| "You Lost Me" | ||||
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| Single byChristina Aguilera | ||||
| from the albumBionic | ||||
| Released | June 25, 2010 (2010-06-25) | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Studio | The Red Lips Room (Beverly Hills, California) | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Christina Aguilera singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "You Lost Me" onYouTube | ||||
"You Lost Me" is a song by American recording artistChristina Aguilera from her sixth studio albumBionic (2010). It was written by Aguilera,Sia, and producerSamuel Dixon. "You Lost Me" was released on June 25, 2010 byRCA Records as the third single fromBionic. The track is a down-tempoballad that talks about an unfaithful man, who has left Aguilera's world "infected".[1]
"You Lost Me" was well received by most critics, who noted it as one of the album's outstanding songs and praised Aguilera's vocals on the track. The song had success inIsrael andTaiwan, peaking in the top ten in those countries. Elsewhere, it reached numbers 43, 78, and 79 in South Korea,Slovakia, and theNetherlands respectively. In the United States, it peaked at number one onBillboard'sDance Club Songs chart.
The music video for the song was directed byAnthony Mandler. It was received positively by critics, who described it as a comeback by Aguilera following her video forBionic's lead single "Not Myself Tonight" (2010). She performed "You Lost Me" on various television shows. The song has been covered by artists, includingVeronica Rotin.
In August 2008, Australian singerSia confirmed that she would work on severalballads for Aguilera's then-upcoming album.[2][3] Aguilera commented about the collaboration, "I'm definitely a fan of Sia's. I was thrilled she also wanted to work together and, in turn, was a fan of mine".[4] In an interview forBillboard, Sia said, "She [Aguilera] was just excited to get to work with the artists she loves. There's this misconception that she's a middle-America kind of person. But she's a little hipster. You go back to her house and sit by the fire with some wine, and what's playing over the sound system?The Knife andArthur Russell. She doesn't listen to pop music".[5]
In the standard edition ofBionic, the couple co-wrote three tracks, including "You Lost Me".[6] The song was described as "the heart of the album" by Aguilera.[7] According to theHerald Sun, Aguilera wanted to collaborate more with Furler for the album.[3] "You Lost Me" was announced to be released as the third single in the US and the second internationally fromBionic, while "I Hate Boys" would be the second single in Australia.[8] The single's cover artwork was revealed three days later via her official website.[9]RCA Records officially released the song to UScontemporary hit radio on June 27, 2010.[10] A radio remix version of the track was digitally released on7digital stores worldwide in July 2010.[11] Two digitalEPs containing remixes of the song were also distributed by RCA Records later that year.[12][13]
"You Lost Me" was written by Aguilera, Furler and its producer,Samuel Dixon.[6] The song is aballad lasts for a duration of4:17 (four minutes and 17 seconds).[1][14] Written in thekey ofA minor, "You Lost Me" has atempo of 50 beats per minute.[15] Aguilera's vocal range spans fromE♭3 toE5.[15] The verses are sung by Aguilera usingmelisma.[16] The song'sinstrumentation comes frompiano andstrings.[1] Hinshaw Drew ofThe Village Voice labelled it the "un-bionic moment on the record".[17]
Lyrically, "You Lost Me" talks about a "cheating" man, who has left Aguilera's world "infected".[1] Amar Toor fromAOL Radio thought that its lyrical content "perfectly captures one of the most difficult experiences young lovers have to go through".[18] The song begins with a "somber orchestral" piano opening, followed by the lines "I am done, smoking gun/ We've lost it all, the love is gone" sung by Aguilera.[15][18] During thechorus, she sings, "I feel like our world's been infected/ And somehow you left me neglected".[19] Toward the ending, Aguilera's "painful" and "catharsis" voice "crescendos dramatically".[18] According toJon Pareles fromThe New York Times, Aguilera "barely" holds back her tears in the song.[20]The Village Voice critic Drew Hinshaw thought that Aguilera is "less vexed by what he did than what he lost".[17]
"You Lost Me" received generally positive reviews frommusic critics. Leah Greenblatt fromEntertainment Weekly noted Furler's efforts on the "lovely" ballads "You Lost Me", "All I Need", and "I Am" had turned Aguilera into a "smoky, almostFiona Apple-esque torch singer".[21] She also considered the first one of them as "one of the most gorgeous things she’s [Aguilera] ever done".[22] Elysa Gardner ofUSA Today highlighted the song as one of the album's standout ballads.[23] According to Genevieve Koski fromThe A.V. Club, "You Lost Me" is the kind of ballad Aguilera "is best suited to".[16] Mesfin Fekadu ofNorthwest Herald thought that the "emotional" song shows off "the diva's powerful voice",[24] while Drew Hinshaw fromThe Village Voice deemed "You Lost Me" as the most vulnerable song fromBionic.[17] Lindsay Zoladz, an editor of the Canadian magazineCokemachineglow, wrote that the song was an "absolute stunner", adding that "her [Aguilera's] voice, minimally adorned, is free to showcase her amazing sense of control and kindle a subtle spectrum of emotion".[25] In his revision forEntertainment Focus, Gary James called it "sublime" and opined it was impressively sung by Aguilera.[26]
Michael Cragg, writing formusicOMH, stated that the ballads co-written by Sia makeBionic "the first Aguilera album where the ballads aren't ruined by her tendency to cover all the notes on the scale".[27] Her further compared "You Lost Me" to Aguilera's previous hit "Beautiful" (2002).[27]Digital Spy editor Robert Cospey gave the song three stars out of five, praising her vocals yet thinking that the song "somehow lacks the sincerity" as she displayed on "Hurt" and "Oh Mother".[1] On a negative side, Sam Lansky fromMTV Buzzworthy deemed "You Lost Me" a "weepy" song.[28] It was ranked as one of 2010's best songs byDigital Dream Door.[29] In his 2020 retrospective commentary on the albumBionic,Billboard's Glenn Rowley celebrated "You Lost Me" as a "soaring, oft-overlooked ballad".[30] Daniel Megarry of theGay Times complimented the song, calling it "a gorgeous, heartbreaking ballad about unfaithfulness that showed off the softer side of Christina’s legendary voice".[31] Entertainment-related websiteTan's Topic called it a "masterpiece", and recommended the officialHex Hector/Mac Quayle remix of the song.[32] Alim Kheraj fromAttitude labelled "You Lost Me" as "introspective, beautiful and emotionally-charged".[33] Mike Wass of theIdolator ranked it at number ten on his list of Aguilera's forty best songs,[34] and Sarah Afshar placed it at number seven on a similar list forAXS.[35] "You Lost Me" also won the You Choice Award for Best Ballad/Love Song.[36][37]
In the United States, "You Lost Me" debuted and peaked on theBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number 20 on June 26, 2010,[38] becoming Aguilera's first US single not to chart within the mainBillboard Hot 100.[28] The song also peaked at number 28 on theAdult Contemporary, where it remained for four weeks.[39] It was a success on theHot Dance Club Play, peaking atop the chart.[40] In the United Kingdom, "You Lost Me" became Aguilera's lowest-charting single in the country,[41] only peaking at number 153 on theUK Singles Chart.[42] The single also charted at number 78 in Slovakia,[43] and number 79 in the Netherlands.[44] The song was more commercially successful in Belgium, where it charted at number 19 on the WallonianUltratop chart.[45] The song was also one of the 10most played songs on the Israeli radio for several weeks.[citation needed]
The music video for "You Lost Me" was directed byAnthony Mandler.[46] According to Aguilera, the video "strips back the theatrics".[47] She also revealed that it used over 200pounds ofcharcoal.[47] During the making of the video, Aguilera said, "It was really important that I interpret the simplicity of the raw emotion that takes place within the song itself and not any sort of theatrics involved".[47] On July 22, 2010, the music video was released on Aguilera'sVEVO channel.[19] Two days before the release, a sneak peek of the music video was revealed.[48] According toBillboard writer Monica Herrera, the clip contrasts with the music video for the lead single ofBionic "Not Myself Tonight",[19] while Chris Ryan for MTV Buzzworthy thought that it goes "back to basics".[49]
The video features Aguilera with "strawberry-blonde" hair.[19] It begins with a close-up of agun barrel.[19] Then, she slowly walks through a "deserted" bedroom and lies down in the room, which is filled with charcoal, while crying.[19] She is seen withmascara streaming down her cheeks.[19] As the scene moves on, Aguilera is fighting against a muscular, shirtless man, who is considered her lover when he tries to get her up before Aguilera pushes him.[48] The clip ends as Aguilera takes off her shirt in an "Inception-like dreamworld" as her black clothing turns to white.[50] Critical response to "You Lost Me" video was positive:Latina writer Mariela Rosario and UK magazineOK! noted that the clip was a comeback by Aguilera following the video forBionic lead single "Not Myself Tonight".[51][52] Monica Hererra fromBillboard also thought that it represents "a kind of return to form for Aguilera".[19] Writing forEntertainment Weekly, Brad Wete thought that the video for "You Lost Me" "has some quality material".[50] Similarly, MTV Buzzworthy's Chris Ryan complimented it as one of Aguilera's best videos ever.[49] It was nominated for the You Choice Award in the Best Pop Video category.[53][54]
In May 2020, as a result of the "#JusticeforBionic" social media campaign, the song's music video reached number one positions on theiTunes Top 100Videos charts in multiple countries, including Brazil, France, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[55][56][57][58][59] The video received aVevo Certified Award onYouTube for over 100 million views.[60]
Aguilera performed "You Lost Me" for the first time at the season finale ofthe ninth season ofAmerican Idol on May 26, 2010. Following the rendition of Aguilera's songs "Beautiful" and "Fighter" by the top six female contestants, Aguilera appeared onstage as the stage went dark.[61] Wearing a "demure black ensemble", her hair was pulled back in her curls.[61][62] On June 8, 2010, Aguilera performed the song again — duringThe Today Show — with several of her tracks, "Fighter", "Bionic", "Not Myself Tonight", and "Beautiful".[63] According to James Dinh fromMTV News, the performance of "You Lost Me" "brought a subtle and gentle ambience" to the show, and it was not aired on television.[63]
During theLate Show with David Letterman aired on June 10, 2010, the singer performed "You Lost Me" with "1950s-inspired hair", red lipstick, "diamante leggings" and a white "glitter style cut-out blouse" with "red sparkly stilettos".[64] A day later, she appeared onThe Early Show to promote her then-upcoming albumBionic, performing "Not Myself Tonight", "Fighter", "You Lost Me", and a medley of "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants".[65] Aguilera performed the song again as part of her performance onVH1 Storytellers, aired on June 13, 2010.[66] The song has been used in the episode ofHBO's comedy-drama seriesEntourage, titled "Louse Yourself". It features a cameo from Aguilera who performs "You Lost Me" atAri Gold's (Jeremy Piven) party. The episode originally aired on September 12, 2010.[67][68] Aguilera also included the song on her setlist at a Halloween concert in San Diego in October 2010.[69][70]
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Credits adapted fromBionic album liner notes.[6]
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[45] | 19 |
| Global Dance Tracks (Billboard)[71] | 25 |
| Israel (Media Forest)[72] | 10 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[73] | 79 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100)[74] | 81 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[75] | 78 |
| South Korea (Gaon)[76] | 43 |
| Taiwan (Hito Radio)[77] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[78] | 153 |
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[38] | 20 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[79] | 28 |
| USDance Club Songs (Billboard)[80] | 1 |
| Region | Date | Version(s) | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | June 25, 2010 | Original | Contemporary hit radio | Sony Music | [81] |
| United States | June 27, 2010 | RCA | [10] | ||
| Belgium | July 2, 2010 | Remix | Digital download | Sony Music | [82] |
| Italy | [83] | ||||
| Netherlands | [84] | ||||
| Finland | July 5, 2010 | [85] | |||
| Norway | [86] | ||||
| Canada | July 6, 2010 | [11] | |||
| Spain | [87] | ||||
| United States | RCA | [11] | |||
| Austria | July 9, 2010 | Sony Music | [88] | ||
| Germany | [89] | ||||
| Various | July 30, 2010 | Various | Digital download(EP) | RCA | [12] |
| Switzerland | August 20, 2010 | Remix | Digital download | Sony Music | [90] |
| Germany | September 3, 2010 | Various | CD | [91] | |
| United Kingdom | October 17, 2010 | Digital download(EP) | RCA | [13] |
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