Sara Bareilles: "Love Song" (2007)

"Love Song" is the first single released from Sara Bareilles's 2007 album Little Voice. It is her debut single. She has stated in her live performances that it was actually written in response to her record label Epic's request that she write a "marketable love song," rather than about an actual person.

The song was also featured in a Rhapsody commercial along with "Bottle It Up", and in commercials for the TV show The Return of Jezebel James and the movies Made of Honor, Suburban Girl, and All About Steve. The song is also featured on the Apple Garageband Artist Lessons, featuring Bareilles herself teaching how to play the song on the piano.

"Love Song" was nominated for 2009 Grammy Awards in categories Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The pop-punk band, Four Year Strong, covered the song on the 2009 compilation album, Punk Goes Pop 2. It remains Bareilles's biggest hit single in the USA to date, and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 54 weeks. The song also spent a longevity atop the Hot Adult Pop Songs and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and ended up being the #1 at the year-end chart for both charts.


- Lyrics:


Head under water
And they tell me to breathe easy for a while
The breathing gets harder, even I know that
You made room for me but it's too soon to see
If I'm happy in your hands

I'm unusually hard to hold on to
Blank stares at blank pages
No easy way to say this
You mean well, but you make this hard on me
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you asked for it
'cause you need one, you see

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you tell me it's
Make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today

I learned the hard way
That they all say things you want to hear
And my heavy heart sinks deep down under you and
Your twisted words,
Your help just hurts
You are not what I thought you were
Hello to high and dry
Convinced me to please you
Made me think that I need this too
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you asked for it
'cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you tell me it's
Make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better
Reason to write you a love song today

Promise me that you'll leave the light on
To help me see with daylight, my guide, gone
'cause I believe there's a way you can love me
Because I say
I won't write you a love song
'cause you asked for it
'cause you need one, you see

I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
Is that why you wanted a love song
'cause you asked for it
'cause you need one, you see
I'm not gonna write you a love song
'cause you tell me it's make or breaking this
If you're on your way
I'm not gonna write you to stay
If your heart is nowhere in it
I don't want it for a minute
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that
There's a reason to
Write you a love song today