Like To Be You

Album: Shawn Mendes (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Like To Be You" is a duet between Shawn Mendes and Julia Michaels in which they have a conversation following an argument. Now they've made their peace, they try to decide what to do next.

    Can I kiss you or not? 'Cause I'm not really sure right now of
    What you want, are you still mad at me?
    I'm hopin' not, 'cause maybe we could go to the movies
    I know that always cheers us up, hey
  • Mendes and Michaels wrote the song together. The Canadian singer told Entertainment Weekly that creating the tune with her "was so easy and natural." He added: "I love the lyric 'Don't cry, or do - whatever makes you comfortable' and 'Can I kiss you or not? Because I'm not really sure right now of what you want.' Like, that s–t is just like, conversation. That's my favorite type of music."
  • Julia Michaels also co-wrote another of the Shawn Mendes album tracks, "Nervous."
  • "Like To Be You" features a guitar solo from Mendes' friend John Mayer, who also produced the track. Mendes first met Mayer in 2016 and the Canadian said his Illuminate album, released the same year, was influenced by Mayer's work. The pair performed together the following year at the US musician's concert in Toronto, collaborating on a duet mash-up of Mendes' "Mercy" and Mayer's "In Your Atmosphere." Since then, Mayer has become a mentor to Mendes.

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