"Let Me Love You" is a song by American singer
Mario, released as a single on October 4, 2004, from his second studio album, Turning Point (2004). The song was written by
Ne-Yo, Kameron Houff, and
Scott Storch, while the production was handled by Storch. The song garnered Mario a
Grammy Award nomination for
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2006 and became a top-10 hit worldwide, reaching number one in the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
In 2008, "Let Me Love You" was ranked at number 45 on Billboard's All-Time Top 100 Hot 100 singles during the first 50 years of the chart.[2] It was the eighth most successful single of the decade according to the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade chart released in December 2009.[3] In 2013, it was ranked at number 53 on Billboard's All-Time Top 100 Hot 100 singles during the first 55 years of the chart.[4] The
remix of the song, also produced by Storch, contains
rapped verses from
Jadakiss and
T.I.
Background and composition
The song was written by Kameron Houff,
Ne-Yo, and
Scott Storch, who also produced the track.[5] According to Ne-Yo, after he chose to start singing his songs, he regretted giving "Let Me Love You" to
Mario and said that he would have kept it for himself.[6] "Let Me Love You" is a moderate R&B ballad in
G minor, centered around the progression C minor / G minor / F major. It is written in
common time.[7]
In 2004, "Let Me Love You" was nominated for a
Vibe Award for Best R&B Song and two
Teen Choice Awards,
Choice Love Song and Choice R&B/Rap Track, but it failed to receive any awards. In 2005, it received nominations for
Billboard Music Awards, including "Hot 100 Single of the Year", "Hot 100 Airplay Single of the Year", "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year", "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Single of the Year, winning in both the R&B categories. It was also nominated for an MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B Single, a Viewer's Choice award at the
BET Awards, Best Single at the
MOBO Awards, and Best R&B/Soul Song at the
Soul Train Music Awards. In 2006, Mario was nominated for a
Grammy Award for
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance with "Let Me Love You". He also received an
MTV Australia Awards nomination for Best R&B music video for "Let Me Love You".[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Commercial performance
"Let Me Love You" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 23, 2004, at number 97. The song went on to hold the number-one position on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks from January to February 2005, and, as of 2024, is Mario's biggest single. It also reached number one on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Internationally, it reached the number-one position on the singles charts in Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, the song reached number two on the
UK Singles Chart (held off the top spot by "
(Is This the Way to) Amarillo"), making it Mario's biggest hit to date in the UK. The single also holds the honor of being one of the highest-selling ringtones with 1.6 million downloads.[17]
Music video
The music video was filmed at studios in Brooklyn, New York in September 2004, directed by
Little X. The video generally features Mario dancing, alone or with backup dancers, on various sets.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
In 2020, Mario announced that he had re-recorded his vocals for the remastered version, celebrating the 15-year anniversary of the song. The anniversary edition was released on February 14, 2020.[91]
Covers
Dutch producer Dastic sampled the song and released his own
tropical house version featuring vocals from singer
CADE. The version charted on the
Belgian Dance and Ultratip Bubbling Under charts.[92]
Samples
In 2021, American artists
Ghostface Killah and Shaun Wiah samples the song in the track Let Me Touch Ya.[93]
^Let Me Love You (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Mario. J Records. 2005. 82876-69540-7.{{
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^Let Me Love You (US 12-inch vinyl disc). Mario. J Records. 2004. 82876 61888 1.{{
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^Let Me Love You (US 12-inch remix vinyl disc). Mario. J Records. 2004. 82876 67118 1.{{
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^Let Me Love You (European CD single liner notes). Mario. J Records, 3rd Street Music Group. 2005. 82876 67976 2.{{
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^Let Me Love You (UK CD2 liner notes). Mario. J Records. 2005. 82876 68245 2.{{
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^Let Me Love You (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Mario. J Records. 2005. 82876 68256 1.{{
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^Let Me Love You (Australian CD single liner notes). Mario. J Records. 2005. 82876 67975 2.{{
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link)