"Bleeding Love" is a song
recorded by British singer
Leona Lewis for her debut
studio album, Spirit (2007).[1] It was originally written and recorded by American singer
Jesse McCartney, and was co-written and
produced by American singer
Ryan Tedder.[2][a] "Bleeding Love" was released worldwide during the last quarter of 2007, and the first of 2008, as the album's
lead single internationally, and as the second
single in Ireland and the United Kingdom.[3] McCartney later included his version of the song as a
bonus track on the international edition of his third studio album, Departure (2008). It is Lewis' biggest hit, to date, and remains her
signature song. As of 2021, "Bleeding Love" has been
streamed over two billion times.[4]
Debuting at number one on the
Irish Singles Chart and
UK Singles Chart, "Bleeding Love" became the best-selling single of 2007 in both countries.[5] After its release, the single became a massive success and was the world's best-selling single of 2008.[6] "Bleeding Love" reached number one in over 35 countries,[7] including France, Germany, Japan and the United States, making it only the second single in history to achieve this feat,
Elton John's "
Candle in the Wind '97" being the first. The original accompanying music video first aired on 17 October 2007 and was uploaded to YouTube that same day. A second music video was premiered on 29 January 2008 on
Yahoo! Music and was uploaded to YouTube the next day.
Meanwhile, in February 2007,
OneRepublic's
frontmanRyan Tedder and singer
Jesse McCartney had written "Bleeding Love" for the latter's third
studio album, Departure (2008).[16] However, his label,
Hollywood Records, did not like the song.[17] Tedder believed it was a "massive" song and the record company was "out of [their] mind".[17] Despite his own reality television background, Tedder had previously made the decision not to work with contestants from American Idol, but he had not heard of The X Factor, and on being shown a
website about Lewis, he thought that "her voice just sounded unreal," saying that "from a
writer's perspective, this girl – with or without a television show – has one of the best voices I've ever heard."[18] On hearing that Cowell was looking for songs for
Lewis' debut studio album, Tedder rearranged "Bleeding Love", changed the
key and tailored it to suit her voice.[17] He pitched the song to Cowell, who said it was "the one".[18] After the success of Lewis' version, the song was
re-recorded by McCartney, being included as a
bonus track on the international edition of Departure.
"Bleeding Love" is a mid-
tempopop and
R&B song set in the key of
F major.[20] It moves at 104 beats per minute and is set in
4 4time signature. The album version runs for four minutes and twenty-two seconds and the
radio edit runs for three minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Lewis'
vocal range extends from C4 to B♭5, but has gone higher into the sixth octave in most live performances of the song.[21] "Bleeding Love" is constructed in the common
verse–chorus–
bridge song pattern. The song employs a
church organ which is audible throughout until the bridge. Synthesized strings are also prominent throughout the song, which intermittently integrates
wood blockpercussion. A heavy, distorted
marching band-like drum
loop backs the song.[22] It employs a
harmonic shift beginning at the bridge. A harmonic shift or harmonic variety generally identifies most song bridges. In "Bleeding Love", the turn around from the common I, vi, IV, V (F, Dm, Bb, C)
progression used exclusively up to the bridge for both verses and choruses shifts to focus on the relative minor: vi, IV, I/V, V (Dm, Bb, F/C, C).[23]
McCartney wrote the song about his longtime girlfriend and said: "I kept thinking about being in love so much that it hurts. I was away from my girlfriend for four months at the time and I really wanted to [quit] and fly home. I was so in love that it was painful. It was like bleeding, it cut me open."[24]Lyrically, "Bleeding Love" shows the singer in an
relationship and extremely
blinded by love. Heedless of warnings from friends, and regardless of being emotionally hurt by the person the song is addressed to, the singer continues to love that person and accepts the pain.
Metaphorically, this is represented by being "cut open". When this happens, however, all the singer can do is "bleed love" for the person being addressed.[25]
Promotion
The song's first radio play was on the
BBC Radio 1 Chart Show on 16 September 2007,[3] and was quickly followed by an online exclusive streaming by
celebritybloggerPerez Hilton.[26] It was reported that over 1.5 million people listened to the song online.[27] "Bleeding Love" was also
Scott Mills' Record of the Week from Monday 24 September to Friday 28 September.[28] Lewis went on a two-day regional radio tour in the United Kingdom to promote the single and album on 11 and 12 October 2007.[29] This was followed by an appearance on This Morning on 15 October. Lewis performed the song live on the
fourth series of The X Factor on 20 October 2007,[30] and also made appearances on several other television and radio shows such as T4,
GMTV and Loose Women.
"Bleeding Love" received widespread acclaim from
music critics. Showbiz Spy described it as "emotionally fuelled," and opined "this track perfectly showcases Leona's impressive vocal prowess and from the moment she opens her mouth we are instantly reminded about her amazing voice, capable of heart stopping intensity and a playful light touch."[33]Digital Spy's review of the song gave it four out of five stars, saying it is "easily the best single to be released by an X Factor star," and describing it as "a brilliantly smart pop record, managing to offer the lovelorn
balladry that Lewis' X Factor fans are no doubt craving, while also suggesting a hint of street cred in the form of some beefy, vaguely modish
beats."[34] It came second in Digital Spy's Top 20 Singles of 2007 announced on 31 December.[35]
However,
BBC America's reviewer expressed that "the inventive percussion can't stop 'Bleeding Love' from sounding dated, like
filler on some long-lost, late
'90sMariah Careyalbum. It is one of those mid-tempo numbers – too slow for the
club, too fast for the
foxtrot. Actually, with its marching band drum beat, it sounds as much like
Gwen Stefani's '
Hollaback Girl' as a ballad can." The critic continues to say, "On to the positive: Lewis wisely restrains her vocals, never devolving into those
vocal acrobatics that have historically plagued
Christina Aguilera."[36]Billboard's review by Singles Review editor
Chuck Taylor for "Bleeding Love", the first ahead of the song's release in the United States, stated it was "a colossal and timeless debut," going on to say "not only a one-listen harmonic show-stopper, it is also
hip,
soulful, beat-rippling and an undeniable vocal tour de force."[37]The Village Voice described the song as a "perfectly devised
emo-pop machine ... the old Mariah is jealous right now".[38]
Accolades
"Bleeding Love" has earned Lewis numerous awards and nominations. In December 2007, it won the
Record of the Year[39] and the award for Best Track at the 2007
Virgin Media Music Awards.[40] In January 2008, the song was nominated for Best British Single at the
2008 Brit Awards.[41] Although the award was won by
Take That's "
Shine", it was announced that "Bleeding Love" had received the second-highest number of public votes. The song's massive success earned Lewis the award at Britain's Best 2008, which was aired on
ITV1 on Friday 23 May 2008. On 3 December 2008, "Bleeding Love" was nominated for
Record of the Year and
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the
51st Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to
Robert Plant and
Alison Krauss' "
Please Read the Letter" and
Adele's "
Chasing Pavements", respectively.[42]Rolling Stone ranked it 25th on their list of the 100 Best Singles of 2008.[43] In April 2009, Tedder and McCartney were awarded with the Song of the Year Award at the 26th Annual
ASCAP Pop Music Awards.[44] In September 2011,
VH1 ranked "Bleeding Love" number 67 on its list for the 100 Greatest Songs of the
'00s.[45]
The song has been ranked 129th by Billboard on its 600 most massive smashes over the
chart's six decades.[46]
Chart performance
In the United Kingdom, "Bleeding Love" debuted at the top of the
UK Singles Chart on 28 October 2007 ― for the week ending dated 3 November 2007.[47][48] With the single reaching number one, Lewis became the first X Factor contestant to achieve two chart-topping hits.[49] It was reported to be outselling Take That's "
Rule the World" by three-to-one in chain store
Woolworths.[50] The single went on to sell 218,805 copies in its first week, gaining the biggest one-week sales in 2007, a feat it maintained until "
When You Believe" by
Leon Jackson ― her successor as winner of the UK X Factor – was released in December 2007.[47][51] In its second and third weeks on sale, the single sold 158,370 copies[52] and 111,978 copies, respectively, bringing the total sales to 489,153 and making "Bleeding Love" the biggest-selling single of 2007 after just three weeks of release.[53] It stayed at the top of the chart for seven weeks,[48] the longest run from a homegrown female solo artist in British chart history, until Adele's "
Easy on Me" spent eight weeks at number one in 2021 and 2022.[54] By the end of 2007, "Bleeding Love" had sold a total of 788,000 copies, becoming Britain's biggest-selling single of 2007. It was the first time a single by a British female solo artist had topped the end of year singles sales chart in the then 55-year history of the
Official Charts Company.[5] The
British Phonographic Industry (BPI)
certified the single platinum on 18 January 2008 and three-times platinum on 5 March 2021.[55] In February 2014, it was confirmed by the Official Charts Company that "Bleeding Love" had sold total of 1,180,000 copies in the United Kingdom, making it the 103rd song overall to sell a million copies in Britain, with Lewis the fourteenth female singer to achieve the feat.[56]
In Australia, "Bleeding Love" debuted at number nine on the
ARIA Singles Chart on the issue dated 24 December 2007, and topped the chart on 21 January 2008. On 10 February 2008, the single received a platinum certification by the
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), with sales of over 70,000 copies.[57] In New Zealand, Lewis became the first British female artist to have a number-one single since the
Sugababes' "
Push the Button" topped the chart in January 2006; it stayed at number one for five weeks.[58] It also reached number one in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.[59] In Spain, the single reached number two on the
Promusicae Singles Chart and was certified platinum for sales of 40,000 copies. "Bleeding Love" was a success on
radio stations around the world, reaching number one on the Airplay Charts of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany,[60] Australia,[61] New Zealand,
Luxembourg,[62]Slovakia,[63] Latin America,[64]Estonia[65] and Japan.[66] In the Greek Airplay Chart, it reached number two.[67] In Italy, the single peaked at number two on the
FIMI Singles Chart based only on
digital downloads; instead it peaked at number one on the Italian Musica&Dischi Singles Chart, which is based on digital downloads and
CD single sales, for 13 non-consecutive weeks.[48]
In the United States, "Bleeding Love" was released digitally on 18 December 2007,[68] and debuted on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at number 11.[69] The single officially debuted at number 85 on the
Billboard Hot 100 on the issue dated 1 March 2008.[48] It became Lewis' first US top-ten hit and reached the top of the Hot 100 three separate times: twice for one week and once for two weeks.[48] It also topped the Billboard component charts, including the Hot
Digital Songs[70] and
Adult Contemporary, where it spent 52 weeks.[71] Lewis is the third British female artist to have a number-one hit with a debut US single, following
Petula Clark with "
Downtown" and
Sheena Easton with "
Morning Train (Nine to Five)".[72] It became the second single to have three separate turns atop the Hot 100, following
Chic's "
Le Freak".[73] On Billboard's
Hot 100 Year-End chart for 2008, "Bleeding Love" was ranked at number two, only behind "
Low" by
Flo RidafeaturingT-Pain. During this time, Spirit debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200, making Lewis the first British solo artist in 18 years to simultaneously top both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts. Certified
platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the single has sold 4,589,000 digital downloads in the United States as of December 2013.[74]
In Canada, "Bleeding Love" peaked at number one on the
Canadian Hot 100 on the issue dated 5 April 2008.
Music videos
Two
music videos were produced for the release of "Bleeding Love". The first was directed by
Melina Matsoukas and was filmed in Los Angeles.[75] It is set in a mock apartment block and features six storylines about couples in different stages of relationships. Lewis stated that it is "real colourful, very funky, has lots of
extras and I get to really perform".[75] Matsoukas explained her meaning of the music video in an interview on
MTV's Making the Video, saying that the water in the video is a metaphor for the tenants' love problems, as if the apartments are bleeding love. The version of the music video was first uploaded to
YouTube on 17 October 2007, and which now has over 204 million views.
Lewis filmed a second music video in
New York City for the US release of "Bleeding Love". The
treatment for the video was written by Tedder,[76] and centres on a storyline involving Lewis arguing with her boyfriend, played by model Nicholas Lemons. It was directed by
Jessy Terrero.[77] The music video premiered on 29 January 2008 on
Yahoo! Music,[78] and was uploaded to YouTube on the next day. Its television debut was on 4 February 2008 on VH1 as part of their "You Oughta Know" campaign.[79] This video has over 362 million views on YouTube.
The first version of the music video was nominated for Best UK Video at the
2008 MTV Video Music Awards. The second version was number one on the VH1's Year-End Top 40.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^McCartney's version was later included as a bonus track on the international editions of his third studio album Departure (2008).
^In Italy, "Bleeding Love" sold 121,673 copies in 2008 alone.[175]Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) began including
digital downloads to determine certifications on January 1, 2010. In 2019, "Bleeding Love" was certified gold for 2010–2019 digital sales of 25,000 units.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200813 into search. Retrieved 5 September 2018.