Let Me Love You (Mario song)

"Let Me Love You" is a song by American singer Mario. It was released in 2004 from his second studio album, "Turning Point" (2004). It was written by Ne-Yo, Kameron Houff and Scott Storch, and produced by Storch. The remix of the song, also produced by Storch, contains rapped verses from Jadakiss and T.I.. The song was an instant hit, garnering Mario a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2006.
In 2008, it was ranked at number 45 on "Billboard"s All-Time Top 100 Hot 100 singles during the first 50 years of the chart. 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. 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.
Music and structure.
"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. The song was written by Ne-Yo, and features him singing backing vocals in two-part harmony and unison.
Reception.
Critical reception.
Jon Pareles from "The New York Times" commented that "Let Me Love You" "looks back to another 1980s blockbuster, lifting its keyboard sound from Tina Turner's 'What's Love Got to Do with It'."
Accolades and nominations.
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".
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 2019, 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.
Music video.
The music video was recorded at studios in Brooklyn, New York in September 2004, directed by Little X. As of June 2020 it has 283+ million views on YouTube.
Track listing.
US CD single
US promo CD
Australian CD single
12-inch maxi single
Remix
Certifications.
!scope="col" colspan="3"| Ringtone
Anniversary edition.
In 2020, Mario announced that he had re-recorded his vocals for the remastered version, which will celebrate the 15 year anniversary of the song. The anniversary edition was released on February 14, 2020.