Drake Would Love Me
"Drake Would Love Me" | |
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Song by K. Michelle | |
from the album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? | |
Released | December 2, 2014 |
Genre | R&B |
Length | 4:19 |
Label | |
Composer(s) |
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Lyricist(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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"Drake Would Love Me" is an R&B song recorded by American singer K. Michelle for her second studio album, Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? (2014). It was written by Michelle and Bianca Atterberry. Its music and production came from Oak Felder, Ronald "Flippa" Colson, and Stephen Mostyn. Atlantic Records initially released the song via streaming on VH1's website on December 2, 2014, before it became available with the rest of the album the following week.
The song concerns an imaginary romance with Canadian rapper Drake. Described by critics as fan fiction, it was inspired by Michelle's perception of how Drake's female fans responded to him. The title attracted attention when the album's track listing was announced the month before its release. Several critics praised "Drake Would Love Me" and highlighted Michelle's humor, but others criticized her decision to dedicate a love song to Drake.
Background and release
Kimberly Michelle Pate wrote "Drake Would Love Me" with Bianca Atterberry for Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?, her second studio album. Ronald "Flippa" Colson, Oak Felder, and Stephen Mostyn were in charge of the music.[2] While in the recording studio, Michelle heard women idolizing Canadian rapper Drake and recorded the song as a response.[1] She was also inspired by how Drake's fans fantasize that he would fall in love with them.[3] When asked about Drake's popularity, she responded that he was humble, released more love songs than other men, and was especially respectful to women in his music.[1][4] Drake's appeal with women has been discussed by media outlets.[5][6][7] According to a 2010 Spin article, Drake had "opened up an enormous young female fanbase" early in his rap career,[5] and Much's Andi Crawford and Brianne James attributed the reason women respond to his music to his "delicate tempos and emotionally charged lyrics".[6]
Although much of Michelle's music is autobiographical,[8] she clarified in a 2014 interview with The Breakfast Club that she only had a platonic relationship with Drake.[9] Before its release, she played the song to Drake to obtain his approval;[9][10] he responded: "You’re crazy as shit, but it’s a great record."[9] While the track is about Drake, Michelle said her relationship with ex-boyfriend Idris Elba was the primary inspiration for the album.[11]
Felder, Colson, and Steve Ace produced the song.
When the album's track listing was unveiled on November 3, 2014, media outlets identified "Drake Would Love Me" as a point of interest due to its title.[13] The song debuted via streaming on VH1's website on December 2, 2014,[14] and Atlantic Records released it as a part of Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? a week later.[2] Michelle uploaded the song to her YouTube account on February 13, 2017, as part of an Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? playlist.[15][16]
Music and lyrics
"Drake Would Love Me" is a four-minute, 19-second
The song's lyrics describe an imagined romance with Drake. The situations mentioned include Michelle attending the
The album's final three songs ("Build a Man", "Drake Would Love Me", and "God I Get It") are interpreted by critics as forming a story on Michelle's ideas on love.[20][23] Describing the songs as Michelle's attempt to "reconcile her need to love hard with the reality of the men she encountered", The Quietus writer Alex Macpherson says she turns to Frankenstein and fan fiction for answers on love in "Build a Man" and "Drake Would Love Me" before accepting her own flaws in "God I Get It".[20] Renowned for Sound's Meggie Morris identifies "Drake Would Love Me" as a continuation of "Build a Man" as both explore her perceptions of the perfect man.[23] While The Boston Globe's Ken Capobianco writes that "Drake Would Love Me" represented the album's "honesty, defiance, and sensuality",[24] Emily Laurence of Metro New York singles it out as an example that "not all the songs are intensely emotion-filled".[4]
Critical reception
Several reviewers enjoyed "Drake Would Love" even though it differed from their initial expectations.[25][26] In USA Today, Martín Caballero wrote "don't ask us how or why [but the song] works"; he praised it as an "anthemic big-stadium R&B ballad".[25] Although he expected something "funny or cocky", A.D. Amorosi, writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, highlighted the track for its focus instead on unrequited love.[26] Other critics believed said the song displayed Michelle's humor.[23][27] In the Ottawa Citizen, Mesfin Fekadu said she was "clever and hilarious",[27] and Meggie Morris described her performance as "charmingly amusing".[23] Ken Capobianco commended Michelle for emoting a level of "vulnerability and rubbed-raw tension rarely heard in R&B today", which he considered a reason for her popularity.[24] Pitchfork's Alfred Soto praised "Drake Would Love Me" for its sense of urgency, and believed it had her best vocals.[18]
Credits and personnel
Credits were adapted from the liner notes from Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart?:[12]
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References
- ^ a b c Michelle, K. (December 9, 2014). "The Breakfast Club" (Interview). Interviewed by DJ Envy; Angela Yee; Charlamagne tha God. New York: WWPR-FM.
- ^ a b c Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c Brown, Kara (December 2, 2014). "K. Michelle's 'Drake Would Love Me' Is Basically Fan Fiction". Jezebel. Archived from the original on September 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Laurence, Emily (December 8, 2014). "K. Michelle: Heartbreak and hip hop". Metro New York. Archived from the original on October 20, 2016.
- ^ a b Fennessey, Sean (June 15, 2010). "Rapper of the Year: Drake". Spin. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020.
- ^ a b Crawford, Andi; James, Brianne (July 20, 2016). "She Said, She Said: Are Drake's Lyrics Misogynistic?". Much. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019.
- ^ Stoever, Jennifer Lynn (July 15, 2018). "Drake vs. the Beatles? Time to retire rap vs. rock cliché". CNN. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Golding, Shenequa A. (December 2, 2014). "K.Michelle Believes in Her Heart of Hearts 'Drake Would Love Me'". Vibe. Archived from the original on August 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c "K. Michelle Praises Drake, Disses Lil' Kim on 'The Breakfast Club'". Rap-Up. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018.
- Idolator. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ Godfrey, Sarah (December 11, 2014). "K. Michelle can't escape the drama, but at least she still makes good music". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? (Inlay cover). K. Michelle. Atlantic. December 9, 2014.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Articles focusing on "Drake Would Love Me" based on its title:
- Fitzgerald, Trent (October 31, 2014). "K. Michelle Created A Song About Drake on New Album". The Boombox. Archivedfrom the original on September 23, 2015.
- Hudson, Tanay (October 31, 2014). "K. Michelle Has A Song Called "Drake Would Love Me" On Her New Album". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017.
- Jules, Marvin (October 31, 2014). "K. Michelle Will Have A Song About Drake on her Upcoming Album". XXL. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
- Jules, Marvin (December 17, 2014). "J. Cole's '2014 Forest Hills Drive' Has Largest First Week Sales for a Hip-Hop Album in 2014". XXL. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017.
- "New Music: K. Michelle – 'Drake Would Love Me'". Rap-Up. December 2, 2014. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019.
- Fitzgerald, Trent (October 31, 2014). "K. Michelle Created A Song About Drake on New Album".
- ^ a b Markman, Rob (December 2, 2014). "This Famous R&B Singer Made an Entire Song Dedicated to Drake's Love". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016.
- ^ "Drake Would Love Me". YouTube. February 13, 2017. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018.
- ^ "Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart". YouTube. December 12, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Feeney, Nolan (December 2, 2014). "K. Michelle Wrote a Song About Wanting Drake to Love Her". Time. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Soto, Alfred (December 8, 2017). "Kimberly: The People I Used to Know". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "The Fader Presents: Listmania! 2014". The Fader. December 19, 2014. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c Macpherson, Alex (December 18, 2014). "R&B Albums And Singles of 2014 With Alex Macpherson". The Quietus. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ Sieczkowski, Cavan (August 7, 2013). "Drake Comments on Amanda Bynes' Bizarre Tweets, Calls Them 'Weird And Disturbing'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "K. Michelle Discusses Her 'Drake Would Love Me' Song And Disses Lil' Kim on The Breakfast Club [Watch]". Music Times. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Morris, Meggie (December 25, 2014). "Album Review". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Capobianco, Ken (December 23, 2014). "K. Michelle, 'Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?'". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014.
- ^ a b Caballero, Martin (December 8, 2014). "Playlist: What's Martín Caballero listening to?". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Amorosi, A. D. (December 31, 2014). "New music: K. Michelle, Catfish and the Bottlemen". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Fekadu, Mesfin (January 13, 2015). "In Case You Missed It". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved September 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
- ^ Richards, Chris (December 23, 2014). "Month's best music: D'Angelo, Charli XCX, Shy Glizzy and more". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018.
- ^ Critics who describe Drake's music as misogynistic or sexist:
- Crawford, Andi; James, Brianne (July 20, 2016). "She Said, She Said: Are Drake's Lyrics Misogynistic?". Much. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019.
- George, Kat (October 28, 2015). "6 Drake Lyrics That Are Actually Super Sexist". Oxygen. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019.
- Giorgis, Hannah (July 30, 2019). "Drake's Troubling Reunion With Chris Brown". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019.
- Kaplan, Ilana (July 1, 2018). "Drake Uses Women's Work On Scorpion Instead Of Giving Them Their Own Voice". Refinery29. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019.
- Tsotetsi, Pearl Boshomane (July 8, 2018). "Drake markets himself as rap's Mr Nice Guy. Don't be fooled". The Times. Archivedfrom the original on August 23, 2019.
- ^ Criticism of Drake's interactions with girls:
- "Are Drake's Texting Relationship With Underage Female Stars Inappropriate?". BET. December 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 22, 2018.
- Byrne, Suzy (September 19, 2018). "14-year-old Millie Bobby Brown and Drake, 31, text 'about boys' and the internet is horrified: 'This is called grooming'". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019.
- Giorgis, Hannah (July 30, 2019). "Drake's Troubling Reunion With Chris Brown". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019.
- Song, Sandra (October 2, 2018). "On Drake, Grooming, And Powerful Men's Interest In Impressionable Young Women". Nylon. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019.
- Complex. Archivedfrom the original on May 17, 2018.
External links
- "Drake Would Love Me" (Audio) on YouTube