The Way That I Love You

"The Way That I Love You"
An image of a woman grabbing her forehead while above a mirror. Green pottery can be seen in the background.
Single by Ashanti
from the album The Declaration
Released February 26, 2008 (2008-02-26)
Format Digital download
Genre R&B
Length 4:30
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ashanti Douglas
  • L.T. Hutton
Ashanti singles chronology
"Hey Baby (After the Club)"
(2007)		 "The Way That I Love You"
(2008)		 "Body on Me"
(2008)

"Hey Baby (After the Club)"
(2007)		 "The Way That I Love You"
(2008)		 "Body on Me"
(2008)

"The Way That I Love You" is a song recorded by American singer Ashanti from her fourth studio album, The Declaration (2008). It was released as the album's lead single on February 26, 2008, through Universal and The Inc.. Ashanti wrote and produced the song with L.T. Hutton. Backed by a piano, a guitar, and horns, "The Way That I Love You" is a midtempo R&B ballad with lyrics about betrayal. Critical response was primarily positive; some reviewers cited it as a highlight from The Declaration, while others felt it was inferior to music released by Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige. Commercially, the song peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and appeared on the publication's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Adult R&B Songs component charts.

Kevin Bray directed the single's music video, which shows Ashanti murdering her boyfriend after discovering his infidelity. It was inspired by the true crime shows Snapped and Forensic Files. The video's emphasis on violence attracted critical attention. As part of the song's promotion, Ashanti opened a website that allowed one to create and send a personalized news report and a death threat to a contact. The campaign received a primarily negative response for its violent theme, including being the subject of a Los Angeles protest, and was ultimately taken down. Ashanti performed "The Way That I Love You" at the Sessions@AOL, as well as on tours.

Recording and release

L.T. Hutton and Ashanti wrote and produced "The Way That I Love You" for her fourth studio album, The Declaration (2008).[1] Ashanti was inspired to wrote the song after hearing its opening instrumental, an explained: "I just started jotting down words, and it just kind of poured out."[2] She produced the vocals, while Hutton programmed and played the instruments.[1]

Universal and The Inc. released The Way That I Love You" as the album's lead single, sending it to urban radio on February 26, 2008,[3] and rhythmic radio on April 1, 2008.[4] Prior to the song's release, Switch", featuring Nelly, and "Hey Baby (After the Club)" had been announced as the first single before being replaced by "The Way That I Love You".[5][6] In July 2008, it was included on a Cartier charity playlist, which was created to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of America organization.[7]

Composition and reception

A midtempo R&B ballad,[9][10][11] "The Way That I Love You" lasts 4 minutes and 30 seconds.[1] It is composed in the key of E minor using common time and a "moderate hip-hop" tempo.[8] The instrumentation is provided by a piano, a guitar, and horns;[9][8] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine wrote that the single is "driven by a distinct descending piano arpeggio and horn arrangement".[9] Ashanti's vocal range spans from the low note of D4 to the high note of E5.[8] AllMusic's Andy Kellman compared her vocals to her 2003 single "Rain on Me" due to the similar "melodramatic flourishes". Regarding the lyrics, however, Kellman wrote that "The Way That I Love You" is "much more vengeful in nature than depressive" than "Rain on Me".[12] The single is about issues of betrayal,[11] which Ashanti felt was relatable to men and women.[2]

The critical response was largely positive, with reviewers identifying it as an album highlight.[12][13][14] The New York Daily News' Jim Farber praised Ashanti's collaborations with Hutton as "[her] best material".[15] However, the single received negative comparisons to music released by other artists.[10][16] Despite her positive review for Ashanti's emotion on "The Way That I Love You", Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was inferior to songs by Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige.[10] Vibe's Shanel Odum dismissed the song as "barely set[ting] off a smoke detector, let alone ring[ing] any alarms", in a reference to Beyoncé's 2006 single "Ring the Alarm".[16]

Commercially, "The Way That I Love You" peaked at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 17, 2008, and remained on the chart for 18 weeks.[17] It reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,[18] and number 18 on the Adult R&B Songs component charts compiled by the same publication.[19]

Music video

Kevin Bray directed the single's accompanying music video,[2] which was uploaded on Ashanti's YouTube account on December 22, 2009.[20] A rough cut had leaked a few weeks before its its premiere in February 2008.[21] Another version of the video, with the subtitle "Access Denied", was released on Ashanti's YouTube account on on November 22, 2009.[22] Ashanti used the true crime shows Snapped and Forensic Files as the primary inspirations for the video.[2] She felt that the storyline of a woman driven to murder fit the single's dramatic, painful and emotional lyrics,[2] and described the video as "very cinematic as opposed to a regular music video".[23] When discussing the overall message, Ashanti said: "Don't cheat."[23]

Throughout the video, Ashanti is shown in a volatile relationship with her boyfriend, played by actor Christian Keyes.[2][24] After learning about his infidelity, the singer is seen posing with a butcher's knife while wearing an evening gown.[11] Images of evidence, including a bloody knife, footprints, and walls, are intercut throughout the video.[23][25] It ends with Ashanti leaving her partner,[2] after stabbing him in a bathtub.[11][25] The video received critical commentary for its portrayal of violence.[26][27] In a 2015 article, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic cited it as an example of violence conducted by women in music videos. Kornbaber described the trend as "pop singers joyfully and brutally sidestepping tropes about victimhood".[26] A contributor for The Boombox summarized the video with the saying: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."[27]

Promotion

Promotional campaign

A screenshot from a website. An image of Ashanti is shown next to a group of drop-down menus, where the user can customize their own messages.
A screenshot from TheWayThatILoveYou.com. The "gotcha-gram" campaign received criticism for its violent content.

A publicity stunt was coordinated with the music video's release through Ashanti's website (TheWayThatILoveYou.com), in which one could create and send a personalized news report and a death threat to a contact.[11][23] The message, stylized as a "gotcha-gram",[11] featured a customized video about a series of murders inspired by "The Way That I Love You" and the then-upcoming release of The Declaration.[23] The message can be customized to include the victim's name and crime, the murder weapon, and the sender's name and home state. The choices for "crimes" are "sleeping around", "suspected sleeping around", "playing you like a fool", and "breaking your heart." The weapons include a boot, knife, can, sledgehammer, rolling pin, and a guillotine. It also included a disclaimer: "Ashanti and Universal Music Group do not encourage or condone violence of any kind. This is for parody purposes only."[23] Each message was attributed to the fictional Universal Crime Network.[11][23] An example of a "gotcha-gram", sent to CNN's Lola Ogunnaike, was: "Do you know the person pictured in the following video. If so, please contact me immediately. Your life might be in danger."[11]

The campaign received a primarily negative response.[11][23] The civil rights organization Project Islamic Hope and the think tank Industry Ears led a protest in Los Angeles that called for the website's removal. These groups felt that the project encouraged violence as a valid means to handle disputes.[23] Ogunnaike deemed the messages "disturbing", and felt that it damaged Ashanti's public image as a "good girl". Universal closed the site, but Ashanti defended it as "a better alternative to actual violence" and "an incredible online viral tool".[11] Ashanti's publicist Michelle Huff clarified that the video was intended to have a similar tone to a Saturday Night Live sketch, and said that the singer had received primarily positive feedback for the site.[23]

Live performances

Ashanti promoted "The Way That I Love You" with a live performance in a 2008 Sessions@AOL.[28] In 2016, she sang it as part of the Natural Born Hitters Tour with rapper Ja Rule. The Boombox's Liz Ramanand cited the performance as a highlight from the show.[29] Ashanti subsequently included it on the setlist for a 2018 tour with Ja Rule. Victor D. Infante of Telegram & Gazette praised her for providing a "soulful rendition" of the single and her decision to provide "an air of vulnerability" by singing it without backup dancers.[30]

Track listing

Digital download[31]
No.TitleLength
1."The Way That I Love You"4:30
2."The Way That I Love You" (video)4:25

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
scope="row"US Billboard Hot 100[32] 37
scope="row"US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[33] 18
scope="row"US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[34] 2

Release history

RegionFormatDateLabel
United States Urban radio[3] February 26, 2008
  • Universal
  • The Inc.
Rhythmic radio[4] April 1, 2008

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Declaration. Murder Inc., Universal Motown (Inlay cover). Ashanti. June 3, 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rodriguez, Jayson (February 21, 2008). "Ashanti Snaps in TV-Inspired 'The Way That I Love You' Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Urban". Radio & Records. February 26, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Rhythmic". Radio & Records. April 1, 2008. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
  5. ↑ "New Music: Ashanti F/ Mario Winans - 'Hey Baby (After The Club'". Rap-Up. September 17, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ Reid, Shaheem (June 29, 2007). "New Music: Ashanti F/ Mario Winans - 'Hey Baby (After The Club'". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ashanti, Janet Jackson Spread Love with Cartier Bracelets". Rap-Up. July 8, 2008. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "The Way That I Love You". Universal Music Publishing Group. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Cinquemani, Sal (June 1, 2008). "The Declaration". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Greenblatt, Leah. "The Declaration". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Ogunnaike, Lola (June 13, 2008). "Behind the Scenes: Star's bloody stunt flopped". CNN. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ "R&B Ashanti". Dayton Daily News. July 4, 2008. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. (subscription required)
  14. ↑ Jones, Steve (June 2, 2008). "Going It Alone". USA Today. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  15. ↑ Farber, Jim (June 2, 2008). "Ashanti declares her confidence with 'The Declaration'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Odum, Shanel (June 5, 2008). "Ashanti, "The Declaration"". Vibe. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Adult R&B". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Ashanti - The Way That I Love You". YouTube. November 22, 2009. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Video: Ashanti - 'The Way That I Love You' (Official Version)". Rap-Up. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008.
  22. ↑ "Ashanti - The Way That I Love You (Access Denied)". YouTube. November 22, 2009. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kaufman, Gil (June 10, 2008). "Ashanti's Bloody Online Promotion Sparks Anti-Violence Protest in L.A." MTV News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017.
  24. ↑ "(BPRW) GMC TV Presents the Original World Premiere Stage Play 'Love Will Find A Way'". Black PR Wire. May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Day, Adrienne (February 29, 2008). "'Snapped' Judgment: Ashanti's 'The Way That I Love You' video". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015.
  26. 1 2 Kornhaber, Spencer (October 1, 2015). "A History of Violence (by Women in Music Videos)". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018.
  27. 1 2 "Ashanti, 'The Way That I Love You' — New Video". The Boombox. March 6, 2008. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Ashanti Performing The Way That I Love You On (AOL Sessions)". WorldStarHipHop. June 10, 2008. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  29. ↑ Ramanand, Liz (August 26, 2016). "Ja Rule and Ashanti Kick Off Natural Born Hitters Tour with Back-to-Back Shows in New York City [Photos]". The Boombox. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018.
  30. ↑ Infante, Victor D. (January 14, 2018). "Ashanti, Ja Rule ward off winter in steamy Palladium show". Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018.
  31. ↑ "The Way That I Love You - Single". Apple Music. January 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Ashanti Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  33. ↑ "Ashanti Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Ashanti Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
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