“Gonna Love Me” By Teyana Taylor

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I love music. And I mean LOVE. It is probably one of My Favorite Parts of life. It’s strange how the arrangement of sounds, lyrics, and everything else that goes into music can move someone emotionally and bring so many feelings out. I don’t believe, though, that I’ve ever mentioned my favorite genre of music. Anyone who knows me knows that my favorite genre is R&B. For anyone who is not aware somehow, R&B is short for rhythm and blues. There’s probably a number of reasons why it’s my favorite. I credit my sister for really putting me on to music when I was younger. She listened to a lot of R&B, and I think I just soaked that in and carried it on. I think it also finds me because I have high aspirations for what love is and tend to be a romantic person. I like going out of my way for a partner and will try to do nice things for that person when I can. So, I think R&B is kind of an extension or embodiment of those feelings and gives us an avenue to express them. A lot of the subject matter has changed recently in R&B, for better or for worse, but regardless, it still makes you feel something. So, for the first R&B song I did for My Favorite Parts, I wanted to choose something that makes me feel something. So, I present to you “Gonna Love Me” by Teyana Taylor.

“Gonna Love Me” is the second track on Teyana Taylor’s second studio album, K.T.S.E. (Keep That Same Energy), released on June 22nd, 2018. The album was produced by Kanye West and released under G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam Recordings as the last of the five albums released from West’s Wyoming Sessions. The album debuted at #17 on the US Billboard 200, selling 23,000 units in its first week. “Gonna Love Me” was also the first single released for the album on July 17th, 2018. A remix of the song featuring members of the Wu-Tang Clan was released on October 19th, 2018.

I’ve had this song for years and honestly can’t remember how I heard it for the first time. But one thing it’s always done since I’ve had it is make me feel something. Every time it comes on when I’m shuffling songs, I always repeat it at least three times. That is not a lie. The song just has a strong vibe to it provided by the beat, lyrics, and Teyana’s amazing singing. It is a full package. You’ll have to bear with me as I try to put this into words and try to describe the feeling or vibe. It’s relaxing, comfortable, relatable, sad, and hopeful all at the same time. The beat comes on, and you hear the sample from “I Gave To You” say, “And oh, you’re gonna love me, gonna wanna hold me, and squeeze me,” along with the beginning guitar sequence from the same song and the drums sample from “Ain’t No Sunshine.” You can’t help but lay back and bob your head when this comes on. And without wasting any time, Teyana comes on and blows the song away.

I’ve never been the most lyrical person in the sense that it’s not always what I gravitate toward in music, so bear with me as I try to interpret the lyrics and what it means to me. I believe the song is something everyone in a relationship can relate to. In my opinion, it emphasizes some of the struggles that a relationship can face. It gives examples in its lyrics, like when she opens with, “Sometimes we say things that we really don’t mean.” Who hasn’t been in a moment when they’ve said something to a partner that came out wrong or was said out of frustration or anger? She even goes further into some of the struggles of relationships, singing, “Why is it so hard to keep in touch? When we’re laying right next to each other, baby?” showing cases of being physically close but emotionally distant at the same time. Hearing this, you would think that it’s a song of heartbreak and sadness, but in my opinion, it’s a song of hope and how strong love can be because at the end of every verse, regardless of what they’ve gone through, she sings passionately, “I wanna spend my nights with you, my life with you, oh baby, babe.” It shows how strong her love is in wanting to still be with her partner regardless of all the trials and tribulations.

Unlike my last music post, My Favorite Part of this song is an actual part. Not a lyric. At 2:03 into the song, the drums stop, and the guitar and bass sequence slows down to help focus on Teyana as she sings one of the most vulnerable parts of a song I’ve ever heard. Instead of the sample repeating it, now she croons, “Are you gonna love me, know you wanna hold me and squeeze me.” The way she sings it, it’s her asking for this, her longing for this, and her wondering if she’ll get this. It’s the purest form of what I hope we all want from a relationship. To be hugged, held, and squeezed. To be wrapped in love figuratively and literally. She conveys this repeatedly and purely while singing to us softly before concluding the song with a final “Squeeze Me.” I hear this every time I play this song and have to hold myself back from repeating this part over and over, and I hope it has the same effect on you. So, hopefully, when you read this and hear the song and My Favorite Part, you’ll go to your partner and love them, hug them, and squeeze them.