"Love Wins" | ||||
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Single by Carrie Underwood | ||||
from the album Cry Pretty | ||||
Released | August 31, 2018 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Carrie Underwood singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Love Wins" on YouTube |
"Love Wins" is a song recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Underwood with Brett James and David Garcia, and produced by Garcia and Underwood. It was released on August 31, 2018, as the second single from her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty . [1] "Love Wins" officially impacted country radio on September 17, 2018. [2]
The song was featured in the motion picture, Breakthrough . [3]
The song was written by Underwood, Brett James, and David Garcia. [4] Underwood said of the song, "I do think that we as humans are inherently good and we need to remember that. Because we're different, that doesn't make somebody else bad, it just makes us different. We wanted that song to be hopeful and to maybe make somebody stop and think about that." [4]
Further expanding on what motivated her to write the song, Underwood said, "If we don’t sing or write important songs, what’s the point? It’s just noise and static. If you are scared about what people are going to ask you about something that you feel passionately about - this art - you are going to write fluff. At the end of my life, will I care? Will it mean anything?" [5]
The song is composed in the key of G major with a moderately fast tempo of approximately 132 beats per minute. It follows the chord pattern C-G-Em7-D, and Underwood's vocals range from G3 to D5. [6]
The song has received mostly positive reviews upon its release. Taste of Country described it as an "anthemic, mid-tempo power ballad," and highlighted the use of a backing choir. [7] Robert Crawford, for Rolling Stone magazine, described it as "an open-armed anthem that calls for peace in a time of civil unrest". He continued, "Underwood is at her brazen best, filled with glory notes, gospel overtones and power-ballad gloss. She shies away from making direct references to politicians or unfair legislation, leaning instead on an "all you need is love" sentiment that goes down easily and inoffensively on both sides of the aisle". [8]
Kyle’s Korner gave a more mixed review of the song, saying that it was “heavily reliant on Underwood’s gravitas to sell people on the sentiment that things need to change, and while she succeeds in doing so, it doesn’t give listeners any ideas as to what they can do to make things better, which is something that a lot of people are yearning for right now.” [9]
"Love Wins" debuted at number 90 on the Scottish Singles Chart for the week ending September 8, 2018. [10] In the United States, it debuted at number 30 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week ending September 15, 2018. [11] The following week, it debuted at number 34 on the Country Airplay chart. [12] The song peaked at number 11 on the Country Airplay chart and number 14 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the first single of her career officially promoted to country radio to miss the top ten on either chart. Previously, Underwood had scored twenty-seven consecutive top ten hits on the Country Airplay.
As of March 2019, the song has sold 70,000 copies in the United States. [13] The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 16, 2019. [14]
The lyric video of the song was uploaded to Underwood's YouTube channel on August 31, 2018. The official video premiered on Apple Music on September 10, 2018, and was released to YouTube the next day. [15] It was directed by Shane Drake, whom Underwood had worked with previously on her video for "Dirty Laundry". Billboard writes "the video begins with a hopeless-looking group of people walking on a road in a post-apocalyptical setting as Underwood, in a goddess-like orange dress, emotionally leans into the track’s sentimental lyrics. Underwood looks radiant in her silk dress as she approaches the country’s critical political moment -- touching on themes of immigration and violence, while offering optimistic advice. As the crowd continues their journey, they find comfort in each other, arriving in some sort of promise land as Underwood chants the chorus. The video then shifts perspective as the group of people, now a community, rejoice in their newfound land while Underwood, now wearing a white long-sleeve butterfly gown and a face full of colorful make-up, joyfully sings to the crowd. As the loud clapping drums follow her powerful voice, the party turns into a vibrant celebration with colored powder being thrown everywhere, all thanks to the power of love and unity." [16]
On September 13, 2018, Underwood performed the single live as a musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at Central Park. [17] She again performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on September 19, 2018. [18] On November 14, 2018, Underwood performed the song at the 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards. [19] It also served as the encore to the set list of Underwood's Cry Pretty Tour 360.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [25] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2019 | "Love Wins" | Female Video of the Year [26] | Won |
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer who rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
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American country music singer Carrie Underwood has released nine studio albums, one greatest hits album, and 29 singles. Underwood rose to fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was released in 2005 and is the fastest-selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It also became the best-selling solo female country debut in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) history, as well as the top-selling debut album of any American Idol contestant in the United States.
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