Make Me Like You

"Make Me Like You"
Song

"Make Me Like You" is a song recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani for her third solo studio album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016). Released as the album's second single, it was first distributed digitally on February 12, 2016, while being serviced to contemporary hit radio four days later on February 16. Stefani co-wrote the recording with Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, and its producers Mattman & Robin. "Make Me Like You" is a pop and disco song, incorporating influences of light rock into its sound; its instrumentation consists of chiming guitars, "digi-harps" and a "beachy" drum progression. Lyrically, the recording explores themes on renewability and finding love again following a fractured relationship. The track garnered a critical consensus that it was inspired by her relationship with singer Blake Shelton, to which Stefani later confirmed.

"Make Me Like You" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised the track's upbeat environment and its radio-friendly vibe. In the United States, it debuted and peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was tied for Stefani's lowest charting solo single. Elsewhere, the single peaked in the lower positions of several countries, including Japan, Canada, and France. A remix EP featuring three different remixes of the song was made available as a digital download on April 22.

An accompanying music video was directed by Stefani's long-time collaborator Sophie Muller and was the first to be filmed and broadcast on live television. The event took place during a commercial break for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Throughout the visual, several costume changes and various scenes take place, including a car crash, a salon, and a piano lounge. It also pokes fun at the media scrutiny over her personal life. The video garnered a positive reaction from critics, for being "colorful" and "entertaining". The singer performed the song live on various occasions, including on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Saturday Night Live.

Production and release

According to Stefani, "Make Me Like You" is written about boyfriend Blake Shelton.

Following the completion of several songs dealing with Stefani's divorce from musician Gavin Rossdale, she "forced herself" to begin ones based upon her separate relationship with singer Blake Shelton. The lyrical transition ended with Stefani centering "Make Me Like You" around Shelton, which she recalled as one of her "favorite songs to write". During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2016, Stefani remarked that the recording was "about that guy", and when Kimmel asked for clarification, she confirmed "that guy" was Shelton. Music website Idolator reported that Stefani was working with Swedish production duo Mattman & Robin for the single, which was later confirmed by Warner/Chappell Music through entertainment journal Bustle that same day. The singer enlisted the help of American songwriters Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels to co-write tracks for This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which resulted in Tranter contributing to all eighteen songs on the album. "Make Me Like You" was written in under fifteen minutes, and reflected how Stefani "had been feeling" that day.

Mattias Larsson and Robin Frediksson of Mattman & Robin recorded Stefani's vocals at Wolf Cousins Studios and Maratone Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and at Interscope Studios in Santa Monica, California. Additional recording was managed by Juan Carlos Torrado and Noah Passovoy, while Serban Ghenea mixed the audio at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The single's artwork was photographed by Jamie Nelson and displays Stefani "channeling" Marilyn Monroe's hairstyle.

"Make Me Like You" was the second single released from Stefani's third studio album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016). Initially, Stefani reported "Misery" as the album's next single, following lead single "Used to Love You", but "Make Me Like You" was ultimately chosen. Interscope Records released the song for digital download on February 12, 2016. On February 16, 2016, it was released to mainstream radio stations. Five weeks later, the single was released in Italy to mainstream radio on March 25, 2016, by Universal. On April 22 of the same year, Interscope issued a digital EP titled "(The Remixes)" and included three remixes of "Make Me Like You" created by musicians RAC, Chris Cox, and Sad Money.

Composition and lyrics

"Make Me Like You" is a pop and disco song that comes off as "creamy" through the use of digitally-produced harps. Upbeat pop and funk-influenced music is paired with "feathery guitar riffs" to accompany Stefani's vocals alongside a vibrant-sounding melody. The song lasts for a duration of three minutes and thirty-six seconds. Zach Johnson, a columnist for E! Online, called it a "bubblegum song" and felt the lyrics proved Shelton's role as a muse during the writing process. Robbie Daw of Idolator noted that the song "contains the best echoes" of "Lovefool" by The Cardigans and classic Kylie Minogue, while Carl Williot of the same publication thought that the song reminded him of rock band Phoenix's "Too Young" or a song by indie pop group The Bird and the Bee.

Lyrically, "Make Me Like You" deals with the positives surrounding a breakup, where one must learn to start over once "the gloom lifts". Like "Used to Love You", Stefani administers a similarity by "inflecting emotion in her voice", as described by Colin Piwtorak of The Daily of the University of Washington. The singer confronts her lover in the song's hook: "Why'd you have to go and make me like you?", and continues the confrontation into its chorus: "I'm so mad at you, 'cause now you get me missing you". During the song's bridge, Stefani expresses her gratitude for Shelton by crooning "Oh God, thank God that I found you" repeatedly, which Mehera Bonner from Marie Claire called "ridiculously romantic". The singer also refers to when she first encountered Shelton: "I was free before I met you, I was broken but free / All alone in a clear view, but now you are all I see".

Critical reception

"Make Me Like You" was well received by contemporary music critics. According to Daniel Kreps, writing for Rolling Stone, its sounds is "refreshing" and favorably referred to the lyrics as "all about renewal". Also speaking about its composition, a staff member from Billboard called it "a three-and-a-half minute nugget of creamy, upbeat pop". Idolator's Robbie Daw applauded the singer for exploring the sound; he declared it "the perfect example of the type of pop we've been barely-patiently waiting for Gwen to churn out" and congratulated her for "str[iking] Spring Pop Anthem gold". Bianca Gracie and Mike Wass of the same website also responded positively to it; Gracie called the song's melody "wildly infectious" and applauded it for being "pure, vibrant and cheeky pop". In the same vein, Wass labeled it a "breezy anthem" and "a worthy addition to Gwen's discography". Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic compared its production and Stefani's "signature pout" to that of Sheryl Crow, which he favored for standing out "strong[ly]". Continuing a comparison to The Cardigans' "Lovefool", Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound found the similarities to be "as much [a] compliment as it is [a] complaint". Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood instead found Stefani "summoning a bit of the appealing insolence" from her work as the lead singer of ska punk band No Doubt. Wood later lauded her decision to work with Mattman & Robin on the track, calling their collaboration "savvy". Moreover, Spin critic Theon Weber agreed by comparing the track to Stefani's "synth-pop era", particularly songs "Simple Kind of Life" (2000), "Underneath It All" (2002), and "Serious" (2004), which he thought shared a "spacious, twinkling liteness". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that it was "reminiscent of 2006's 'The Sweet Escape'", leaving Kelly Lawler to depict it as a "catchy" and "sweet pop candy" song.

Several critics called the track a standout on This Is What the Truth Feels Like. Pitchfork's Jillian Mapes applauded it, stating that "Make Me Like You" was the album's "only [...] song that really works". Carolyn Menyes from Music Times stated that of the two recordings that "capture [...] the earliest stage[s] of a relationship" (the other being "Send Me a Picture"), "Make Me Like You" was the "more exciting" option. Ryan Middleton of the same publication agreed and acclaimed it "solid production" for causing him a "temporary earworm". Exclaim!'s Gregory Adams praised Stefani's "signature pipes" during the chorus, which Amanda Dykan of AltWire highlighted when speaking of the singer's ten-year hiatus. When considering its written aspect, Adam R. Holz from Plugged In appreciated the track's "honest lyrics", while Lindsay Zoladz of Vulture found them to be "irrepressibly" and "convincingly teenage". Christian Kennedy, writing for The Michigan Daily, disagreed and called them "catchy without leaning towards the tepidity of much of today's pop music", which worked well with the its "well-oiled production". Additionally, Mesfin Fekadu, a critic for The National, claimed the single "do[es]n't feel connected to Stefani – it's as if another pop star could sing the track and you wouldn't notice the difference". Fekadu found the track "disappointing for a singer who is usually a standout on the pop music scene". In a differing opinion, Gregory Robinson of Redbrick proclaimed the track as "another delicious slice of pop perfection", further exclaiming that "Stefani's new release is definitely "pop ear candy"".

Commercial performance

"Make Me Like You" was moderately successful after its release. In the United States, the single debuted and peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the highest debut of the week; alongside its debut on the Hot 100, it also peaked at number 12 on the Digital Songs component chart, where it sold over 56,000 digital copies. The following week, the song dropped to number 68 on the Hot 100, and left the chart in its third week. Following the release of This Is What the Truth Feels Like, "Make Me Like You" re-entered in the United States chart at number 97. It lasted five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, before departing the chart at the bottom position of number 100 on April 16, 2016. Four days after its digital release, it was made available to contemporary hit radio on February 16. Its addition to radio prompted the track to enter the Adult Top 40, where it peaked at number 17, spending a total of 12 weeks on the chart. For the week ending May 7, 2016, "Make Me Like You" peaked at number 24 on the Adult Contemporary chart; however, it peaked at number 23 on the Mainstream Top 40, becoming the lowest peak in her career. Additionally, the song was streamed over 1.95 million times on Spotify, prompting it to debut at numbers fourteen and fifteen on the Spotify Viral 50 and Spotify Velocity charts, respectively.

Internationally, "Make Me Like You" found similar success. In Canada, the track peaked at number 62, and became Stefani's lowest-charting single following previous release "Used to Love You", in 2015. On Canada's Adult Contemporary chart, it peaked in May 2016 at number 27, and spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart. It spent nine weeks on the CHR/Top 40 chart, where it peaked at the bottom position, in addition to spending 12 weeks on the Hot AC list, where it charted at number 23. On The Official Finnish Charts download component, the recording peaked at number 27, before dropping off the chart completely. In Japan, it peaked at number 47 on the Japan Hot 100, and was Stefani's first and only entry on the chart. It spent three weeks on their chart, and dropped off after reaching its peak position. The single was less successful in other countries. In Australia, the track entered at number 99 and peaked at number 97 the following week, becoming Stefani's least successful commercial release there. In the United Kingdom, it missed the top 100 by debuting and peaking at number 140. Fueled by purchased digital downloads only, the song entered the UK Singles Downloads Chart at number 63 for the week of February 19, 2016.

Music video

Background and development

The music video for "Make Me Like You" was shot on February 15, 2016, in Burbank, California. It was filmed at the Warner Bros. lot during the live broadcast of the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. It was directed by Sophie Muller, who had previously directed various videos for Stefani, including "Don't Speak" (1996), "Cool" (2005), and "Spark the Fire" (2014). Grant Jue of Jesse Dylan's Wondros Collective produced the video, to which Muller is partnered with. The video marks Stefani's first collaboration with the Target Corporation, who would later exclusively distribute copies of the deluxe edition of the single's parent album This Is What the Truth Feels Like. According to Stefani, approximately thirty minutes before the video's live broadcast, she stumbled while exiting the piano lounge scene, resulting in a minor head injury. During the video's final rehearsal, Stefani mistakenly missed her exit to an elevating platform while inline skating; in addition, a stunt double of Stefani accidentally turned to face the camera. She later joked that the mistake "'knocked some sense' into her". However, none of the aforementioned mistakes occurred in the actual video, to which Gabe McDonough of Music and Strategy called "a best-case scenario". After the live shoot was over, Stefani released a statement through Target on her feelings regarding the video:

Wow! That was the fastest four minutes. It's so amazing how much goes into one take. I couldn't be more proud of our team, especially Sophie, the cast and the crew for their hard work over the past few weeks. This entire project with Target has been such an incredible experience, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with them.

In a separate interview with Jimmy Kimmel on his nightly talk show, Stefani expressed how she could not believe the performance happened, also claiming that "she had personally worked on it continuously for about six days". Stefani estimated that she worked on the video for six continuous days, lasting from "7 in the morning 'til 3 in the morning". On February 22, 2016, it was revealed that an estimate of $12 million was used to cover the video's production, making it one of the most expensive music videos ever made. Approximately $8 million was used to reserve the airtime, while the remaining amount was used on production.

Synopsis

The video makes several references to Stefani's personal life, including a scene with a tabloid magazine displaying the headline "Gwen Pregnant with Alien Baby!"

The video begins with Stefani awaking in a pile of scraps from a car crash. She wears a black and white, striped gown on top of a black turtleneck and black pants. She gets up from the accident and walks past a line of hanging clocks, before being greeted by four women, all wearing full-bodysuits. One of them removes Stefani's gown while another puts a red kimono on her. As the first chorus begins, she enters a pink salon where Stefani's friend and hairstylist, Danilo Dixon, greets her and sits her down in a rolling chair. Meg DeAngelis, a salon assistant, places a tabloid magazine into Stefani's hand, displaying the title "Gwen Pregnant with Alien Baby!"; the headline references recent rumors of a pregnancy with boyfriend Shelton. The second verse shows Stefani entering a mirrored room, where she changes into a sequined blazer, and then exits into a red tunnel behind two male breakdancers.

When the song's bridge begins playing, Stefani is shown walking into a dark room with five female figures wearing masks of the singer's face. She purposely bumps into two of them, and then switches into a multi-colored poncho before riding a motorcycle with other women wearing apparel from Stefani's clothing line, L.A.M.B.. As the chorus is played for a third time, she changes into a long, white skirt resembling a wedding dress and enters a piano lounged called "Blake's", yet another reference to Shelton. Stefani then stands in front of bar, where bartender Todrick Hall pretends to mix drinks and wipe down the counter. A background dancer picks Stefani up and swings her around in a circle while several others perform their routine. She marches over to a piano, and lip-syncs to the song's bridge as members of the production crew secretly remove her high heels and replace them with roller skates. She enters a bullseye-shaped room and roller skates during the chorus before exiting the room. Simultaneously, a stunt double of Stefani performs a fake tumble, which "surprises" the other skaters. Stefani concludes the video on top of an elevating platform while mouthing the final words of the song; the camera zooms out to display the Target logo and red confetti raining from the ceiling of the studio.

Reception

The video for "Make Me Like You" premiered on Stefani's Vevo account the morning after its live broadcast on February 16, 2016. However, it was not available as a paid download in the United States until February 29, roughly two weeks later. Outside of North America, the video was released on June 7, 2016. Facebook Live promoted the video afters its release, to which Jeff Jones, Chief Marketing Officer of Target, stated generated "more than 3 billion media impressions [...] for the campaign", in addition to the official video being viewed nearly 2 million times on YouTube. Natalie Finn from E! Online praised the video, calling it "spot-on as always" and enjoyed various aspects of the clip, including the costume changes, roller-skating, and "Gwen-look-alike dancers". Nolan Feeney, writing for Time, praised the performance, stating "Gwen Stefani wasn’t scheduled to perform during the 2016 Grammys, but she may have just delivered one of the evening’s most colorful performances anyway". Spin writer Brennan Carley was also positive in his review, calling it "the definition of quintessential Stefani – bold, colorful, peppy, and utterly timeless". Cole Delbyck, writing for The Huffington Post, opined that "Stefani turned a routine commercial break into a revolving, retro roller-skating bonanza, executing enough costume changes, choreography and visual stunts to make Grease: Live look like an embarrassing middle school musical".

The video's concept was compared with the one used for Death Cab for Cutie's single "You Are a Tourist".

The scene where Stefani's stunt double performs a tumble shocked critics at first, with many believing the fall was real. Delbyck called the trick "confusing", but claimed "if you look closely right before the fall, however, Stefani leaves the screen for a couple of seconds", which allowed her to change outfits for the final scene. In addition to calling the video "colorful", Justin Harp of Digital Spy appreciated the "trickery" of the stunt double's job. As a whole, Kennedy from The Michigan Daily described it as "a brightly colored beacon of hope for continued experimentation in popular music". Erin Jensen of USA Today predicted that the video was in response to Stefani's "comment that her life 'blew up' with the demise of her marriage".

Although Stefani was the first artist to make a live music video broadcast on television, R&B musician Erykah Badu produced a live music video broadcast through Periscope for her song "Phone Down" in November 2015. Indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie similarly live-streamed a video for their single "You Are a Tourist" on April 5, 2011; the video was filmed in one take using multiple cameras, with zero editing or retakes. At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015, Imagine Dragons did a similar concept to Stefani, performing live during a commercial break; the event was also sponsored by the Target Corporation. At the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, held in June 2016, the video received a Bronze Lion award in the category "Artist Associated Stunt or Activation in Partnership With a Brand", becoming Stefani's first and only Cannes Lions award. According to Cannes Lions, the award is recognition of a "collaboration between a brand and a music artist to co-create publicity stunts or brand activations to increase a brand's reach and awareness and drive business". Unlike the similarly-titled Cannes Film Festival, the Lions component recognizes advertisements instead of film, with the video serving as a cross-promotion effort between Stefani and the Target Corporation. In addition to the award, Stefani herself was invited to the festival, where she performed "Make Me Like You".

Live performances

Stefani performed the track live during various public appearances. It was sung during Stefani's headlining tours, including the MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Tour and This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016). During the former promotional tour, "Make Me Like You" was performed at the final show in Tokyo, Japan only, before performances of "Danger Zone" and "What You Waiting For?". Stefani wore "red track pants" and a "red sequined cage top" that revealed a black bra underneath for the live rendition. Visuals of multi-colored tunnels flashed on the video screens behind Stefani, and towards the end of the song, the tunnels began containing images of the singer herself. While on the This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour, she wore a red corset designed by The Blonds, Mariel Haenn, and Rob Zangardi. The performance included the same visuals from her show in Tokyo, and contained similar choreography.

Aside from concert tours, Stefani sung it live on several television programs. "Make Me Like You" made its televised premiere on February 17, 2016 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The performance was proceeded by an interview with the singer, where she described the single's meaning and interpretation. Stefani would also perform the song as the musical guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, and at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards. On April 2, 2016, she sung the song on Saturday Night Live and had No Doubt bandmates Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair accompany her for the performance, where she wore torn jeans and a high-waisted top. The single's most recent performance occurred on July 15, 2016 during Today, where she also sung singles "Misery", "Hollaback Girl", and "The Sweet Escape".

Track listing

Digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Make Me Like You"	3:36

Digital download (The Remixes)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Make Me Like You (RAC Mix)"	3:29
2.	"Make Me Like You (Sad Money Remix)"	2:58
3.	"Make Me Like You (Chris Cox DMS Remix)"	4:49

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of This Is What the Truth Feels Like, Interscope Records.

Recording

• Recorded at Wolf Cousins Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Maratone Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; and Interscope Studios, Santa Monica, California

Personnel

• Gwen Stefani – lead vocals, songwriting
• Robin Fredriksson – songwriting
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – mixing engineer
• Mattias Larsson – songwriting
• Julia Michaels – songwriting
• Mattman & Robin – production
• Phil Seaford – assistant mixing engineer
• Justin Tranter – songwriting

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	97
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)	31
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	62
Canada AC (Billboard)	27
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)	40
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)	23
Finland Download (Latauslista)	27
France (SNEP)	81
Japan (Japan Hot 100)	47
Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20)	19
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)	33
Russia (Tophit)	168
ERROR: MUST PROVIDE year FOR Slovak CHART	73
Scotland (OCC)	61
UK Singles (OCC)	140
US Billboard Hot 100	54
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	24
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)	17
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)	23

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
United States	February 12, 2016	Digital download	Interscope
	February 16, 2016	Mainstream radio
Italy	March 25, 2016		Universal
United States	April 22, 2016	"The Remixes" EP	Interscope

External links

• Template:MetroLyrics song