| "Used to Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Gwen Stefani | ||||
| from the album This Is What the Truth Feels Like | ||||
| Released | October 20, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2015; Westlake Studios (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 3:47 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | J.R. Rotem | |||
| Gwen Stefani singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Used to Love You" on YouTube | ||||
"Used to Love You" is a song recorded by American singer Gwen Stefani for her third studio album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016). It was written by Stefani, Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, J.R. Rotem and Teal Douville, and produced by Rotem. After scrapping the album and its two singles, "Baby Don't Lie", and "Spark the Fire", in favor to start over, Interscope Records released "Used to Love You" as the album's first official single on October 20, 2015. It was then serviced to mainstream radio on October 27, 2015.
"Used to Love You" is an emotional midtempo synthpop ballad, with its instrumentation consisting of a piano, restrained synths and drum taps. Lyrically, the song talks about a painful break-up, with the protagonist questioning why she fell in love. Stefani described the song as being inspired by the end of her 13-year marriage with Bush lead singer, Gavin Rossdale.
"Used to Love You" received widespread critical acclaim, with many critics praising its lyrical content and Stefani's emotional delivery. Others appreciated it for being a heartbreaking song. Critics viewed the single as an improvement over her 2014 releases, which Stefani herself later described as "rushed". Stefani first premiered the song during a concert on October 17, 2015, and its music video was released three days later. The music video is a single shot of Stefani on a black background, displaying her emotions, and occasionally mouthing some of the words of the song. The song received its first televised performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 26, 2015.