This is a a very important topic for me because I am unhappy about what happened to this song, the demo was written by singer/song writer Ryan Tedder and then the production of the song was handed over to Jamaican artist Sean Paul and Norwegian producing duo Stargate.
Almost all the lyrics and the meaning of the song were completely changed.
If you read my blog regularly you will find out that I am a big Ryan Tedder/OneRepublic fan and honestly (if you are a regular) you are probably sick really of me talking about Ryan Tedder but my problem with the lyrical adjustments isn't really about Tedder at all, my issue with this song is to do with the way in which women are portrayed in the lyrics.
I wouldn't call myself a Feminist, I'm honestly not bothered that there are more men on bank notes or that the older Disney films like snow white and the seven dwarfs or sleeping beauty are about women who wait to be rescued by men kind of feminism.
I care about the kind of feminism where women are judged by how they dress or how they act, how a women dresses or acts is often used as defense in court for rape allegations and I think that's wrong because the way a women dresses or even if a women is promiscuous it doesn't mean she wants sex with just anyone no should mean no.
Another thing that bothers me is the way women are objectified in both music and in music videos, people argue that it sells more singles but honestly there are plenty of songs that even today aren't about sex or feature naked women (or men for that matter) that sell lots of singles and even make it to number 1.
The biggest problem with this song isn't actually about the sex, I don't mind songs about sex but it's the fact that the demo was about how a women has had enough of her partner (the man sounds slightly controlling.) and the lyrics describe her breaking up with him and the song was changed into a song about how a man really wants sex with a girl and the girl is besotted with him.
I wouldn't really mind as much if it weren't for the fact the girl seemed to think the man was "the one" and the man just seems to just want sex.
I wouldn't be so bothered if say the woman sounded like she just wanted sex like the man or if the man sounded like he was in love like the woman but both people contradict the other and it sounds a little weird.
The video would also imply that he is just interested in sex by the way he watches the the pole dancers and goes off yo rooms and the multistory car park with women whilst the female singer stays in what looks like a hotel room and performs on a stage.
If you compare that song with the original demo:
If we compare some of the lyrics on the final version with the equivalent lyrics from the Demo it looks something like this :
Final version lyrics
I, I'll do anything I could for ya
Boy you're my only
I, I'm gonna flip the script on ya
You don't even know me
Cause I, I... I don't even want to fight, fight, fight
Said I, I... I ain't even gonna fight it
If you were the sun,
Got me spinnin', in your orbit
With no where to run
Boy you got me, can't ignore it...
demo version lyrics
now i won't say its been nice to know ya
cos you don't even know me
i don't wanna spit this bill i wrote ya
and you ain't gotta owe me
because i wanna know what it's like (like, like, like)
i'm out the sun
i've been spinning in your orbit
with nowhere to run when you burn me i just ignore it
The tone of both songs are completely different, most of the verses are completely replaced, the way the woman is portrayed in the final version is so different to how she was originally portrayed, the demo sounds angry, confident and full of hate whilst in the final version she comes across as love sick.
I really want to know why the lyrics were changed so much, maybe the producers didn't want such an angry song but then if they didn't like the way it sounded why buy it?
On the subject of feminism why would you change the meaning of the females lyrics, if they wanted to add male rap to the song why did they change the female lyrics?
They made the woman sound like her purpose was to please and stoke a mans ego and that she shouldn't expect it in return.
I just really hate the message of this song when originally the message was that women shouldn't have to put up with that.
This really makes me question the whole production process after the demo was sent, they could argue the song was a feminist movement to highlight how that kind of attitude is wrong but if it was it isn't very clear and I doubt that's the case.
I would hate to think that the producers purposely changed it because they thought that it wouldn't appeal to a male audience or it won't sell singles or something like that because that would be sad.
I hope the change was to do with introducing a rapper to the song and he wrote his own rap so they changed the other lyrics to fit.
I think what happened to this song is such a shame, I think it would've been so much better if cut the rap, stuck to the demo and found a great female vocalist, What do you think?
Do you like Got 2 Luv U?
Did you used to like the song?
(I'm going to be honest, I didn't particularly like or dislike the song until I heard what the demo was like.)
Maybe never liked it?
Or maybe you have a counter argument or a view you would like to share, I'm open for discussion.
I wouldn't be so bothered if say the woman sounded like she just wanted sex like the man or if the man sounded like he was in love like the woman but both people contradict the other and it sounds a little weird.
The video would also imply that he is just interested in sex by the way he watches the the pole dancers and goes off yo rooms and the multistory car park with women whilst the female singer stays in what looks like a hotel room and performs on a stage.
If you compare that song with the original demo:
If we compare some of the lyrics on the final version with the equivalent lyrics from the Demo it looks something like this :
Final version lyrics
I, I'll do anything I could for ya
Boy you're my only
I, I'm gonna flip the script on ya
You don't even know me
Cause I, I... I don't even want to fight, fight, fight
Said I, I... I ain't even gonna fight it
If you were the sun,
Got me spinnin', in your orbit
With no where to run
Boy you got me, can't ignore it...
demo version lyrics
now i won't say its been nice to know ya
cos you don't even know me
i don't wanna spit this bill i wrote ya
and you ain't gotta owe me
because i wanna know what it's like (like, like, like)
i'm out the sun
i've been spinning in your orbit
with nowhere to run when you burn me i just ignore it
The tone of both songs are completely different, most of the verses are completely replaced, the way the woman is portrayed in the final version is so different to how she was originally portrayed, the demo sounds angry, confident and full of hate whilst in the final version she comes across as love sick.
I really want to know why the lyrics were changed so much, maybe the producers didn't want such an angry song but then if they didn't like the way it sounded why buy it?
On the subject of feminism why would you change the meaning of the females lyrics, if they wanted to add male rap to the song why did they change the female lyrics?
They made the woman sound like her purpose was to please and stoke a mans ego and that she shouldn't expect it in return.
I just really hate the message of this song when originally the message was that women shouldn't have to put up with that.
This really makes me question the whole production process after the demo was sent, they could argue the song was a feminist movement to highlight how that kind of attitude is wrong but if it was it isn't very clear and I doubt that's the case.
I would hate to think that the producers purposely changed it because they thought that it wouldn't appeal to a male audience or it won't sell singles or something like that because that would be sad.
I hope the change was to do with introducing a rapper to the song and he wrote his own rap so they changed the other lyrics to fit.
I think what happened to this song is such a shame, I think it would've been so much better if cut the rap, stuck to the demo and found a great female vocalist, What do you think?
Do you like Got 2 Luv U?
Did you used to like the song?
(I'm going to be honest, I didn't particularly like or dislike the song until I heard what the demo was like.)
Maybe never liked it?
Or maybe you have a counter argument or a view you would like to share, I'm open for discussion.
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