}}
"
L.O.V.E." is the second single from Ashlee Simpson's second album,
I Am Me, released in late 2005.
Song information
Like all the tracks on
I Am Me, "L.O.V.E." was written by Simpson, Kara DioGuardi, and John Shanks, and produced by Shanks.
[I Am Me liner notes.] The song was originally supposed to be the first single off
I Am Me, but "Boyfriend" took its place.
[Corey Moss, "Ashlee Says New Single Isn't Directed At Lindsay Lohan", MTV News, August 15, 2005.] "L.O.V.E." was also remixed by Missy Elliott. The remixed version reached number 1 in Singapore.
In this pop up-tempo, Simpson recalls her boyfriend noting that he doesn't answer the telephone, and that she doesn't even know where he goes. Annoyed, but not letting it get the best of her, she calls up her friends, and they proceed to have a party without dealing with men. Simpson has said of the song that it is "about hanging with your girlfriends and loving them for being there". She explains that "one of my girlfriends and I were listening to music and were like, there's not enough songs for your girlfriends for when you go out and leave your man behind and have a good time. Any situation I go through, I lean on my girlfriends. Like, when you get your heart broken, who do you go to? You go to your friends."
[Jonathan Cohen, "Stars Descend On Vegas For BMA Rehearsals", Billboard.com, December 6, 2005.]On November 21, 2005, she performed the song on
The Late Show with David Letterman, and on the November 22 episode of
The View she also sang it.
[ "Ashlee Simpson Performs On 'The Late Show' & 'The View'", Popdirt.com, November 25, 2005.] Also in November, Simpson filmed the music video for the song, directed by Diane Martel.
On December 6, Simpson sang "L.O.V.E." as part of a performance with Pretty Ricky at the Billboard Music Awards.
Simpson sang "L.O.V.E." on the premiere episode of
CD USA, which aired on January 21, and she also sang it on the January 29 episode of
TEENick on Nickelodeon, on the 2006 TRL Awards on February 25, and at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on April 12.
Music video
The video for "L.O.V.E." premiered on December 7 on AOL's "First View" on the Internet, and on December 8 on MTV's
Total Request Live (TRL).
[ TRL Archives - December 2005, Popfusion.net.] It features partying and dancing, as Simpson ignores her boyfriend's calls and goes out to have fun. At the beginning of the video, she decides not to answer a call from her boyfriend and tosses her phone into a toilet; at the end of the video, after Simpson is seen returning home from a long night of partying, the phone is shown again, submerged, with 21 missed messages from her boyfriend. Although dancing is the focus of the video, the director, Martel, said she was disappointed that they had not included some things they had initially intended: a scene where Simpson slashed a guy's shirt off with a samurai sword and a scene where a chainsaw was to be used to cut furniture apart. "There was a limited amount of time", Martel said.
[ "For The Record: Quick News On Ashlee Simpson, The Inc., Juelz Santana, Beyonce, Yellowcard, Seether & More", MTV News, December 7, 2005.]
Critical reception
A BBC review of
I Am Me called "L.O.V.E." "the pick of the album standing out by combining the attitude of Britney's "Do Somethin" with the cheerleader beats of Gwen's "Hollaback Girl" and producing a party track that's sure to become a dancefloor filler."
[Talia Kraines, BBC.co.uk review of I Am Me.].
Rolling Stone, which gave
I Am Me a negative review, described Simpson as attempting "to channel Gwen Stefani on the faux-funkdafied 'L.O.V.E.'"
[ Jenny Eliscu, review of I Am Me, Rolling Stone, October 20, 2005.]
Charts
Track listing
- "L.O.V.E."
- "L.O.V.E." (Missy Underground Mix) Featuring Missy Elliot
- "Boyfriend" (Frantic Remix)
- "L.O.V.E." (Video)
Remixes and other versions
References
External links
2005 singles2005 songsAshlee Simpson songsDance-pop songsMusic videos directed by Diane MartelPop rock songs
L.O.V.E.L.O.V.E.
