out it was at a time when we had the huge pop explosion, and he was all over radio and I just wanted to work with others like Linda Perry and do that route and do "Beautiful" and songs like that. We built a level of respect for each other. So at this point, coming together, especially embracing my true pop-starness, at this point in my career having come full circle, I was able to really truly embrace it, and embrace him. He gave me the freedom to really sing on these songs, and have a little more creative freedom because I heard he is a stickler for melody and a melody king and I was scared, I was like 'Oh my God! I won't be able to collaborate here.' But he couldn't have been more great, and this is a really fun song, super up-tempo. It's probably the most dancey-ish song on my record, but it's called 'Let There Be Love' but it's free and representative of what this album is about.[8]

Composition and lyrics

Christina Aguilera – "Let The Be Love"
A 19 second audio sample of "Let There Be Love"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Let There Be Love" combines a multitude of genres, including dance, dancepop,[9] electronica,[10] electronic dance music (EDM),[11] eurodance[12] and trance music inspired song,[13] which lasts for a duration of 3:22.[14] The instrumental consists of "a propulsive beat and chewy synths",[15] as well as "loud drums" and "overwhelming" electronica.[10] According to Kitty Empire for The Guardian, the song "about as formulaic as club pop gets" but "resonates effectively."[16] Andrew Hampp for Billboard compared the song's instrumental to two songs recorded by Usher, "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "Scream", both of which were produced by Martin.[15] He also noted that Aguilera was probably aware that the "Let There Be Love"'s melody bared strong resemblances to the songs, which most likely prompted her to spend "the last minute wailing all over the place."[15] Aguilera "roars" the lyrics "Let there be let there be love/ Here in the here in the dark" over trance beats and projects a "saucy" tone as she sings ""Hit the right spot, making my eyes roll back."[10][13]

Critical reception

"Let There Be Love" received a comparison the songs recorded by Usher, "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" and "Scream", both of which were produced by Max Martin.[15]

"Let There Be Love" garnered positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine for Allmusic complimented Aguilera's approach to the song, writing that she sounds "comfortable" and "fresh,"[17] while Andrew Hampp for Billboard wrote that it is a club friendly song but does not show much personality.[15] Chris Younie for 4Music wrote that it is obvious from the "initial stabs of synth" that "Let There Be Love" will resonate "Ibiza type" beats.[10] He continued to write that Aguilera had managed to create a "dance anthem" without the assistance of Calvin Harris.[10] Mesfin Fekadu for The Huffington Post thought that Martin's production of "Let There Be Love" was superior to "Your Body", citing it as "typical" but potentially successful on radio.[18] Jim Farber for New York Daily News praised the song, writing that it "functions as a prime disco diva anthem".[19]

Christina Garibaldi for MTV News praised the wrote the uptempo track, writing that its "heavy beat" and "sultry lyrics" were perfect for people to dance to in nightclubs.[20] Jenna Hally Rubenstein for MTV Buzzworthy wrote that it is easy to become addicted to listening to "Let There Be Love", and that Aguilera's vocals "prevail above the noise."[21] Both Sam Lanksy and Mike Wass for Idolator reviewed "Let There Be Love": Lanksy wrote that the song had the potential to be a "monster hit", and complimented Aguilera for not over singing the song, which he described as "epic."[9] Wass echoed what Lanksy had written, concurring that the song could become a commercial success and that it ought to be a single.[12] He also praised her vocal performance, writing that the production serves as the "perfect destination" for her "powerhouse pipes."[12] Michael Gallucci for Popcrush thought that the song was not quite as good as "Your Body" and described the collaboration between Aguilera and Martin as "typical pop."[22] However, he criticized Aguilera vocal performance stating that her "big voice was designed to soar over monster beats like this."[22]

Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani thought that "Let There Be Love" would have been a better lead single choice than "Your Body", as she felt it would have ensured Aguilera a greater comeback.[23] Cinquemani described the song as "a virtual hybrid of recent club bangers by Rihanna, Britney, Katy, and Ke$ha."[23] Robert Copsey for Digital Spy thought that the song's weakness is also its strength, describing it as "a massive clubby raveathon that is ultimately throwaway, but in the best possible way."[13] He also wrote that it was his favourite song on the album upon the initial listen, but that it would probably fall down his list after several months of play.[13] Annie Zaleski for The A.V. Club was critical of the song, writing that it is "faceless Top 40 EDM."[11] Melissa Maerz for Entertainment Weekly found the "bouncy peace-flag-waver" lyrics of the song contradictory and difficult to comprehend because of "a bonus track called 'Shut Up' that invites the haters to 'suck my [dick].'"[24]

Live performance

Aguilera performed "Let There Be Love" for the first time at the 40th American Music Awards on November 18, 2012, held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[25] As one of the first singers to be announced as a performer at the award ceremony on October 19, 2012, Aguilera sang "Let There Be Love" as part of a medley with two other tracks from Lotus: "Lotus Intro" and "Army of Me".[26] During an interview with MTV News, Aguilera revealed what the performance would be like and the creative direction behind it:

It's very exciting. It's definitely going to be a reflection of what Lotus means to me. If you take that album cover and give it a little performance twist, I'll bring that album cover to life, so it's going to be really fun. I can't give too much away about the songs, but it's definitely going to represent the album because the album is very multilayered. It doesn't represent 'Your Body' as a single tone. It has its ballads; and everything comes from a very sincere, deep–rooted place whether it's having fun or being vulnerable.[25]

Wearing a "fuller–figure" "cinched in corset" designed by The Blonds, who also design outfits for Lady Gaga,[26] Leah Simpson for the Daily Mail wrote that Aguilera put a "sexy twist on patriotism with a star–spangled bodysuit and managed to get a few pulses racing in the over–the–top ensemble."[26] The performance featured dance routines and dancers wearing "torture bags labelled the words 'Freak' and 'Queen' over their heads."[26] Bruna Nessif for E! Online described the performance as "interesting," and noted that the theme "to celebrate everyone for who they are" was similar to the moral content presented on Gaga's album Born This Way (2011).[27] As Aguilera finished her set, the singer was joined on stage by Pitbull to perform his song "Feel This Moment", on which she is a featured artist.[26] Aguilera also performed "Let There Be Love" with her team of aspiring singer's on The Voice, a singing competition on which she is a coach.[28]

Credits and personnel

Recording
  • Recorded at MXM Studios, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Vocals recorded at The Red Lip's Room, Beverly Hills, CA.
Personnel
  • Songwriting – Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Bonnie McKee, Oliver Goldstein, Oscar Holter, Jakke Erixson
  • Production – Max Martin, Shellback
  • Recording – Shellback
  • Vocal recording – Oscar Ramirez
  • Background vocals engineer – Sam Holland
  • Programming and keyboards – Shellback
  • Additional keyboards – Oscar Holter, Jakke Erixson, Max Martin

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Lotus, RCA Records.[7]

Charts

Upon the release of Lotus, "Let There Be Love" debuted on the South Korea Gaon Single Chart at number 92 during the week of November 11 to 17, 2012, due to digital download sales of 2,945.[29] In the United States, the song debuted at number 44 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart on February 18, 2013.[30]

Chart (2012) Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon Single Chart)[29] 92
Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[30] 30

References

  1. ^ Bain, Becky (August 23, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's Demo Of New Single 'Your Body' Surfaces: Listen". Buzz Media. Retrieved September 14, 2012. {{cite news}}: Text "workIdolator" ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b Hampp, Andrew (September 21, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Billboard Cover Story". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 23, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |workr= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b Schneider, Marc (April 11, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Hit the Studio". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Elber, Lynn (August 28, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: New album is a 'rebirth'". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick D. (September 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera readies new album 'Lotus'". Los Angeles Times. Eddy Hartenstein. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  6. ^ "Christina Aguilera: 'New album is quality over quantity'". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. May 27, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e Lotus (Media notes). RCA Records. 2012. p. iTunes Digital Booklet. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |artist= ignored (|others= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b "Let There Be Love (The Lotus Album Preview)". VEVO. November 6, 2012. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "November 27, 2012" ignored (help)
  9. ^ a b Lansky, Sam (November 5, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus' Leak: Hear Standout Track 'Let There Be Love'". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ a b c d e Younie, Chris (November 2, 2012). "News: Review: Christina Aguilera – Lotus". 4Music. Retrieved November 2, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b Zaleski, Annie (November 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Lotus". The A.V. Club. Chicago: The Onion, Inc. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Wass, Mike (November 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus': Album Review'". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d Copsey, Robert (November 2, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's new album 'Lotus': First listen". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  14. ^ "iTunes - Music - Lotus by Christina Aguilera". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  15. ^ a b c d e Hampp, Andrew (November 12, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, 'Lotus': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  16. ^ Empire, Kitty (November 10, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Lotus – review". The Observer. London. The New Review section, p. 29. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  17. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lotus - Christina Aguilera". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  18. ^ Fekadu, Mesfin (November 12, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, 'Lotus' Review: Good, But Not Great". The Huffington Post. New York: AOL. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  19. ^ Farber, Jim (November 13, 2012). "Album review: Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus'". Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  20. ^ Garibaldi, Christina (November 6, 2012). "Christina Aguilera Previews Five Songs From Lotus, Her 'Labor Of Love'". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  21. ^ Rubenstein, Jenna Hally (November 6, 2012). "New Song: Christina Aguilera, 'Let There Be Love'". MTV Buzzworthy. Viacom. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  22. ^ a b Gallucci, Michael (November, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, 'Lotus' - Album Review". Popcrush. Retrieved November 29, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (November 4, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Lotus". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  24. ^ Maerz, Melissa (November 9, 2012). "Lotus - Review - Christina Aguilera Review". Entertainment Weekly (1232–1233). New York. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  25. ^ a b Warner, Kara (October 9, 2012). "Christina Aguilera Teases AMA Performance Inspired By Lotus Cover". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  26. ^ a b c d e Simpson, Leah (November 19, 2012). "Christina Aguilera is unapologetic about her curvy figure as she spills out of two costume changes at the AMAs". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  27. ^ Nessif, Bruna (November 18, 2012). "2012 American Music Awards: Best & Worst From the Show, Plus Full Winner's List". E! Online. E!. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  28. ^ "The Voice: Christina Aguilera Performs 'Let There Be Love' & Cassadee Pope Hits #1 On iTunes". Idolator. Buzz Media. November 21, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  29. ^ a b "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: November 11, 2012 to November 17, 2012)". Gaon Chart. November 17, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  30. ^ a b "Chart Highlights: P!nk Ties Katy Perry For Most Adult Pop Songs No. 1s". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. February 18, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
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