Love (Sweet Love)

"Love (Sweet Love)"
Single by Little Mix
from the album Between Us
Released3 September 2021 (2021-09-03)
Recorded2021
Genre
Length3:40
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • MNEK
  • Sakima
Little Mix singles chronology
"Kiss My (Uh-Oh)"
(2021) 		"Love (Sweet Love)"
(2021) 		"No"
(2021)
Music video
"Love (Sweet Love)" on YouTube

"Love (Sweet Love)" is a song by British girl group Little Mix. It was released on 3 September 2021 through RCA Records as a single in support of their greatest hits album Between Us. The song was written by group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, along with Lauren Aquilina, MNEK and Sakima; the latter two also produced the song.

"Love (Sweet Love)" was met with generally positive reviews from critics. Described as a pop song with elements of synth-pop and soul music, with lyrics that explores themes of female empowerment, independence, and self-love. On the UK Singles Chart it reached number 33, becoming Little Mix's 31st top 40 single.[3] It also reached the top forty in Ireland, Croatia, Latvia and Hungary. Little Mix performed the track for the first time during The Confetti Tour, in 2022.[4]

Background and release

On 29 August 2021, Little Mix teased the song by posting a short snippet of the music video on their social media accounts.[5] The song was announced on 30 August 2021,[6] with a new snippet of the music video released the next day.[7] On 2 September 2021, a snippet of the song was released on the online video-sharing platform, TikTok, a day before the official release of the song. "Love (Sweet Love)" was released on 3 September 2021, along with an accompanying music video.[8] This marked the group's first official song as a trio after Jesy Nelson's departure from the group in 2020.[9]

“We are so excited for ‘Love (Sweet Love)’ to be the first single released from Between Us. We loved shooting the video for this song, it feels like a real moment and we can’t wait to share it.”

— Leigh-Anne Pinnock on the release of "Love (Sweet Love)".[9]

Composition

"Love (Sweet Love)" is a pop song written by group members Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, with MNEK, Sakima and Lauren Aquilina. The members of Morcheeba, Ross Godfrey, Paul Godfrey and Skye Edwards, were also given a writing credit, as the song samples Morcheeba's 2000 track "Love Sweet Love". MNEK and Sakima also handled the production. The song runs for a total length of three minutes and forty seconds.[10] Lyrically, the song discusses independence, female empowerment, and self-love, with the lyrics "I don't need your love to love me. Need my own celebration, yeah, Solo stimulation, yeah, Kiss my imagination. I don't need your love to love me" included in the song.[1][9]

Music video

The music video was released on 3 September 2021, the same day as the song's release. It was directed by Samuel Douek, who had also directed the music videos for the group's previous singles "Confetti" and "Heartbreak Anthem". In the video, the group appears as "gold-adorned goddesses" sat on thrones and dressed in gold gowns with golden headpieces, surrounded by worshippers in a garden greenhouse.[9][11]

In an Instagram post, Douek said that "The concept was inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite art movement and the lesser known Sisterhood that romanticised nature and emboldened women through painting". He continued by explaining that he wanted to "celebrate Little Mix as the regal queens they are; unimpressed by a cohort of Knights that vie for their attention". Douek then described the song as a "a celebration of self-love and female empowerment" and admired Edwards and Pinnock for their performance in the video, as they were pregnant at the time the video was shot. The video also contains choreography by Khloe Dean and the art direction was directed by Furmaan Ahmed.[12]

Critical reception

Lyndsey Havens from Billboard included the song in a list of ten cool pop new songs and described it as "the kind of punchy, soulful pop stompers that fans have come to crave from Little Mix".[13]

Rolling Stone India said that "Love (Sweet Love)” "encapsulates the group's long-established personas as icons of empowerment and self-love ... The synth-pop track employs Little Mix's arsenal of harmonies and vocal variations, giving the single a fresh, anthemic feel."[2]

Conor Clark from Gay Times said "'Love (Sweet Love)' is about love and passion which features vocal harmonies from the trio".[14]

Track listing

Digital download and streaming

  1. "Love (Sweet Love)" – 3:40

Digital download and streaming – acoustic[15]

  1. "Love (Sweet Love)" (acoustic version) – 3:44

Digital download and streaming – Dopamine remix[16]

  1. "Love (Sweet Love)" (Dopamine remix) – 4:01

Digital download and streaming – Emily Nash remix[17]

  1. "Love (Sweet Love)" (Emily Nash remix) – 3:18

Digital download and streaming – Shane Codd remix[18]

  1. "Love (Sweet Love)" (Shane Codd remix) – 3:18

Digital EP[19]

  1. "Love (Sweet Love)" (Dopamine remix) – 4:01
  2. "Love (Sweet Love)" (Emily Nash remix) – 3:18
  3. "Love (Sweet Love)" (Shane Codd remix) – 3:18
  4. "Love (Sweet Love)" (acoustic version) – 3:44

Charts

Chart performance for "Love (Sweet Love)"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Croatia (HRT)[20] 37
Euro Digital Songs (Billboard)[21] 11
Hungary (Single Top 40)[22] 39
Ireland (IRMA)[23] 40
Latvia (EHR Top 40)[24] 38
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[25] 16
UK Singles (OCC)[26] 33

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Love (Sweet Love)"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various 3 September 2021
  • Original
  • Digital EP
 RCA Records [27][19]
24 September 2021 Acoustic [28]
Dopamine Remix [29]
8 October 2021 Emily Nash Remix [30]
15 October 2021 Shane Codd Remix [31]

References

  1. ^ a b "The meaning behind Little Mix's 'Love (Sweet Love)' lyrics explained". Capital. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Dongre, Divyansha (3 September 2021). "Little Mix Embody Self-Love and Independence in 'Love (Sweet Love)'". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Ed Sheeran's Bad Habits enters 11th week at Number 1". www.officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Watch Little Mix give multiple songs their live debut as they kick off farewell tour". NME. 10 April 2022. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  5. ^ @LittleMix (29 August 2021). "First music video snippet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ Chilton, Louis (30 August 2021). "Little Mix announce new single 'Love (Sweet Love)' written by Jade, Leigh-Anne and MNEK". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  7. ^ @LittleMix (30 August 2021). "Second music video snippet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "WATCH: Little Mix releases 'Love (Sweet Love)'". Rappler. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d Royer, Carol-Anne (4 September 2021). "Little Mix — Love (Sweet Love)". EUPHORIA. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Little Mix - Love (Sweet Love)". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  11. ^ Zemler, Emily (3 September 2021). "Watch Little Mix Hold Court in 'Love (Sweet Love)' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  12. ^ @samuel.douek (3 September 2021). "The concept was inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite art movement and the..." Retrieved 11 September 2021 – via Instagram.
  13. ^ Lynch, Joe; Havens, Lyndsey (7 September 2021). "10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through the Week: FINNEAS, Little Mix, Rosalia & Tokischa". Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  14. ^ Clark, Conor (3 September 2021). "Little Mix serve regal realness in new music video for Love (Sweet Love)". Gay Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Acoustic Version] - Single by Little Mix | Spotify". Open.spotify.com. 24 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Dopamine Remix] - Single by Little Mix, Dopamine | Spotify". Open.spotify.com. 24 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Emily Nash Remix] - Single by Little Mix, Emily Nash | Spotify". Open.spotify.com. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Shane Codd Remix] - Single by Little Mix, Shane Codd | Spotify". Open.spotify.com. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Love (Sweet Love) – EP by Little Mix". 3 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022 – via iTunes store.
  20. ^ "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  21. ^ "Little Mix Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  24. ^ "EHR TOP 40 - 2021.10.01". European Hit Radio. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  25. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) - Little Mix". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Acoustic] - Little Mix". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  29. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Dopamine Remix] - Little Mix". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Emily Nash Remix]". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Love (Sweet Love) [Shane Codd Remix]". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.