“Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding

“Love Me Like You Do” is one of the songs found on the soundtrack of the 2015 American romance drama movie “50 Fifty Shades of Grey”. The movie centers around the sadomasochistic relationship between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and wealthy businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).

Lyrics of “Love Me Like You Do”

In the first verse, the narrator realizes that she’s falling crazily infatuated (or, in love perhaps) with the addressee. He has become her everything despite knowing that being with him brings about some “pain”. However, he also is the “cure”. She’s never been exposed to such an intense feeling before so she didn’t expect that “it could mean so much”.

She acknowledges in the second verse that there’s some level of fear associated to her lover, yet she chooses to overlook it. Why? The narrator is too intoxicated from the intense passion that has formed the basis of their relationship that she can’t get enough of. Much like being hooked on a drug, even if one knows it’s bad for their health. The addressee has brought life to the narrator’s world like no one ever had.

In the third and final verse, we come across the phrase “fading in, fading out“, which apparently translates to the narrator being so high or dazed from the extreme pleasure derived from intimate activities with the addressee. In the eyes of the narrator this experience is akin to almost being in paradise.

She then proceeds to refer to every inch of the addressee’s skin to “a Holy Grail” that she must find.

In the bridge, the narrator (who is thoroughly intoxicated by the love/lust she has for the addressee) gives the addressee the green light to do as he pleases with her.

Chorus of “Love Me Like You Do”

The chorus (which is the heart of this song) finds the narrator expressing wildly how she just can’t seem to get enough of her lover. In doing so, she impatiently and repeatedly requests for an unlimited and copious supply of his love and touch.

My Personal Opinion

Although “Love Me Like You Do” can be deemed as a love song, the lyrics themselves do raise a lot of red flags. If someone was incapable of making their own judgements in a relationship, it could often lead to being a subject of abuse. While some may agree having a relationship that’s mainly based on pleasure is a good thing, it is necessary to note that mutual respect and communication needs to be in the mix.

When was “Love Me Like You Do” released?

This second single from “Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”. Republic Records released it as such on 7^th January, 2015.

Writing Credits

Ellie played no role in the writing of “Love Me Like You Do”. The song was written by at least five A-list songwriters, including Swedish record producer-songwriter Max Martin. Martin rose to fame after working on hit singles such as Britney Spears “…Baby One More Time” and Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way”.

Noted  Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo also contributed to the writing of this song. Others include:

• American songwriter and record producer, Savan Kotecha. Katy Perry, Westlife and The Weeknd are just some of the artists that he’s worked.
• Swedish-Persian songwriter-singer ILYA. He gained popularity after co-writing and producing Ariana Grande’s “Problem” and Jennifer Lopez’s “First Love”.
• Swedish record producer-songwriter Ali Payami. His contribution to Taylor Swift’s “1989” album in 2016 led to him winning a Grammy for Album of the Year.

Major Awards

At the 58^th Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for:

• Best Pop Solo Performance (winner was Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”)
• Best Song Written for Visual Media (winner was Selma’s “Glory”, performed by Common and John Legend)

At the 73^rd Golden Globe, the song was again nominated for Best Original Song but lost to Spectre’s “Writing on the Wall” which was performed by Sam Smith.

More Accolades

In addition to the above success, “Love Me Like You Do” has sold over 7,000,000 units in the America only, making it one of the most successful songs of the 21st century.

According to World Music Awards, this hit single also had more than 1 billion streams on Spotify as of 14^th December, 2020.

Chart Success

As noted above, “Love Me Like You Do” was a massive success. It was so successful that it actually topped the charts in almost 30 countries ranging from Australia to the United Kingdom.

‘One World: Together At Home’ Performance

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Goulding performed a touching acoustic rendition of “Love Me Like You Do” from her home. This performance was part of Global Citizen’s ‘One World: Together At Home’ digital special. The event featured the likes of Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish.

Popular Covers and Performances of “Love Me Like You Do”

In March 2015, English indie rock band Circa Waves gave the hit single a rock twist on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

English singer-songwriter James Arthur performed an acoustic version of the track on MTV in 2015.

The year 2015 also saw English singer Ella Henderson perform an acoustic cover of “Love Me Like You Do” in the Spin 1038 Live Room.

On 17^th October, 2015, Goulding made a special surprise guest appearance on Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour at Arlington, Texas where they both performed the song as a duet.