Duets is the theme or this week’s Song Lyric Sunday hosted by Jim Adams. I have chosen a fairly recent song two very talented singers, Meghan Trainor and John Legend, called “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”. It’s a love song with a pretty melody and some beautiful harmonies. I hope you enjoy it.
“Like I’m Gonna Lose You” was written by Meghan Trainor, Justin Weaver, and Caitlyn Smith. It was composed as a demo “years ago”, but Trainor was at first hesitant to show the song to her record label during the recording of her debut album, Title (2015). At the request of Trainor’s uncle, Burton Toney, her management listened to the track. Trainor recalls one of her managers being brought to tears by the song, resulting in the decision to include it on the album.
The song was produced by Trainor and Chris Gelbuda, who she had first met in 2011 at a music conference in Colorado. They later co-wrote Sabrina Carpenter’s “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying”. During their recording of the track “3am” for Title, Trainor told Gelbuda about “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”, a reggae song which she felt was a poor fit for the album. The pair brainstormed, with Gelbuda playing various melodies on a guitar, resulting in a change in sound and tempo. “She dug it and it just worked. We built the track together, she sang the vocals, and I worked at it for weeks,” Gelbuda recalls. They recorded “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” in 2014 at The Green Room, Gelbuda’s home studio, in East Nashville, Tennessee. Trainor and Gelbuda did all of the track’s instrumentation, production, and programming.
Initially intended to be a solo recording, L.A. Reid sent it to John Legend, who shares the same management as Trainor. Legend said, “I love this: I want to be a part of it”. Jason Agel recorded Legend’s vocals as a duet with Trainor’s at Germano Studios in New York City, with the assistance of Kenta Yonesaka. Manny Marroquin mixed “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” at Larabee North Studios in Universal City, California, and Dave Kutch mastered it at The Mastering Palace in New York City. Gelbuda describes it as “classic and jazzy” and “a big departure from everything she’s done”.
Lyrics
I found myself dreaming
In silver and gold
Like a scene from a movie
That every broken heart knows
We were walking on moonlight
And you pulled me close
Split second and you disappeared
And then I was all alone
I woke up in tears
With you by my side
A breath of relief
And I realized
No, we're not promised tomorrow
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna hold you
Like I'm saying goodbye
Wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted
'cause we'll never know when
When we'll run out of time
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
[John Legend:]
In the blink of an eye
Just a whisper of smoke
You could lose everything
The truth is you never know
So I'll kiss you longer, baby
Any chance that I get
I'll make the most of the minutes
And love with no regrets
Let's take our time
To say what we want
Use what we got
Before it's all gone
'Cause no, we're not promised tomorrow
[Both:]
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna hold you
Like I'm saying goodbye
Wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted
'Cause we'll never know when
When we'll run out of time
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
Hey
Whoa
I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna hold you
Like I'm saying goodbye
Wherever we're standing
I won't take you for granted
'Cause we'll never know when
When we'll run out of time
So I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
I'm gonna love you
Like I'm gonna lose you
Written by Meghan Elizabeth Trainor,
Justin Weaver and Caitlyn Smith