"I Hate U, I Love U" (
stylized in
all lowercase) is a song by American singer and rapper
Gnash featuring American singer
Olivia O'Brien. It was released on July 26, 2016,[1] as the first single from Gnash's third extended play, Us (2016). The song peaked at number ten on the
Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "I Hate U, I Love U" topped the charts in
Australia, a first for both Gnash and O'Brien, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in
Austria,
Belgium,
Finland,
Norway, and the
United Kingdom.[2]
On March 20, 2016, O'Brien released her solo version of the song titled "Hate U Love U".[3]
The song was included on Gnash's debut studio album, We, which was released on January 11, 2019.
Background and release
Gnash enlisted San Francisco singer-songwriter Olivia O'Brien with the help of JB, who originally wrote the song, to provide the vocals for the track. O'Brien had already worked with Gnash, having covered his song "Disposable". Gnash originally released the song on July 26, 2015,[1] and it was later re-released on February 17, 2016,[4] becoming the lead single of Gnash's extended play, Us (2016).
Composition
The song is written in the key of F-sharp minor with a tempo of 92 beats per minute.[5] Musically, "I Hate U, I Love U " is a Midtempo
Pop song backed by a
Piano, with elements of
snap and
Alt-R&B. "I Hate U, I Love U" starts off with a simple melody played on the piano, as O'Brien starts to sing the first stanza and chorus, the latter of which introduces a
Hi-hat drum that plays throughout the rest of the song. The second stanza is then sung by Gnash, as well as the third verse which is sing-rapped. The third chorus is sung by both artists. The first half of the bridge is sung by O'Brien and Gnash joins in for the second half. The song ends with a piano solo, as O'Brien sings the final chorus. It has a duration of four minutes and eleven seconds.[6]
Music video
The music video for "I Hate U, I Love U" premiered on March 7, 2016.[7] The video was released on Gnash's official YouTube channel and has gained more than 724 million views as of April 2023.
Cover versions
In September 2017, Muslim Nasheed artist
Siedd released a cover version of 'I Hate U, I Love U' on YouTube.[8] The song which has over 3 million views on YouTube features a capella arrangements with rewritten lyrics to reflect spiritual themes.[9]
Critical reception
Time was negative towards "I Hate U, I Love U", labeling it as one of the worst songs of 2016, writing "Forget
The Chainsmokers and
Halsey's chart-conquering smash '
Closer'—the most depressingly zeitgeist-defining song of 2016 is gnash's piano ballad 'i hate u, i love u,' with singer-songwriter Olivia O'Brien, which inexplicably rose to the Top 10 of the Hot 100 this year. The singsongy melody is obnoxious as an ice cream truck jingle, while the lifeless production drains it of any energy."[10]
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201650 into search. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201631 into search. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201617 into search. Retrieved May 22, 2016.