Forgive Me (Leona Lewis song) explained

Forgive Me
Cover:Leonalewisforgivemecover.jpg
Alt:The image features a black-haired woman sitting in front of a black background. She is wearing a short dress and bracelets on her right wrist. In front of her, the words "Forgive Me" in cursive letters appear while below those words, "Leona Lewis" is written in capital letters.
Type:single
Artist:Leona Lewis
Album:Spirit
B-Side:Myself
Recorded:2008
Genre:Pop
Length:3:39 (album version)
3:24 (radio edit)
Producer:Akon
Chronology:Leona Lewis
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Prev Title2:Footprints in the Sand
Prev Year:2008
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"Forgive Me" is a song by British singer Leona Lewis featured on the North American and Australian versions, as well as the deluxe edition, of her debut album Spirit (2008). Musically, "Forgive Me" is a pop track with dance influences, written in A minor. The lyrics tell the story of a girl who has found a new love and asks her old one for forgiveness. The song was written by Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Claude Kelly and Giorgio Tuinfort, and produced by the former. "Forgive Me" was released as the fourth single of the album in the United Kingdom on 3 November 2008. The single includes the "Myself", written by and featuring vocals of American musician Novel.

In "Forgive Me", music critics compared Lewis's vocals with that of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The music video was directed by Wayne Isham, and it was inspired by multiple Broadway musicals, including Carousel and West Side Story. "Forgive Me" reached number five on the British and Irish charts, thus becoming Lewis's fourth single to peak within the top ten in the UK. Additionally, it peaked atop the Slovakian Singles Chart and reached the top ten in Italy and Sweden.

Lewis promoted "Forgive Me" on some television shows, such as GMTV and The National Lottery Live, in the United Kingdom, as well as on the Italian television show Carràmba! Che sorpresa and on the Swedish talent show Idol. Also, the song was added to the setlists of her tours The Labyrinth (2010) and Glassheart (2013).

Background and composition

"Forgive Me" was written by Claude Kelly, Giorgio Tuinfort and Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, and produced by the latter.[1] The single was published with one B-side, "Myself",[2] written by Justin E. Boykin, Graham N. Marsh, Lewis and Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson.[3]

"Forgive Me" is described as a "funky pop song", written in A minor.[4] According to the sheet music published by Sony BMG, it moves at 120 beats per minute and is set in common time.[4] On it, Lewis performs her highest pitch (G5) in falsetto during the final chorus, and her lowest pitch (A3) during each verse.[4]

"Forgive Me" describes a female protagonist in a relationship who leaves her boyfriend and eventually finds someone to reciprocate her love. Though she has found love from someone else, she defends herself and asks her for forgiveness. In an interview with Digital Spy, Lewis explained why she decided to change her musical genre from her previous singles to a more upbeat one. She said: "I wanted to do something a bit different and the chance to work with Akon came about. I'm really pleased with how it's turned out and it's great that it's different, rather than what I always do."[5] There are two versions of the song, the "album version" (3:40)[3] [6] and the "single mix" (3:24).

Release and promotion

On 26 July 2008, the single mix was released to the Mexican iTunes Store as a digital single. For the UK release, the single cover was revealed on 17 September 2008,[7] whilst the song was released in the UK on 3 November 2008 as the fourth single. Originally, the song was featured only in the North American version of the album Spirit, launched in April 2008.[8] Later, "Forgive Me" was included on the Australian reissue of Spirit,[9] and also appeared on the deluxe edition of the album, which was released in November 2008.[10]

Lewis performed the song on the television programmes The National Lottery Live on 29 October 2008,[11] and GMTV on 31 October 2008.[12] Outside of the UK, she also performed the song on the Italian television show Carràmba! Che sorpresa and on the Swedish talent show Idol.[13] [14] In May 2010, the song was added to the setlist of her tour The Labyrinth, performed as the eighth song of the show. A live performance from The O2 Arena was included on the live album's DVD The Labyrinth Tour Live from The O2.[15] [16] In 2013, Lewis added "Forgive Me" to the setlist of her Glassheart Tour.[17]

Critical reception

"Forgive Me" received generally positive reviews from music critics. CBBC's Newsround described "Forgive Me" as a danceable song.[18] Gavin Martin of The Mirror gave the song three-out-of-five points and said, "[the song] showcases her voice of fire and honey. No apologies necessary".[19] Nick Levine, Digital Spy music critic, gave the song a similar score, and compared it with Whitney Houston's song "I'm Your Baby Tonight". Levine added that after her previous three ballad singles, "it's a nice change". However, he also said the lyrics were implausible as "the adultery-theme [is a] poor match for the sweet, unassuming Hackney girl".[20] Chad Grischow noted that with the song Lewis "will not go down as a glorified one-hit wonder".[21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "Forgive Me" and another song from the album ("Misses Glass") as "just slightly glitzier than the rest of Spirit."[22] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the song "bouncy and youthful".[23] Nate Chinen from The New York Times ironised with a "so what if she sound like a Mariah".[24]

Chart performance

"Forgive Me" debuted and peaked at number five in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2008, becoming Lewis's third single in debut within the top ten, after "A Moment Like This" and "Bleeding Love".[25] In Ireland, before its official release as a single, it was the second highest debut of the week of the Irish Singles Chart, at number five.[26] In the Slovak Airplay Chart, it debuted at number and in its tenth week the song peaked at number one. In the Euro Digital Tracks the song reached the number 4. In Italy, "Forgive Me" debuted at number nine, but fell off the chart next week.[27] Elsewhere in Europe, the song reached number seven in Sweden, twelve in Switzerland, and fifteen in both Austria and Germany. The song entered the Australian charts at number fifty on 19 October 2008,[28] [29] and next week peaked at . Later, "Forgive Me" dropped out of the chart, but on 10 November 2009, it re-entered at number fifty.[30] In the 2008 UK year-end chart, compiling the best-selling singles of the year, "Forgive Me" was .[31]

Music video

The music video for "Forgive Me" was directed by Wayne Isham, and edited by Nabil Mechi and Valentina Ganeva.[32]

It starts out with Lewis receiving a text message from her boyfriend saying he is just a minute away from meeting up with her. The video then turns into a dream-like sequence with Lewis dancing in four inspired by the Hollywood musicals West Side Story, The Rocky Horror Show, Singin' in the Rain and Carousel.[33] The video ends with Lewis coming back to reality after a drop of rain lands on her hand as her boyfriend sends a message saying "Hurry! Looks like there could be rain".

Mark Savage from BBC News commented that Lewis does not dance in the video. Lewis replied, "I love dancing [...] but I am a singer and that is what I do".[33]

Tracklisting and formats

German CD single / Switzerland CD maxi
  1. "Forgive Me" (single mix) – 3:24
  2. "Myself" feat. Novel – 3:50
  3. "Forgive Me" (video)
UK CD single[34]
  1. "Forgive Me" (single mix) – 3:24
  2. "Myself" feat. Novel – 3:50

Credits and personnel

"Forgive Me"[1]

vocal producers, writer

vocals, background vocals

background vocals, producer, writer

, writer

"Myself"[3]

recorder, writer

additional vocals, producer, writer

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2008)Peak
position
url-status=live archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923003537/https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Leona+Lewis&titel=Forgive+Me&cat=s archive-date=23 September 2020 -->
url-status=live archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920224343/https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Leona+Lewis&titel=Forgive+Me&cat=s archive-date=20 September 2020-->
url-status=live archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016145043/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Leona+Lewis&titel=Forgive+Me&cat=s archive-date=16 October 2013-->
scope="row"
Bulgaria (BAMP)[35] 2
url-status=live archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125005101/https://tophit.ru/en/tracks/15562/ archive-date=25 January 2021
} -->|-!scope="row" | Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100 Oficiální)[36] |align="center"|58|-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |-!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[37] |6|-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" | Slovakia (Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna)[38] | style="text-align:center;"|1|-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |-!scope="row" |}

Year-end charts

Chart (2008)Position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 95
UK Singles (OCC)85
Chart (2009)Position
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[40] [41] 79

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Forgive Me"! Region! Date! Format(s)! Label(s)!
Mexico26 July 2008Digital downloadSony BMG
Germany31 October 2008CDAriola
SwitzerlandMaxi CDSony Music
Australia1 November 2008CD
United Kingdom3 November 2008Syco

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Spirit (North American version) . Spirit (Leona Lewis album). Leona Lewis. 2008 . Compact Disc . . 8 86970 25542 4 . Los Angeles; Atlanta, Georgia. 9.
  2. Web site: Forgive Me . . 27 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100403094147/http://www.leonalewismusic.co.uk/gb/music/detail/forgive_me/ . 3 April 2010 . dead .
  3. Forgive Me . Leona Lewis. 2008 . Compact Disc . . Los Angeles; Atlanta, Georgia.
  4. Sheet music for "Forgive Me". Sony BMG Music Entertainment Publishing (2008).
  5. Web site: Music – Interview – Leona Lewis . 28 April 2010 . 7 November 2008 . Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Alex . Fletcher. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712221430/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/interviews/a134461/leona-lewis/ . 12 July 2018.
  6. Spirit (North American version) . Spirit (Leona Lewis album). Leona Lewis. 2008 . Compact Disc . . 8 86970 25542 4 . Los Angeles; Atlanta, Georgia. 5.
  7. Web site: Sneak Preview of 'Forgive Me' Single Cover . 17 September 2008 . 30 August 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120303135327/http://www.leonalewismusic.co.uk/gb/news/detail/sneak_preview_of_forgive_me_single_cover/ . 3 March 2012 . dead .
  8. Web site: Spirit – Leona Lewis . 9 November 2007 . es . 27 January 2012 . The iTunes Store (Mexico). Apple Inc. https://web.archive.org/web/20160322045138/https://itunes.apple.com/mx/album/spirit/id277118888 . 22 March 2016. live.
  9. Web site: Spirit. Amazon Australia. 8 August 2024.
  10. Web site: Release dates. Leona Lewis Official Website. Sony Music Entertainment. 3 October 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080925014014/http://www.leonalewismusic.co.uk/index.php/news/entry/release_date_changes/. 25 September 2008. dead.
  11. The National Lottery Draws . The National Lottery Draws . . . 29 October 2008.
  12. Web site: Leona performs . . 31 October 2008 . 27 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100227151409/http://www.gm.tv/videos/gmtv-highlights/31413-leona-performs.html . 27 February 2010 . dead .
  13. Web site: Leona canta a Carramba Che Fortuna . it . 8 May 2010 . R&B Junk . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914130326/http://www.rnbjunk.com/leona-canta-a-carramba-che-fortuna-1454/ . 14 September 2017.
  14. Web site: sv . Leona Lewis gästar Idol . . 4 December 2008 . 23 January 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210123030720/https://www.tv4.se/artikel/4fc3ae3004bf72228b00b3b1/leona-lewis-gastar-idol . 23 January 2021.
  15. Web site: The Labyrinth Live Tour DVD. https://web.archive.org/web/20101111071417/http://www.leonalewismusic.co.uk/gb/news/detail/the_labyrinth_live_tour_dvd/. dead. 11 November 2010. 9 November 2010. Leona Lewis Official Website. Sony Music Entertainment. 28 April 2011.
  16. Web site: The Labyrinth Tour: Live from the O2. AllMusic. 23 January 2021 . Jon . O'Brien . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200807121641/https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-labyrinth-tour-live-from-the-o2-mw0002070292 . 7 August 2020.
  17. Web site: Corner. Lewis. Leona Lewis begins 'Glassheart' tour in Germany – pictures. Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. 17 April 2013. 9 May 2013. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181104211224/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a473838/leona-lewis-begins-glassheart-tour-in-germany-pictures/ . 4 November 2018.
  18. News: Single review: Leona Lewis – Forgive Me. CBBC. 26 April 2010 . 29 October 2008. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201127212434/http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7630000/newsid_7634400/7634409.stm . 27 November 2020.
  19. Web site: Leona Lewis – Forgive Me review. Martin . Gavin. The Mirror TV. The Mirror. 31 October 2008. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110206103436/http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/archive/music-reviews/2008/10/31/single-review-leona-lewis-forgive-me-115875-20854917/ . 6 February 2011.
  20. Web site: Leona Lewis Forgive Me review. Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. 31 October 2008. Levine . Nick. 31 October 2008. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914220957/http://www.digitalspy.com/music/single-reviews/review/a133938/leona-lewis-forgive-me/ . 14 September 2017.
  21. Web site: Leona Lewis – Spirit – Review . . Chad . Grischow . 23 April 2008 . 27 April 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081216151724/http://uk.music.ign.com/articles/868/868556p1.html . 16 December 2008 .
  22. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1270047|pure_url=yes}} Spirit – Leona Lewis ]. AllMusic . Stephen Thomas. Erlewine. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. 26 April 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201107181531/https://www.allmusic.com/album/spirit-mw0000581238 . 7 November 2020.
  23. Web site: Leona Lewis: Spirit. Slant Magazine. 1 April 2008. 27 April 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081216151551/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1338. 16 December 2008. Sal. Cinquemani.
  24. News: New CDs . The New York Times . registration . 7 April 2008 . 26 April 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925033626/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/arts/music/07choi.html?_r=2 . 25 September 2020 . Nate . Chinen.
  25. Web site: The Official Charts Company – Leona Lewis . Official Charts Company. 27 April 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202091402/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/2060/leona-lewis/ . 2 December 2020.
  26. Web site: Ireland Singles Top 50 (23 October 2008). αCharts. 27 April 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914172926/https://acharts.co/ireland_singles_top_100/2008/43 . 14 September 2017.
  27. Web site: Leona Lewis – Forgive Me. Hung Medien. 1 May 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925155613/https://italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Leona+Lewis&titel=Forgive+Me&cat=s . 25 September 2020.
  28. Web site: Australian Singles Chart. 19 April 2010. Hung Medien. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200909020336/https://australian-charts.com/weekchart.asp?year=2008&date=20081019&cat=s . 9 September 2020.
  29. Web site: Australia Singles Top 50. αCharts. 28 April 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190804151706/https://acharts.co/australia_singles_top_50/2008/42 . 4 August 2019.
  30. Web site: Australia Singles Top 50. αCharts. 28 April 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306225530/http://acharts.co/australia_singles_top_50/2008/46 . 6 March 2016.
  31. Web site: 2008 . 27 April 2010 . The Official Charts Company. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115204940/http://ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2008.pdf . 15 January 2021.
  32. Web site: Leona Lewis - Forgive Me. Murex Edit. 23 January 2021.
  33. News: Leona rounds off an amazing year. BBC News. 7 November 2008. 7 November 2008. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180828070958/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7711628.stm . 28 August 2018.
  34. Web site: Forgive Me Traklisting . 28 April 2010 . Hung Medien . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200603223909/http://irish-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Leona+Lewis&titel=Forgive+Me&cat=s . 3 June 2020.
  35. Web site: Airplay Top 10 NMC Week44 (27.10.2008 - 02.11.2008). Bulgarian Association of Music Producers. bg. https://web.archive.org/web/20090124035936/http://bamp-bg.org/read.php?id=160. 24 January 2009. 6 November 2021. live.
  36. Web site: Radio Top100 Oficiální – Leona Lewis – Forgive Me – Czech Republic. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 28 April 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141420/http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=2&titul=146325&sec=ed3a50a1d4aff50da2cc9ebba28a18bc . 12 June 2018.
  37. Web site: Tipparade-lijst van week 52,2008. dutch. Dutch Top 40. 21 March 2023.
  38. Web site: Radio Top 100 Oficiální Slovak Republic. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. 27 April 2010. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140805/http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparadask/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=18&titul=145238&sec=e901c9dd56ecb483ef382449e2c0e05b . 12 June 2018.
  39. Web site: Årslista Singlar – År 2008. Sverigetopplistan. sv. December 17, 2019. live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201214213250/https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/43?dspy=2008&dspp=1 . 14 December 2020.
  40. Web site: Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2009. February 24, 2020. Mahasz. live. February 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210213040643/https://slagerlistak.hu/archivum/eves-osszesitett-listak/radios/2009. hu.
  41. Web site: Éves összesített listák – MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 (súlyozott). Mahasz. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160125080003/http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/archivum/eves-osszesitett-listak/radios/2009. January 25, 2016. 25 January 2021. hu.

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