Music Review: Ariana Grande & The Weeknd "Love Me Harder"

Ariana Grande & The Weeknd

Love Me Harder

Album: My Everything

Year: 2014

            Ariana Grande wants her boyfriend to make an effort in the slinky                  “Love Me Harder.”

            A questioning synth opens the single, setting a curios tone. She takes a step closer to him. She watches his hands, careful to see to he’ll flinch. She reaches her hand to touch his face and he turns his head away. She walks away, glancing him wondering what else she has to do to get him to understand. (“Tell me something I need to know/Then take my breath and never let it go/If you just let me invade your space/I’ll take the pleasure, take it with the pain.”)

             In the pre-chorus, she puts her hand on her chin and gives him another look. She believes they have a relationship other people crave and strive for. However, he won’t give into her. (“And if in the moment I bite my lip/Baby in that moment you’ll know this is/Something bigger than us and beyond bliss/Give me a reason to believe it.”)

                 In the chorus, she tells him he’s going to have to try. He can’t expect to show up and then be with her. (“Cause if you want to keep me/You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta, got to love me harder/And if you really need me/You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta, got to love me harder/Love me, love me, love me, harder, harder.”)

                He explains that they’ve had the discussion before. She wants a deeper relationship with him. He adds that it takes him time. He explains it’s the longest he’s ever spent with anyone. Usually, he’s gone within the first few months. He can’t get too emotionally involved. It’s how he is. She has to decide to take him on. (“I know your motives and you know mine/The ones that love me I tend to leave behind/If you know about me and choose to stay/Then take this pleasure and take it with the pain.”)

                  In the pre-chorus, he walks towards her and brushes her away from her neck. With his hand, he strokes her arm as he kisses her shoulder. He moves his hands to her hips and she moves her head to the side, sighing. He wants her to feel how much he loves her. (“And if in the moment you bite your lip/When I get you moaning, you know it's real/Can you feel the pressure between your hips?/I'll make it feel like the first time.”)

              In the chorus, the Weeknd joins her. (“

             In the bridge, he asks her what will she do if he runs again. She says he has to get past it. Otherwise, it’s over. (“So what do I do if I can’t figure it out? (You got to try, try, try again, yeah)/So what do I do if I can’t figure it out? (I’m gonna leave, leave, leave again.”)

                      Grande and The Weeknd sing the chorus again to end the single.

                      Grande, despite her delicate demeanor, is firm with him. She has given him chance after chance. Still, she gets nothing in return. Grande is by far, the most improved pop star of 2014.

                        The Weeknd, approriately fragile, backs off and then returns again. He develops enough of a presence to evoke interest in his own music.

                       The  lush  “Love Me Harder” continues Grande’s ascent into superstar while launching The Weeknd.