| "Don't Say You Love Me" | |
|---|---|
| Promotional single byFifth Harmony | |
| from the albumFifth Harmony | |
| Released | May 18, 2018 (2018-05-18) |
| Studio | Windmark (Santa Monica, California) |
| Genre | Tropical house |
| Length | 3:13 |
| Label | |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Music video | |
| "Don't Say You Love Me" onYouTube | |
"Don't Say You Love Me" is a song recorded by American girl groupFifth Harmony for theirself-titled third studio album (2017). It was written by Nate Cyphert,Ian Kirkpatrick, Henrik Barman Michaelsen, Edvard Forre Erfjord, Lisa Scinta. Amid-tempo ballad, "Don't Say You Love Me" incorporates atropical music production that runs through a moderatedembow rhythm, using a minimal instrumentation; it has anacoustic guitar riff and a syncopated drumline. Lyrically, it is a melancholictorch song that finds the group asking a "close but inconsistent" lover for an honest relationship. The lyrics are structured inverse–pre-chorus–chorus form.
"Don't Say You Love Me" was critically well-received by music critics who reviewed the song upon the album's release, with some citing it as one of the highlights of the record while praising the melancholy and vulnerability expressed in the song's lyrical content and sonic elements. An accompanying music video for "Don't Say You Love Me" was released on May 18, 2018 as a farewell before the group went into an indefinite hiatus. Directed byP.R. Brown, the video was shot in an abandoned warehouse and features the four members dancing in gowns and long dresses while emotionally singing the song. At the end of the video, the group embrace while holding hands in a circle before leaving through a door in the room that remains open as the last member leaves.
The song was performed for the first time live during their appearance on MTV's reboot ofTotal Request Live alongside "He Like That" on October 27, 2017. Fifth Harmony also sung "Don't Say You Love Me" to a small group of fans at theHollywood Boulevard street in Hollywood, California, in February 2018. It was also included on the setlist of their PSA Tour (2017–18).
"Don't Say You Love Me" was written by Nate Cyphert, Henrick Barman Michaelsen, Edward Forre Erfiard, Lisa Scinta and its producer Ian Kinkpatrick. Originally the song was recorded byDemi Lovato, whose demo eventually leaked in November 2021.[1] Fifth Harmony's vocals were recorded at theWindmark Recording studios inSanta Monica. Phill Than mixed the record at theCallanwolde Fine Arts Center inAtlanta, with Emerson Mancini later mastering it at the Larrabe Studios inNorth Hollywood.[2]
When talking about the song during a track-by-track interview with Jason Lipshutz fromBillboard,Dinah Jane revealed that she was sick during the recording of the song, and the producers felt that her voice would fit perfectly for the pre-chorus.[3]Ally Brooke considered it a "special" record saying that the group was taken to a "very vulnerable place" during the recording sessions.[3] When describing the song, Brooke said:
You don't really get to see that side of us often. You really see us going onstage being fierce and confident and dancing upbeat, but this record, you really get a closer look at who we are.
— Ally Brooke,Billboard[3]
A midtempo song built on a moderate tropical,dembow rhythm,[4][5] "Don't Say You Love Me" is atorch song that finds the group asking for an honest relationship.[6] The lyrics are constructed in the traditionalverse-chorus form. The chorus, sung in an emotive tone, is first performed byLauren Jauregui who introduces the song over a melancholicacoustic guitar; as Abby Jones ofBillboard commented, Jauregui serenades a "close but inconsistent" lover on her verses.[7] As the song progresses, asyncopated drum-line appears; the pre-chorus features Dinah Jane "pleasing for something more" asAXS's Lucas Villa pointed out.[8] The beat drops during the chorus giving space toNormani Kordei.[9]
After the second verse performed by Brooke, the song enters into acrescendo with the members singing in higher vocal registers.[6] Allan Raible ofABC News noted that it is a song that relies more on "emotional heft over stereotypical sass."[4]Stereogum's Chris DeVille described it as a "melancholy jam" that communicates "real warmth and tenderness."[5] Dannii Ceniceros fromBuzzFeed called the song a "steady-tempo empowerment reached song."[10]
Entertainment Weekly's Marc Sneticker felt the song shows off their "vocal excellence when allowed some breathing room."[11] Brittany Spanos ofRolling Stone cited "Don't Say You Love Me" - along with "Make You Mad" - as one of the album's most "infectious jams" which they assert themselves in romantic relationships.[12] Mike Nied fromIdolator wrote that "Don't Say You Love Me" "sets the scene" for one of the group's most "tender" vocal performances.[6]MTV News's Ross McNeilage named it a "brilliant song" further opining that "Don't Say You Love Me" helps the album to be their most "cohesive and fully released body of work.[13] Gerrick Kennedy fromLos Angeles Times called it a "road trip song where you’re looking at mountains and lakes. It gets you in your feelings."[14]
Michael Cragg ofThe Guardian criticized the Fifth Harmony album but highlighted "Don’t Say You Love Me" as one of the stand-out tracks.[15]
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The music video for "Don't Say You Love Me" was directed byP. R. Brown. The video was previewed through a picture posted on Fifth Harmony's social media accounts showing the silhouettes of the group standing in front of a window in a dark room on March 29, 2018.[19] The video was released as a farewell before they went into an indefinite hiatus following their final live performance at theSeminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida on May 11, 2018.[17]
Shot in an abandoned warehouse, the video features the members singing their respectives parts in individual locations wearing long dresses and gowns. Jauregui and Jane are seen in light-colored outfits while Kordei and Brooke appear in dark dresses.[20] Lindsey Thompson ofTeen Vogue magazine found a symbology behind their visual noting that the dark dresses give the feeling of "a somber tone", while the light outfits evoke the theme of "renewal or rebirth."[17] In one particular camera shot they eventually come together and hold hands forming a circle. In the conclusion of the video each member one-by-one exits the room, (while Brooke is still singing) starting with Kordei, followed by Jane, then Jauregui, and finally Brooke who is the last one to leave the room. As she leaves, the door is left open.[21][22]
Digital Spy's writer Joe Anderton praised the video as "suitably melancholic", with the members "posing against walls in a tatty building looking all moody and doing basic armography to let you know this is Serious Stuff."[23] Megan Mann of theSalute magazine commented that the video was "beautiful in its simplicity." She also found several parallels between the video for "Don't Say You Love Me" and that of theSpice Girls' “Goodbye" (1998). As Mann perceived, the video ends the same way: with the four members linking arms before closing the door.[24] For Abby Jones who described the visual as "dramatic" in his written article published onBillboard website, the group is "angelic" in their gowns.[7] As of February 2024, the music video has achieved over 71 million views on YouTube.
Fifth Harmony first performed "Don't Say You Love Me" live during their appearance on MTV's reboot ofTotal Request Live alongside "He Like That" on October 27, 2017. The performance marked a change of scenery for TRL live performances, with the group singing in the studio instead of on a stage set up inTimes Square, which was where the bulk of performers were situated in the first week.Billboard's Caitlin Kelley wrote positively about their vocal performance and synchronized harmonization. Similarly, Mike Wass ofIdolator felt that their vocals were "on point".[25][26] They also performed in February 2018 onHollywood Boulevard to a small crowd of fans.[27]
On theirPSA Tour, the song was performed in a stripped-down setting in a similar vein to the music video, different to the majority of the other performed songs on the tour which included dedicated choreography.[28][29][30]
Credits adapted fromFifth Harmony'sliner notes.[2]
Recording
Personnel
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Studio albums | |
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