Love (Kendrick Lamar song)

During his cover story with T: The New York Times Style Magazine on March 1, 2017, Kendrick Lamar confirmed that he was in the middle of finishing a new album.[1] He released the promotional single "The Heart Part 4" on March 23, and further hinted at a new album with the line: "Y'all got 'till April the 7th to get y'all shit together."[2][3] After an untitled project was made available for pre-order,[4] Lamar formally announced his fourth studio album, Damn, on April 11, with a scheduled release date of April 14.[5] Its artwork, tracklist and featured artists were revealed on the same day.[6]

Zacari and Lamar first appeared on a song from Isaiah Rashad's debut album The Sun's Tirade (2016), but did not meet in person until after the album was released. Before their meeting, Zacari was working with Teddy Walton on material for his own project.[7] He was promised by his manager, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., that he would join Lamar for a recording session towards the end of 2016. When they met, Watson played about four of the songs he was working on with Zacari for Lamar. He was animated for the first three tracks, but went quiet when the final song was played.[7] Following the meeting, he asked for the stems to the last record.[7] Matt Schaeffer and James Hunt recorded "Love" at No Excuses in Santa Monica, California, with additional recording handled by Zeke Mishanec and Brendan Silas Perry. Derek "MixedByAli" Ali mixed the song with assistance from Tyler Page and Cyprus Nois Taghipour. Additional vocals provided by Kid Capri were recorded at Jungle City Studios in Manhattan.[8] Zacari did not learn that the song was going to be included on Damn until three months before it was set to be released.[7]

"Love" is the tenth track on the standard version of Damn, and the fifth track on its collector's edition.[9] It has a length of three minutes and 33 seconds. The song is set in the key of F major with a fairly slow tempo of 63 beats per minute. Walton, Sounwave, Greg Kurstin and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith produced the song and composed its instrumentals with Lamar and Zacari. It implements a tonic–subdominant chord progression that Mitch Findlay from HotNewHipHop noted is not often used in hip hop songwriting.[10] The "wandering quality" of the progression enhances the song's "detached whimsy."[10] Lamar and Zacari's vocals span from F₃ to C₆.[11]

Described as a "psychedelic concoction" by Rap-Up and "a whole new genre" by Zacari,[12][7] "Love" is a pop rap and new-age ballad with strong elements of R&B.[13][14] It is evocative of a "high school dance in the mid-1980s."[10] Gliding synthesizers and stuttering trap rhythms magnify its "atmospheric" soundscape and touches the borders of cloud rap, according to Findlay.[10][15] As Zacari uses a "soaring" falsetto in the refrain, Lamar uses his "unconventional" cadence as an additional instrument to "build on the existing harmony."[10] Rolling Stone journalists noted that gentle synth swells were incorporated in its "spacious" and "tender" production.[16] Some critics believed the song's vocal melodies and mainstream radio appeal were similar to the works of Drake, while others were reminded of Enya's instrumentations.[14][15]

"Love" serves as the successor to "Lust" on the standard version of Damn, and its precursor on the collector's edition. Its opening line ponders on the accompanying emotions the two tracks further address.[12] The songwriting was inspired by Lamar's teenage experiences of understanding love and attraction for the first time, while Zacari's writing was influenced by previous platonic relationships.[17][7] Findlay pointed out that throughout the song, Lamar is "not looking to impress, but rather to express" his unconditional love towards his significant other.[10] His fragmented stream of consciousness uses inside jokes and nostalgic experiences to paint a "series of personal snapshots;"[10] references used include Mike Tyson, 50 Cent's "21 Questions" (2003), and Young Dro's "Shoulder Lean" (2006).[10][18] "Love" is presumed to be a dedication to Lamar's life partner, beautician Whitney Alford.[19] The lyrics, "I want your body, your music / I bought the big one to prove it", have been alluded to the couple's engagement, which was announced in April 2015.[20]

"Love" has received generally positive reviews from music critics. It was included in Billboard and Complex's lists of the best hip hop love songs.[21][22] Writing for PopMatters, Dave Heaton described "Love" as a "delicate" and "lush" moment of comfort amidst the "extreme, dark emotions" of Damn.[23] Clover Hope for Jezebel praised how Lamar "endearingly embraces simplicity" with his songwriting and how its structure represented the parent album's "smooth contours."[24] NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen was stunned to hear Lamar sound so "earnest and unguarded" throughout his "smooth and taunt" vocal performance. He hailed the song as Damn's "revelation" that he keeps revisiting.[25]

Christopher Hooton of The Independent found "Love" to be a "saccharine-synthed, straight up wet track" that "just makes no sense" being on Damn.[26] Spin's Brian Josephs echoed his sentiments, describing the song's balladry as "out-of-place in its wistfulness."[27] In a review for Exclaim!, A. Harmony did not consider "Love" to be impactful enough to warrant many listens, which she finds to be "unusual" for Lamar: "Forgettable isn't typically his style."[28]

"Love" debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the first week of Damn's release.[29] Following its release as a single, it re-entered the chart at number 41 for the week ending December 2, 2017,[30] and moved up to number 27 the following week.[31] After its accompanying music video was released, "Love" reached its peak at number 11.[32] It has spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, before departing the chart on April 14, 2018. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, "Love" became Lamar's first number-one single as a lead artist.[32] It also became his first number-one song on the Rhythmic Airplay chart.[33]

Dave Meyers and the Little Homies, composed of Lamar and Dave Free, directed the music video for "Love". It was released on Lamar's Vevo channel on December 21, 2017.[34] The video chronicles a loving and "tense" relationship between Lamar and his lover.[35] They are seen making love, talking, arguing, and separating from the perspective of a kitchen table; a reference to photographer Carrie Mae Weems' "Kitchen Table Series" (1990).[36][37] Following their split, Lamar attempts to overcome lustful desires, such as being tempted by the presence of multiple women at a music video shoot, and reconcile with his lover.[36] An easter egg teasing Lamar's involvement on the soundtrack album of the superhero film Black Panther (2018) is shown on a clapperboard during the shoot.[38]

Lamar performed "Love" for the first time as an encore during his headlining performance at Coachella on April 16 and April 23, 2017.[39][40] The song was included on the set list for the Damn Tour (2017–2018),[41] the Championship Tour (2018)[42] and the Big Steppers Tour (2022–2023).[43] Synth-pop band Chvrches covered the song on Triple J's Like a Version in July 2018.[44]

Credits adapted from the official Damn digital booklet.[45]

• Kendrick Duckworth – songwriter
• Zacari Pacaldo – songwriter
• Teddy Walton – songwriter, producer
• Mark Spears – songwriter, producer
• Greg Kurstin – songwriter, producer
• Anthony Tiffith – songwriter, producer
• Kid Capri – additional vocals
• Derek Ali – mixing
• Tyler Page – mix assistant
• Cyrus Taghipour – mix assistant, mixing
• Zeke Mishanec – additional recording
• Brendan Silas Perry – additional recording