Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)

Album: single release only (2020)
Charted: 1 1
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lyrically, "Savage Love" finds Jason Derulo falling for a girl who is using him. He is smitten, despite realizing she only hooked up with him to get back at her ex-lover.

    Derulo told RADIO.COM's Julia he is proud of the way the lyrics highlight an unhealthy relationship over a high-energy, danceable beat. "I feel like the juxtaposition of worlds coming together really makes this push and pull, cool feeling song that just kind of cuts through," he said.
  • "Laxed (Siren Beat)" blew up on TikTok in 2020, sparking the "Culture Dance" challenge, where participants show off their cultural roots while dancing to the song.
  • "Laxed" caught the attention of Jason Derulo, who wanted to sample it for his own song. However, rather than waiting for permission to be granted, he went ahead and recorded "Savage Love," incorporating the New Zealander's track. This sparked a widespread backlash and calls for Derulo to clear the sample. The two artists eventually came to an agreement, with Derulo and Jawsh 685 listed as joint artists. DeRulo also credits the Kiwi teen as sole producer, and also as a co-writer on the track alongside himself, Jacob "J Kash" Kasher and Phil Gress.
  • DeRulo released the song on June 11, 2020 with a music video filmed during the quarantine caused by the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
  • This was Jason DeRulo's fifth UK #1, following "In My Head," "Don't Wanna Go Home," "Talk Dirty" and "Want to Want Me."
  • Jawsh created his original "Laxed" instrumental one day after school, and its early success took him entirely by surprise. "[I was] feeling relaxed so it made sense to call it 'Laxed,'" he explained to OgfficialCharts.com. "The thought going into it took longer than the actual making of it - I think it only took me 4 hours to make."
  • When this song climbed to #1 on the Pop Songs chart, Jason Derulo became the first solo artist and the second act overall to top that tally across the 2000s, the 2010s and the 2020s. Derulo previously reached the summit with 2009's "Whatcha Say," 2010's "In My Head," 2014's "Talk Dirty" and 2015's "Want To Want Me."

    Maroon 5 became the first act to rule Pop Songs in the 2000s, the 2010s and the 2020s when the Adam Levine-fronted band sent "Memories" to #1 in February 2020.
  • BTS hopped on a remix, adding a new verse to the song in Korean. Jawsh 685 dropped the new version on October 2, 2020. The New Zealand producer told Billboard the collaboration happened after his people linked up with BTS.

    "It's cool to get another version of the beat out there," he said. "It means even more people will hear a Siren Beat, which is what I want. I really like seeing how people interpret the beat and do something different with it every time."
  • The song jumped from #8 to #1 on the Hot 100 dated October 17, 2020, aided by the BTS remix. It was DeRulo's second US chart-topper, following his 2009 debut single "Whatcha Say."
  • Teenage New Zealand music producer Jawsh 685 (real name Joshua Nanai) created the song's original beat in 2019. Titled "Laxed (Siren Beat)," he wrote the instrumental as a salute to his Samoan and Cook Island origins.
  • This was the most-used song on TikTok in 2020. It was followed in second place by Megan Thee Stallon's "Savage (remix)" (featuring Beyoncé). Third on the shortform video platform's list was "Out West" by Travis Scott (featuring Young Thug).
  • Producer/songwriter Matthew Spatola brought legal action against Derulo in August 2023, claiming he co-wrote "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" but was never credited for his work and was cut out of the action when it came to subsequent royalties.

    A jury in Los Angeles sided with Derulo on May 7, 2026, rejecting Matthew Spatola's claims.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.