Let Me Love You Compare And Contrast

There are over half of a million words in the English vocabulary, and words can be arranged into billions of combinations. Despite this wide range of combinations, many forms of artwork have titles with the same combination of words. There are numerous songs that are given the same title. Furthermore, some of these duplicate titles fall into different musical genres; however, there is an occasional pair that belongs to the same genre. One popular example of this coincidence are the songs “Let Me Love You” sung by the two artists Mario and Ne-yo. Each song utilizes a different version of R&B to create a heartfelt ballad, yet both songs have aspects that link them together. Mario’s “Let Me Love You” utilizes his vocals and a smooth, rhythmic
beat to create a beautiful arrangement of R&B (rhythm and blues) music. The beginning of the song welcomes the listener to a slow, synthetic drum beat paired with a soft, synthetic clap. Shortly afterwards, Mario’s silky vocals occupy the foreground. As the song progresses, the background music adds a few woodwind notes to its ensemble. Soon after, the soft, long chords of a synthetic keyboard appear in the background. As Mario’s vocals change from each verse to the chorus, he exploits his unique range of pitch to boost the soulful style of the music. Then, the song enters a bridge, and Mario’s vocals are backed up by the smooth vocals of background singers. Slowly, the chords of the synthetic keyboard change to quick falling and rising notes. Then, the music and Mario’s vocals transition to the last chorus. The synthetic keyboard fades out, and another set of Mario’s vocals enters the foreground. The two sets of Mario’s vocals strengthen the last lines of lyrics. His smooth vocals end, and the soft, synthetic beat gradually fades out. The end product of Mario’s voice and the instrumental is a slow, soulful song.
In contrast to Mario’s style, Ne-yo’s “Let Me Love You” uses Ne-yo’s higher vocals and an upbeat tempo to form a memorable R&B song.
The song’s overture greets the listener to a piano chord and soft beat; then Ne-yo’s alto vocals enter. As Ne-yo’s vocals progress from the first verse to the chorus, the beat slowly crescendos, and the piano chords stop. Then, the instrumental shifts to an uptempo, techno beat. As the chorus develops, the beat escalates; then a deeper beat emerges into the background. Once the chorus concludes, the techno music decrescendos, the piano chords return, and Ne-yo’s high vocals retake center stage. As Ne-yo finishes the second verse, the piano wanes out and the techno music resurfaces. The remainder of the song is a merger of Ne-yo’s high vocals and the up-tempo beat. The up-tempo beat and Ne-yo’s vocals create an energetic style of R&B. Each song's musical style create a portion of what makes their songs memorable; the story within their lyrics complete each song’s
significance.
The lyrics in Mario’s “Let Me Love You” outline a romantic story about falling in love with a girl that is being wrongfully loved. The prelude introduces the listener to a girl who stays with her boyfriend despite the unstable nature of their relationship. Mario questions why she continues to stay in this relationship. Then, Mario describes how she should be treated instead. The lyrics suggest that if she found the right person she would be able to feel the full extent of love. He then describes how perfect she is, and how she is worth more than she thinks. He continues to sing that she deserves someone that fulfills all of her needs. Ultimately, he concludes the song with a simple line telling her to allow him to show her real love.
Contrastingly, the lyrics of Ne-yo’s “Let Me Love You” tell a narrative about a girl that doesn’t love herself.
The lyrics begin by stating that the girl believes that she is not worthy to receive any love. She sees herself as unattractive due to her small imperfections. In causality, she believes her looks are why she has not experienced real love. Ne-yo goes on to sing that her minor imperfections do not take away from her true beauty. He proceeds to say that he wants to help her find a reason to smile and help her get over her pain. The story ends as he tells her that she should allow him to show her how actual love feels, so she can love herself the way she is.
Despite their different musical styles and narratives, the two songs share more than just a title. Both songs were co-written by the same person, the singer and songwriter Ne-yo. Ne-yo’s meaningful lyrics and style can be heard in each of the songs. Even though each song tells a different story, when compared to one another Ne-yo’s lyrics entail the same powerful message: everyone is perfect, and we only need someone else to open our eyes to our own beauty. Their message and differing rhythms produce two separate and inspiring soulful
songs.
Even though each song employs a different version of R&B, their lyrics and music are interlinked. The combination of Mario’s lyrics and the song’s instrumental creates a slow serenade full of admiration for a girl who is in an unhealthy relationship. In contrast, Ne-yo’s lyrics and the up-tempo instrumental create a fast paced love song about showing a girl that she is perfect. Comparatively, behind each of these songs’ melody lies the same beautiful message about self-acceptance. Despite each of the songs being performed by two different artists, their shared title “Let Me Love You” is a perfect summary of their mutual purpose.