“Love Me Like You Do” is one of the most popular songs by pop singer-Ellie Goulding. The song appeared on the soundtrack for the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey. It was also included on her 2015 album, Delirium. The song gave Ellie her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song, and MTV Music Video Award for Best Female Video.
Ellie’s musical style consists of instrumentation and vocals that have a pop, dance, house music style. It’s remarkable how each of her songs exist in this realm. A great feature of her work is the lyrics that she creates. Some music critics think the pop music genre is the category for generic music for people to listen to on the radio. While this may be true for some songs, Ellie’s tracks always have a significant meaning. Yes, the music is designed to entertain and do well on top 40 radio, but there is always valuable content for listeners who want to hear something they may find moving in some way. “Love Me Like You Do” is a great example of how pop music can both carry a tune and a message.
Lyrics
You’re the light, you’re the night
You’re the color of my blood
You’re the cure, you’re the pain
You’re the only thing I wanna touch
Never knew that it could mean so much, so much
The lyrics suggests that falling in love can be an all-encompassing experience. Describing a love interest as the “light and “night” is a poetic way of saying that he or she is your everything. “The color of my blood” means that they are apart of you. The “cure” and “pain” suggests the love interest is not perfect, but their connection will endure in all circumstances. These lyrics match the themes present in the book and film version of Fifty Shades of Grey.
You’re the fear, I don’t care
‘Cause I’ve never been so high
Follow me through the dark
Let me take you past our satellites
You can see the world you brought to life, to life
The singer has not experienced attraction on this level before. The love interest makes her feel “so high” and she desires take the person “past our satellites.” The connection transcends space and time. She views it as something that is “brought to life,” a process that makes life worth living.
Fading in, fading out
On the edge of paradise
Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I’ve got to find
Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire
Yeah, I’ll let you set the pace
‘Cause I’m not thinking straight
My head’s spinning around I can’t see clear no more
What are you waiting for?
“Paradise” is an achievable goal. However, on the journey the path is not in a direct line. The singer feels a range of emotions and has concluded that only the love interest can “set my heart on fire.” She begins to trust the person and looks for him or her to guide her through the traveling to paradise.
Vocals
“Love Me Like You Do” has a variety of vocal approaches. Some parts are performed with a voice as light as a feather and others demonstrate the singer’s broad vocal range. There is something satisfying to the ear to listen to her belting the phrase “What are You Waiting For?” She sings many parts with a smooth vocal that captures the tone and theme of the character in the song.
Instrumentation
The song is comprised of drum machine, live drums, and synthesizers. From beginning to end, the track has a dream-like sound that captivates the lister. The synthesizers create a unique pop sound that blends with the sound quality of live drums, establishing a musical framework that Ellie applies in this song and so many others from her catalog.
Performance
“Love Me Like You Do” is a feature song during her live sets. It is a fan favorite. The collaboration between the broad vocals and signature sound of the music makes the song perfect for both radio and live performance.
