Tell Me You Love Me

Album: Tell Me You Love Me (2017)
Charted: 53
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Songfacts®:

  • Demi Lovato shows her vulnerability as she croons on this swelling ballad about the need for a relationship in her life in order to feel happy.

    And I hope I never see the day
    That you move on and be happy without me
    Without me
    What's my hand without your heart to hold?
  • The song was penned by Roc Nation singer-songwriter Kirby, Shakira producer John Hill and frequent Gallant collaborator Stint. Lovato said during a private album launch event in New York City:

    "The first time I heard it, it really stuck with me because at the time I was going through a breakup. ... It's about the vulnerability of coming out of a very serious relationship and having a tough time with it. ... It also at the same time calls out a big misconception with the line, 'You ain't nobody 'til you got somebody,' which again comes from that vulnerability with mixed emotions."
  • Demi Lovato told the BBC this is her favorite track on the album, "Because I really get to sing in it." She added:

    "I didn't write that one - but when I recorded it I was going through a break-up, and it said exactly what I was wanting to tell that person. I wanted to hear them tell me that they loved me. So I really related to that song when I recorded it." (Demi is talking about the end of her six-year relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama).
  • Demi Lovato: "This song is one of my favorites which is why I named my album after it. I not only love singing it but I think the underlying meaning is important for people to know. At the end of the day you have everything you need standing right in front of you. And that's yourself."
  • The song's music clip features Grey's Anatomy's Jesse Williams playing Demi Lovato's love interest. It was directed by Lovato's longtime collaborator Mark Pellington, who also filmed her "Skyscraper" visual. The singer said: "Shooting this video was really fun too! We had a full on wedding and my best friends were even my bridesmaids and groomsmen."
  • Lovato explained in a behind the scenes film that the concept for the video came about pretty organically: "We thought that it would be great to do something where I was in a wedding dress," she said. "That was one of the first ideas that came to mind."
  • The video shows Williams' groom telling Lovato's bride he is not ready and leaving her at the altar to the shock of their family and friends. The singer explained, "I thought, 'What if I was stood up at the altar?' That ended up making it into the storyline."

    Lovato added it was still a moment of strength, because, "it really tied the whole thing together where, at the end of the song, I'm looking in the mirror and I'm saying, 'Everything I need is standing right in front of me, and I know that we will be alright.'"
  • Demi Lovato recorded a Spanish language remix, which she dropped on March 7, 2018. The new version retains the original track's energy and intensity throughout the translation.

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