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General information
Writer: Calvin Harris
Producer: Calvin Harris
Genre: dance pop
Tempo: 120 beats per minute
Key: G♭ major
Vocals span from C♯4 to C♯5.
Instruments: lead vocal, sound effects, synthesizers, organ, bass synth, electronic drum kit
Duration: 03:35
The song ends properly, without a fade out.
It reached the nr. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Producer: Calvin Harris
Genre: dance pop
Tempo: 120 beats per minute
Key: G♭ major
Vocals span from C♯4 to C♯5.
Instruments: lead vocal, sound effects, synthesizers, organ, bass synth, electronic drum kit
Duration: 03:35
The song ends properly, without a fade out.
It reached the nr. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
We Found Love Chords
Since the song is very repetitive, the chords are easy to learn even for beginners. You need to memorize the same four chords for the verse and the chorus. Then the same sections repeat several times.
Verses: Am, F, C, G (four times)
Choruses: Am, F, C, G (twice)
Structure
We Found Love has a really simple structure: Verse 1 / Chorus / Verse 2 / Chorus / Verse 1 (first part repeated) / Chorus / Chorus. The last two lines of the verses could also be considered Pre-Choruses. But they are quite similar to the first four lines so I think they should rather belong to the Verses. The structure of the song couldn't be more simple. Most of the hits out there include a pretty obvious, distinct Pre-Chorus, longer Verses, and some more "meat" in the Choruses as well. Often there is an Outro, too, which is also missing here. A lot of people criticize the structure of this song saying that it's too simple, it can't really be called "art". I don't know if they are right. But We Found Love does a great job making you want to go out and party. And I guess that's the main purpose of this song.
We Found Love has a really simple structure: Verse 1 / Chorus / Verse 2 / Chorus / Verse 1 (first part repeated) / Chorus / Chorus. The last two lines of the verses could also be considered Pre-Choruses. But they are quite similar to the first four lines so I think they should rather belong to the Verses. The structure of the song couldn't be more simple. Most of the hits out there include a pretty obvious, distinct Pre-Chorus, longer Verses, and some more "meat" in the Choruses as well. Often there is an Outro, too, which is also missing here. A lot of people criticize the structure of this song saying that it's too simple, it can't really be called "art". I don't know if they are right. But We Found Love does a great job making you want to go out and party. And I guess that's the main purpose of this song.
Melody
We found love has a simple chord progression that repeats throughout the song (both in the Verses and the Choruses): Am, F, C, G.. They say that often the simplest songs become the greatest classic hits. Well, it couldn't be simpler than this but I don't think the song is going to become a timeless classic. Not because there is anything wrong with it but because of the genre which probably won't be this fashionable in a couple of years. The instrumental parts in this song might have an even more important role than the lyrics. The instrumental sections occupy a huge percentage of the song (compared to other hits) and there is a part after some of the Choruses where the energy gradually increases, I would call that part the "peak". In the third Verse (which is a half repetition of the first Verse) the melody changes a little. The Bridge is also short and consists of instrumental music only. We Found Love definitely doesn't let you get bored, a new section of the song begins every 10 or 15 seconds.
Lyrics
The title completely summarizes what the whole song is about. It's not always a wise choice since if we know everything from the title, who wants to listen to the song itself? But We Found Love is performed by Rihanna so many people do. And together with the rest of the line "We found love in a hopeless place", it's a really strong theme. The same four lines are repeated in the Chorus, which is a risky move. But it works great in this song, since it's not the story we are so interested in but the party mood it puts us in. The Verses are rather short and there are only two of them. The third one repeats the first part of the first Verse. There is great imagery in the Verses like "yellow diamonds in the light" and "your shadow crosses mine". The first Verse has an AAAAAB, and the second one an ABABBB rhyme pattern, therefore it's quite satisfying to the ear. The Choruses make up only about a quarter of the song, which is rare on contemporary charts. Usually it's about 45%.
What Can We Learn From All This?
This song will probably never become a classic, which is OK. It's a little too simple and too fashionable for that. When I first heard this song I thought they couldn't be seriously putting it out as a first single. But after listening to it two or three times, it grew on me. It always makes me wanna party. It goes to show that sometimes you don't need very complex chords, melodies or even lyrics to write a hit. The performer and the vibe of the song may be more important factors sometimes. Still, the more typical hit song elements you include in your song, the more likely it is that it'll become a hit. We Found Love is definitely an exception to the rule.
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