Sara Bareilles knows the key to creating a radio-friendly hit is not trying to create a radio-friendly hit. Bareilles sat down for a revealing conversation on the Zach Sang Show, sharing how her 2007 hit “Love Song” was born out of the frustration that came with her record label encouraging her to write a hit. She did just that.
Working toward her major-label debut, Little Voice, in 2005, Sara Bareilles was feeling the pressure. Signed to Epic Records, the label encouraged her to write more commercially minded material. Bareilles knew that meant she needed to write a hit that would be popular on mainstream radio.
@zachsangshow @thesarabareilles didn’t want to write a long song #sarabareilles #lovesong #songwriter #zachsangshow #fyp
♬ original sound – Zach Sang Show
The singer-songwriter tried just about everything to conjure up a hit, including trying to emulate songs she heard on the radio. But nothing felt authentic.
Finally, Bareilles decided to stop trying to create a hit. She went into a rehearsal space and began writing from a different point of view, this time writing for herself, not to impress her label.
That’s when “Love Song” came together.
Once she surrendered to the process of songwriting and not the result, Bareilles shared that “Love Song” “basically wrote itself.” The chorus and verse came quickly, and the song became a timeless anthem. And yes, a radio hit.
Bareilles wasn’t initially sitting down to write a rebellious anthem. She was trying to figure out how to give the record company what it wanted. She experimented with what she thought a radio song was supposed to sound like, but the more she tried to manufacture it, the further she got from herself.
Then she essentially got frustrated with her own approach and remembered who she was as a songwriter.
The song’s piano-driven melody and conversational lyrics came together quickly. Instead of writing the polished, generic pop song she thought the label wanted, she wrote about the very pressure she was experiencing.
The result was completely ironic—and a massive hit.
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“Love Song” Wasn’t Really a Love Song
@postmabone More good stuff from the #RedDressCollection because everyone should witness the beauty of @thesarabareilles and her iconic performance ♥️ #sarabareilles #lovesong #aha #americanheartassociation #heartmonth
♬ original sound – jude
The title itself is part of the joke.
“Love Song” implies a straightforward romantic ballad, but Bareilles was actually writing about her frustration with her record label and being pushed toward creating commercially viable hits. The tongue-in-cheek song was written as a response to the pressure she felt to write a hit.
The song was released in 2007 as the lead single from Little Voice. Though “Love Song” wasn’t an overnight success, it gradually built an audience. It was featured as an iTunes free single and in a Rhapsody commercial, both of which helped propel the song up the charts.
“Love Song” eventually reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 19 weeks in the Top 10. It also earned Bareilles two Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
“Love Song” Became the Hit She Wasn’t Trying to Write
But the song became much bigger than Bareilles initially intended. “Love Song” features an instantly recognizable piano melody, coupled with Bareilles’ expressive voice and lyrics that sound more like a conversation than a manufactured hit.
“Love Song” wasn’t just another 2007 radio hit. It was a song about refusing to make a hit—and, ironically, that somehow made it one of the era’s most memorable songs.
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