I Love You's

Album: Half Written Story (2020)
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Songfacts®:

  • After enduring back-to-back heartbreaks, Hailee Steinfeld was feeling confused, lost, sad, frustrated and angry. This song's concept came from the star's realization she needed time alone so she could solely focus on herself and heal. "I needed to reflect and appreciate who I am, who I have become and the work I have done - whether in my career or in relationships," she explained to The Sun. "A lot of the time, I'd find distractions. I wanted something to take away the pain I was feeling."
  • Steinfeld had the idea of updating Annie Lennox's 1995 version of "No More I Love You's" to invoke the song's message of hope and self-love. As the songstress sings of taking care of herself for a while, Lennox's "doo-bee-doo-bee-doo'" vocals float in the background.
  • Steinfeld's last public romance before recording this song was with Niall Horan. The pair dated for a few months in 2018; the former One Direction star's Heartbreak Weather album is said to have been inspired by their split.
  • The song's producer is David Stewart - not the same Dave Stewart who was Annie Lennox's partner in Eurythmics. This David Stewart's other credits include co-producing Jonas Brothers' "What A Man Gotta Do."
  • "I Love You's" also marks Steinfeld's directorial debut. She stepped in to co-helm the video alongside Sarah McColgan (Charli XCX, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey), after deciding an earlier version she had filmed was inadequate.

    The stark clip finds Steinfeld confined in an empty room by herself. The singer explained: "I had gone through a breakup and felt for the longest time that I was in this confined space. It took some time, but I eventually realized that even in a confined space, you can find yourself, you can learn to love yourself again, and you can give yourself the opportunity to heal. And that's what this song and video mean to me. Eventually the walls can come down and everything will be OK."

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