Be Be Your Love

Album: Happenstance (2004)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Love can make people a little crazy, to the point where they start repeating their words. That's what happens to Rachael Yamagata in this song, as she tries desperately to get some affection:

    Everybody's talking how I can't can't be your love
    But I want want want to be your love


    Many of her songs have personal inspirations, but they are often transformed into universal themes, as is the case here: everybody craves love. Said Yamagata: "I see pain in other people that I feel and I want to figure out solutions to it. So sometimes the writing is about investigating why we're doing certain things to each other, or why we can't be our authentic selves, and more heady stuff."
  • A track from Yamagata's first album, Happenstance, "Be Be Your Love" earned her a lot of attention when it was used on various movies and TV series, notably One Tree Hill and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. "That one had a thing because it got used worldwide," she said. "It actually opened the door for me in Asia, and I've been able to tour quite frequently in Asia. That song was used in quite a few things over there, as well as some things in the US, so that song was super kind to me on that front."
  • Yamagata was signed to RCA Records when she released this song in 2004. A few years later she was on Warner Bros., and by 2011 when was independent. She never went back to a major label and took her time making music. After her album Chesapeake in 2011, she didn't put out another until 2016 with Tightrope Walker, and she didn't follow up that one until 2025 with Starlit Alchemy.
  • In 2025, Rachael Yamagata told Songfacts how she keeps "Be Be Your Love" fresh decades after releasing it.

    "With the early songs, we have to find ways to make them fun because the themes of broken hearts and love stuff were such a 20s and 30s area of age, and what really crushes my heart now is different," she said. "There is such a different threshold as you get older and have people leave your life or watch devastating world events, whatever it is that's ripping you to shreds in a new way."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Brenda Russell

Brenda RussellSongwriter Interviews

Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.

Maria Muldaur

Maria MuldaurSongwriter Interviews

The "Midnight At The Oasis" singer is an Old Time gal. She talks about her jug band beginnings and shares a Dylan story.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.