It was 2016. Summer was peaking. You couldn't walk into a grocery store or turn on a car radio without hearing that specific, pitched-up vocal synth that sounded like a digital flute. That was the year song Let Me Love You by Justin Bieber and DJ Snake basically took over the planet. It wasn't just a hit; it was a cultural shift in how EDM and pop collided.
Most people think this was just another Bieber feature. It wasn't.
Actually, the track almost didn't happen with Justin. Did you know there’s a version floating around the internet with Selena Gomez? It’s true. DJ Snake teased a snippet of her vocals on Snapchat long before the official release, sending the "Jelena" fanbase into a total tailspin. But in the end, Bieber’s breathy, vulnerable delivery was what landed on the final cut of Encore, DJ Snake’s debut studio album. It turned out to be the right call for the charts, even if it broke a few hearts on Twitter.
The weirdly complex production of Let Me Love You
Let’s talk about that drop. DJ Snake is famous for "Turn Down for What," which is basically a sonic sledgehammer. But with the song Let Me Love You by Justin Bieber, he went tropical. Well, "tropical house adjacent." This was the era where everyone was trying to copy the success of "Lean On," but Snake did something smarter here. He kept the percussion light.
He used a technique often called "vocal chopping," where you take a recording of a singer, slice it into tiny millisecond fragments, and play them back on a keyboard. That "high-pitched" melody in the chorus? That’s actually Justin’s voice, just mangled and re-pitched through a sampler.
It sounds simple. It’s not.
To get that specific texture, you have to balance the dry signal of the vocal with heavy saturation. If you do it wrong, it sounds like a chipmunk. If you do it right—like DJ Snake did—it sounds like a modern yearning. It feels expensive. It feels like 2016.
Why the lyrics actually resonate (It's not just about the beat)
People love to dismiss pop lyrics. They’re "shallow," right? Maybe. But look at the bridge of this track. "Don't you give up, nah-nah-nah / I won't give up, nah-nah-nah." It’s repetitive, sure. But in the context of Justin's career at that time, it felt oddly personal. He was coming off the Purpose era, trying to fix his "bad boy" image and prove he was a serious artist.
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The song deals with the exhaustion of a failing relationship. It’s about that desperate, final plea to keep things together. When he sings, "I used to believe we were burnin' on the edge of somethin' beautiful," he’s hitting a very specific nostalgic nerve.
Andrew Watt, Ali Tamposi, and Brian Lee—the heavy hitters who wrote this—are masters of the "sad banger." They know how to pair a depressing lyric with a beat that makes you want to buy a drink at a beach club.
Tamposi, in particular, has a knack for these high-stakes emotional hooks. She’s the same mind behind Kelly Clarkson’s "Stronger" and Camila Cabello’s "Havana." She knows that for a song to stick, it needs a "shout-along" moment. "Let Me Love You" has about four of them.
The Chart Madness
The numbers are honestly stupid.
- It hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- It reached #1 in over 10 countries including France, Germany, and Italy.
- On Spotify, it’s a member of the "Billions Club."
That last part is crucial. Not every hit from 2016 stayed relevant. Some songs from that year feel incredibly dated now—remember the "Mannequin Challenge" song? "Let Me Love You" doesn't have that problem. It’s become a "recurrent" staple. This means radio stations keep playing it years later because listeners don't turn the dial when it comes on. It has a high "familiarity" score and a low "burn" rate.
The Justin Bieber "Feature" Midas Touch
During this specific window of time, Justin Bieber was the most valuable guest artist in the world. He was doing this thing where he’d hop on an EDM track and instantly turn it into a diamond-certified record. Think about "Where Are Ü Now" with Jack Ü or "Cold Water" with Major Lazer.
He brought a specific R&B phrasing to these electronic tracks. Instead of singing over the beat, he sang with it.
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In the song Let Me Love You by Justin Bieber, notice how he pulls back on the verses. He’s almost whispering. Then, as the build-up starts, his voice gains tension. He isn't oversinging. He isn't doing runs like he’s on American Idol. He’s being a "vocal instrument."
The Music Video and the "Bonnie and Clyde" Trope
The music video is another layer of why this song stayed popular. Directed by James Lees, it doesn't actually feature Justin or DJ Snake. Instead, it follows a young couple on a high-stakes robbery spree.
It’s gritty. It’s cinematic.
But then—spoiler for a nearly decade-old video—there's a twist. It’s all a virtual reality simulation being played by an old man and a kid in a messy room. It was a commentary on escapism. We use pop music to feel like we’re living these high-octane, romantic lives when, really, we’re just sitting in our rooms. It was surprisingly deep for a "summer anthem."
Common Misconceptions
Some people get this song confused with Mario's "Let Me Love You" from 2004. Totally different vibe. Mario’s version is a mid-tempo R&B classic about being a "nice guy" who can treat a girl better. Bieber’s version is a plea for survival in a volatile relationship.
Another mistake? Thinking Kygo produced it. While it has that "tropical" feel that Kygo popularized, DJ Snake’s production is actually much punchier and uses more "trap" influenced drum patterns in the sub-bass.
How to actually appreciate the track today
If you want to hear the detail in the song Let Me Love You by Justin Bieber, stop listening to it on your phone speakers.
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Put on a decent pair of headphones. Listen to the way the bass interacts with the kick drum in the second verse. There’s a side-chaining effect where the music "ducks" every time the drum hits. It creates a breathing sensation.
Also, listen for the atmospheric layers. There are faint "hey!" chants buried deep in the mix that you only hear if you’re paying attention.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Nerds
If you’re a songwriter or a fan trying to understand why this worked, here is the "secret sauce" of the track:
- The Contrast Principle: Soft, intimate verses followed by a loud, bright, synthetic chorus. It creates a release of tension.
- Vocal Minimalism: Bieber uses very little vibrato here. It makes the song feel modern and "cool" rather than theatrical.
- The "Millennial Whoop": The melody follows certain intervals that are mathematically proven to be "catchy" to the human ear.
- Tempo Choice: At roughly 100 BPM (Beats Per Minute), it’s in that "sweet spot." It’s fast enough to dance to but slow enough to sway to. It works in a club and a car.
To really get the full experience of this era, go back and listen to the Encore album in its entirety. It puts the song in context. You see how DJ Snake was trying to bridge the gap between his aggressive "trap" roots and this new, melodic global pop sound.
Next time it comes on the radio, don't just change the station. Listen to the layers. It’s a masterclass in 2010s pop production that managed to capture a very specific feeling of wanting to hold on to something that’s already slipping away.
For a deeper look into the technical side, check out the "Song Exploder" style breakdowns often found on music production forums where engineers discuss how the vocal chain was set up for Justin’s specific tone in this session. It involved a lot of compression and a very specific "plate" reverb to give it that airy, ethereal quality that defines the track.