The Real Meaning Behind The Weeknd And Ariana Grande's 'Love Me Harder'

Released in collaboration with The Weeknd on Ariana Grande's sophomore album, 2014's My Everything, some of the lyrics for "Love Me Harder" left fans scratching their heads. "Tell me something I need to know / Then take my breath and never let it go," the song begins. The chorus picks up with, "'Cause if you want to keep me / You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta / Got to love me harder / And if you really need me / You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta / Got to love me harder."

So, who is this song about? Back in 2013, Grande was linked with Nathan Sykes of the band Wanted, per StyleCaster. That same year, she met and worked with late rapper Mac Miller, who would become one of her most serious boyfriends (via Capitalfm). However, Grande doesn't have a songwriting credit on "Love Me Harder." Meanwhile, The Weeknd told Rolling Stone (via E!) that he rewrote his own verse to make it less "generic" — but he wouldn't begin his first high-profile, on-and-off relationship with Bella Hadid until 2015.

Considering their shared history of writing songs about their significant others, it's hard to believe "Love Me Harder" is just a strictly sexual pop song — Consequence of Sound called it "yearning and infectious" — but it's unclear whether it was written with a particular someone in mind, as both artists have remained tightlipped. But sometimes, a steamy radio hit doesn't need to be anything more than that.

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