| "Your Love Is My Drug" | |||||||||||
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| Single by Kesha | |||||||||||
| from the album Animal | |||||||||||
| Released | May 14, 2010 | ||||||||||
| Format | Digital download, CD single | ||||||||||
| Recorded | Conway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California | ||||||||||
| Genre | Dance-pop, electropop | ||||||||||
| Length | 3:06 | ||||||||||
| Label | RCA | ||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Kesha Sebert, Pebe Sebert, Joshua Coleman | ||||||||||
| Producer | Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Ammo | ||||||||||
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"Your Love Is My Drug" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, from her debut album, Animal. It was released as the album's third single on May 14, 2010. The song was written by Kesha, Pebe Sebert, with Ammo, who co-produced the song with Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. "Your Love Is My Drug"'s initial writing took place during a plane ride. Kesha stated the song had a carefree message and was not meant to be taken too seriously. The song's inspiration came from Kesha and her ex-boyfriend; it is about their psychotic relationship with their love for one another being compared to a drug. According to Kesha the song sounds happy but also contains a dark undertone, an obsession for someone and is about being heartbroken.
Critical reception of the song has been generally positive. Critics complimented the hook but had mixed reactions with the chorus. Some praised Kesha for knowing her way around a strong pop chorus, while others called it predictable and dull. Prior to the release of Animal, the song charted in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. After being released as a single the song reached the top five in Australia and the United States, as well as reaching the top ten in Canada. It has gone on to sell over two million copies in the US alone.
Kesha performed the song alongside "Tik Tok" on the thirty-fifth season of Saturday Night Live where she was covered in glow in the dark tribal-like make-up. In the music video, Kesha is portrayed in the desert while being chased around by her love interest. The main idea behind the video is being so in love with someone that you lose your head, comparable to love being a drug. The video features a digital animation aspect which was inspired by The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.
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"Your Love Is My Drug" was written by Kesha, alongside her mother Pebe Sebert and Joshua Coleman. The song was produced by Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Ammo. In an interview with MTV, Kesha stated the song was "written on an airplane, in like 10 minutes" and that the song had a carefree message; it is "stupid and fun" and not to be taken too seriously.[1] When asked about the final line of the song ("I like your beard") and where it came from, Kesha explained, "I've always been into bearded dudes. Hello, I'm from Nashville, I'm into hillbillies[...] the redneck look is hot right now, and that's great for me. I'm over dudes trying to look like they're in boy bands."[1] Kesha later elaborated explaining the songs inspiration,
"It’s about me and my ex-boyfriend, and our tumultuous, psychotic relationship. We’d act weird, like drug addicts with each other, calling and seeing each other all the time. I was in love at the time, and (the song) sounds pretty happy, but it’s a little bit of a dark song. You’re so obsessed with somebody you start acting like a weirdo. … I write about falling in love, being in love, breaking up because he’s a loser, being heartbroken. I not only sing about getting rowdy, but love."[2]
"Your Love Is My Drug" is a midtempo dance song drawing from the electropop and dance-pop genres.[3][4] The song combines heavy Auto-Tune that is layered with a heavy electronic backdrop.[5] Kesha opens the track singing "Maybe I need some rehab / Or maybe just need some sleep / I've got a sick obsession, I'm seeing it in my dreams" while she depicts the tale of a teen love obsession.[6] Her vocals throughout the song have been described as a shouty sing-speak style. Musically, the song uses a simple, upbeat lyric line.[4] Sara Anderson of AOL Radio called the song a "bubblegum track" that fuses elements of "’80s glam rock", with "Kesha's signature auto-tuned vocals and casual chatty ad-libs".[6] Kesha ends the song saying "Your love is my drug...I like your beard." which was inspired by her ideal man.[1][6] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes, the song is written in common time with a moderate beat rate of 120 beats per minute. The song is written in the key of F♯ major and Kesha's vocal range in the song spans from the note of C♯4 to the note of C♯5.[3]
Fraser McAlpine from BBC complimented the song and Kesha for knowing her way around a strong pop chorus, giving the single four out of five stars. McAlpine noted that "some evidence of range would be welcomed at this point,[...] [since] there's a whole other side to her that you'd never know if you just listened to the singles" commenting that her persona was the "boozy floozy card" and that the power ballads on her album could have been better for a release. He went on to conclude "even though her 'act' is to be far too revealing about her dirty habits, she has still managed to create something of a mystique cloud around herself".[7] Billboard magazine's Monica Herrera was impressed with the song, calling it "blissful". She went on to compliment the song for its strong chorus that has the ability to "stick with the listener for days".[8] Sara Anderson of AOL Radio called the song "a playful take on a teen love obsession", complimenting "Kesha's signature auto-tuned vocals and casual chatty ad-libs". Anderson commented on the chorus of the song calling it "a modern Cyndi Lauper-inspired chorus".[6]
Bill Lamb of About.com met the song with a mixed review. Lamb was impressed with the songs extremely "catchy hook" and "upbeat, positive lyrics", but criticized the chorus for its "predictab[ility]" and "cheesy electro-pop backing". He went on to state, "I want to back away from the speakers and tell her to tone it down" when she starts singing "Your love, your love, your love is my drug". Lamb praised the song for its clever lyrics but concluded that it "does not leave me eager for what's next."[4] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song four out of five stars, commenting that although she sings through the verses in her "usual speak-sing fashion", the chorus is "joyously irresistible".[9] He also brands the song a "bubblegum electro stomper" adding that the song distinguishes itself from her previous singles writing that it manages to "put some distance between the singer and the novelty sound of her previous hits, while still being the fun, trashy and frankly quite filthy".[9]
In January 2010, due to strong digital sales, the song charted in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, debuting at numbers forty-eight,[10] twenty-seven,[11] and sixty-three respectively.[12] In the United States the song was listed for six weeks before dropping off to re-enter at ninety-one on the week of April 3, 2010.[11] After weeks of steadily ascending the charts the single reached a peak of four where it was listed for two weeks.[13] The charting gave her her third straight top-ten hit in the country.[13] On June 09, 2010, "Your Love Is My Drug" reached the number one position on the Billboards Pop Songs chart, making Kesha the fifth female artist since the beginning of 2000, and the third in the last two years, to earn at least two number ones from a debut album.[14] "Your Love Is My Drug" also peaked at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs where it stayed for one week.[15] The song has received 2× Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 2,000,000 units.[16] As of January 2012, the song has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the United States.[17]
In Canada, the song spent a total of six weeks on the chart before dropping off to re-enter at ninety-eight. After steadily ascending the charts, the song moved up to reach a peak of six.[18] The single fell the following week to the number seven position where it stayed for two weeks. In the succeeding week the song rose to the number six position where it stayed for an additional three weeks.[18] The song entered at number sixty-three on the UK Singles Chart, dropping off the chart the following week. The single re-entered the chart on the week of May 16, 2010, at sixty. On June 19, 2010 after four weeks of the single climbing the chart, it reached a new peak of thirteen. "Your Love Is My Drug" has spent more weeks in the UK top 20 than its higher charting predecessor "Blah Blah Blah".[12] In New Zealand the song debuted at number twenty-nine and as of the May 17, 2010, issue it has gone to fifteen.[19] The single entered the ARIA Charts at number twenty-five, the following week the single moved up to seventeen. As of the June 6, 2010, edition the song has reached a peak of three.[20] It has since been certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 70,000 units.[21]
The music video for the song was directed by Honey[22] and it was shot on April 6 and April 7, 2010, in the Lancaster, California desert.[23] It premiered on Vevo at 12:01 a.m. on May 13, 2010.[24] Kesha described the concept behind the video in an interview with MTV, stating, "I wanted it to be like a psychedelic trip of the mind, comparable with being so disgustingly in love with someone that you lose your head."[1] She chose to also incorporate an animal aspect to the video explaining that she was "a huge animal lover".[25] Kesha elaborated on the experience, "I also ride an elephant — no big deal! — and, um, I dance around a cave with black-light body paint and a python. I was in a cave, in the desert, and it was really fun."[1] When asked about the inspiration for the video, she said "This video was inspired by the Beatles' Yellow Submarine movie, the animation aspect. There's a little bit of [that] in there too".[1]
The video begins with Kesha waking up next to her love interest; she then proceeds to run away while being chased by the man. Kesha walks through the desert while split scenes of her are shown where she is riding an elephant and wearing a tiger mask while crawling around in the sand. They are later seen on a boat singing and pretending to row while digitally animated water is added. It then cuts to a scene of all animation in which Kesha is portrayed as a mermaid. The mermaid and the man share a kiss; the video then jumps to a scene on a rocky hillside with Kesha walking around the sand with the man standing above on a rock. The video then cuts to another scene where Kesha is covered in glow in the dark body paint while dancing around in a cave with a python around her neck.[26] The video ends with Kesha and her lover sitting around a campfire while still in the desert.[27]
James Montgomery from MTV said that "Your Love Is My Drug" was a "supremely catchy pop tune" and that the video was "the perfectly blissed-out accompaniment." Montgomery chided the video for "not making much sense" but noted "that hardly matters" as "Kesha has stumbled on a perfect formula for pop success: Don't think too big, or too much. Sometimes an elephant ride is just an elephant ride". His conclusion of the video and of Kesha herself was, "It's a lot harder than you'd think to make something seem this effortless. Like I said, you can accuse Kesha of many things — but don't ever say she's not smart."[26]
This song was performed on Saturday Night Live on April 17, 2010. During the performance, Kesha was covered in tribal-like make-up and performed in the dark with only black light lighting, making the make-up glow in the dark.[28] On May 29, 2010, Kesha performed "Your Love Is My Drug" alongside previous single "Tik Tok" at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[29] She also performed the song in a set for BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.[30] On August 13, 2010, Kesha performed "Your Love Is My Drug" on NBC's Today Show.[31]
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Source [35]
Charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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| Order of precedence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris |
US Billboard Pop Songs number-one single June 19, 2010 – July 3, 2010 |
Succeeded by "California Gurls" by Katy Perry |
| Preceded by "Alive" by Goldfrapp |
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs number-one single August 7, 2010 – August 14, 2010 |
Succeeded by "All the Lovers" by Kylie Minogue |
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | April 20, 2010[62] | Mainstream airplay |
| South Korea | May 14, 2010[63] | Digital download |
| Australia | May 21, 2010[64] | CD single |
| United Kingdom | June 6, 2010[33][34] | Digital download |
| Digital EP |
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