"'For me, this was a message to myself. I was feeling so under-confident with my work and everything. I think on the first listen it just sounds like trying to get a lover to love you, but it’s not at all. Everything is said to the mirror. That’s why the spoken bit at the beginning and after the middle eight is like: “If you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love somebody else?” That’s a RuPaul quote, so it makes me really happy, but it’s so true. I think that’s very fundamental when being in a relationship—you’ve got to love yourself first. I think self-love is really hard, and that’s the overall thing about this record: It’s about trying to find self-love within all the complications, whether it’s identity or sexuality. I think it’s the purest, happiest on the record. It’s like that New Jack Swing-style production, but originally it had like an ‘80s sound. That didn’t work with the rest of the record, so we went back and reproduced it.'"
Love Me 4 Me
Rina Sawayama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you can't love yourself
How are you going to love somebody else?
Everyday I wanna start over
'Cause I remind me of me
At my worst, all in my mirror
Tell me lies, say it nice
Gotta do right, be nice
Smile just like a lady
I gotta work hard
Make up, head up like a star
I gotta be that angel
Good girl, soft and sexy
Well, I don't care
I don't care who you are
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
Every time I let you win
My mind, you find remedies
But you can't fix me, you can't win
So goodbye, goodbye
Gotta do right, be nice
Smile just like a lady
I gotta work hard
Make up, head up like a star
I gotta be that angel
Good girl, soft and sexy
I don't care
I don't care who you are
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
"If you can't love yourself
How are you going to love somebody else?"
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
You wanna love me for me
If I made it, I made it easy
In Rina Sawayama's song "Love Me 4 Me," she asks the question, "If you can't love yourself, how are you going to love somebody else?" This sentiment runs throughout the song as she struggles with self-love and acceptance, even though she knows it's crucial for her relationships with others. The first verse reveals that she tries to start each day fresh with better self-talk, but still finds herself criticizing and lying to herself when she looks in the mirror. She feels pressure to be the perfect "angel," a "good girl, soft and sexy", but doesn't care who her partner thinks she should be.
In the chorus, Rina highlights the importance of being loved for who she is, not for the person her partner wants her to be. She acknowledges that her success and fame may make her an easy target for people to use her, but she wants someone to love her for herself. She repeats this sentiment in the bridge with the same question she posed in the beginning of the song.
Overall, "Love Me 4 Me" is an anthem for self-love and authenticity in relationships. Rina Sawayama speaks to the struggles of living up to societal expectations, but ultimately recognizes that she is enough and deserves to be loved for who she truly is.
Line by Line Meaning
Babe, I've been telling you
I have been telling you that you must love yourself before you can love someone else.
If you can't love yourself
It is impossible to truly love someone else if you don't love yourself first.
Everyday I wanna start over
Each day feels like a new beginning for me, and I want to embrace it wholeheartedly.
'Cause I remind me of me
I see myself in the mirror every day, and it reminds me of who I am, both the good and the bad.
At my worst, all in my mirror
Even when I'm at my lowest point, I face my reflection in the mirror and accept who I am in that moment.
Tell me lies, say it nice
People may try to flatter me with insincere compliments or lies, but I prefer the truth even if it's harsh.
Gotta do right, be nice
I must always strive to do the right thing and be kind to others, even if they don't treat me the same way.
Smile just like a lady
I am expected to smile like a lady even if I don't feel like it, to conform to gender norms and societal expectations.
I gotta work hard
I must work hard to achieve my goals and dreams, even if it means sacrificing other things in my life.
Make up, head up like a star
I must present myself in a certain way, with makeup and head held high, like a star or celebrity.
I gotta be that angel
I must be perfect, an angelic figure who is never flawed or weak, otherwise I won't be accepted.
Good girl, soft and sexy
I'm expected to be a good girl who is also seductive and attractive, always pleasing to others.
Well, I don't care
Despite all the expectations and pressures placed on me, I don't care about conforming to them.
I don't care who you are
It doesn't matter who you are or what you think of me, I am still going to be true to myself.
You wanna love me for me
I want someone to love me for who I am, not for what I can do or what I look like.
If I made it, I made it easy
If I have achieved success or something that makes me desirable, it shouldn't make me any less deserving of love for who I am.
Every time I let you win
Whenever I let others control my actions or thoughts, I feel like I'm losing a part of myself in the process.
My mind, you find remedies
Others may offer solutions or advice to help me, but ultimately I have to find my own path.
But you can't fix me, you can't win
No one can fix me or win me over unless I allow them to, since I am in control of my own life and decisions.
So goodbye, goodbye
If someone cannot accept me for who I am, then I must say goodbye and move on with my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bram Inscore, Nicole Morier, Rina Sawayama
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind