Love Me Like You Mean It

"Love Me Like You Mean It"
Artwork for initial digital release
Single by Kelsea Ballerini
from the album The First Time and the EP Kelsea Ballerini
ReleasedJuly 8, 2014 (2014-07-08)
Recorded2014
GenreCountry pop
Length3:19 (album version)
3:15 (video version)
3:03 (single version)
LabelBlack River
Songwriter(s)
  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Josh Kerr
  • Forest Glen Whitehead
  • Lance Carpenter
Producer(s)Forest Glen Whitehead
Kelsea Ballerini singles chronology
"Love Me Like You Mean It"
(2014)
"Dibs"
(2015)
Music video
"Love Me Like You Mean It" on YouTube

"Love Me Like You Mean It" is a song co-written and recorded by American country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini. Ballerini co-wrote the song with Josh Kerr, Forest Glen Whitehead and Lance Carpenter.[1] It was released on July 8, 2014, as Ballerini's debut single and the lead single from her debut studio album, The First Time, released on May 19, 2015, by Black River Entertainment.[2][3] The song is about a young woman showing interest in a man. The song was previously released in promotion of Ballerini's 2014 self-titled EP.[4]

"Love Me Like You Mean It" peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Ballerini the first solo female to top that chart with her debut single since Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in 2006 and the first female country music artist to accomplish that on an independent label. It also charted at number five on the Hot Country Songs chart and number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 596,000 units in the US as of May 2016. It achieved similar chart success in Canada, peaking at number three on the Canada Country chart and number 61 on the Canadian Hot 100. It garnered a Gold certification from Music Canada, denoting sales of 40,000 units in that country.

The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Kristin Barlowe, was shot in Nashville and features Ballerini playing party games outside with her friends and performing throughout various locations.

On April 5, 2024, in honor of the song's tenth anniversary, Ballerini released a new version of the song entitled "Love You Like You Mean It (Reimagined)".[5]

  1. ^ Ward, Jaimie (July 13, 2014). ""Love Me Like You Mean It" The Debut Single By Kelsea Ballerini Is Digitally Available Now". Music News Nashville. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Love Me Like You Mean It (2014) | Kelsea Ballerini | MP3 Downloads | 7digital United States". 7digital (US). Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. ^ Thompson, Gayle (February 18, 2015). "Kelsea Ballerini Announces Debut Album, 'The First Time'". The Boot. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  4. ^ Parker, Eric T. (November 24, 2014). "Black River Releases Breakout EP By Kelsea Ballerini". MusicRow. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Kelsea Ballerini's Reimagined 'Love Me Like You Mean It' Shows Her Growth". Taste of Country. Retrieved April 5, 2024.