I Need You (Paris Hilton song)

Paris Hilton co-wrote "I Need You" with its producer Michael Green and songwriter Simon Wilcox.[1][2][lower-alpha 1] On receiving the instrumental track, Hilton described it as the "first time I had someone send me a song that I immediately was like, I could write to this right away", and said she wrote the lyrics in "a few hours".[4] Heiress released it as a digital download on February 14, 2018.[5][lower-alpha 2] "I Need You" was Hilton's first single in three years, following her 2015 release "High Off My Love", and her first ballad.[6][7]

A week before the song's release, Hilton posted photos from the music video on her Instagram account as part of a countdown.[8][9] Paper's Claire Valentine and Life & Style's Evan Real wrote that Hilton was channeling Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page for the images,[9][10] and Allure's Emily Wang considered pin-up models to be the inspirations.[11] When describing the direction of her second album, Hilton said it would be more dance-orientated, and clarified that "I Need You" would be "the only song on there like this".[4]

Even though Hilton promoted it as a "new single" on her social media, the song leaked in 2010; music critics had believed it was a track from her second album, initially expected for release in the fall or winter of that year.[3] Hilton said she re-recorded portions of the vocals and instrumental,[1] and released it as a dedication to her then-fiancée Chris Zylka;[6][lower-alpha 3] she explained: "At that point in my life [when I wrote it], I wasn’t with anyone, so this is the perfect point in my life to release it because now the words definitely mean something."[6] Hilton previewed the song for Zylka while they were driving home from the recording studio; he cried on hearing it.[13]

"I Need You" is a doo-wop and pop ballad that lasts three minutes and 35-seconds.[5][14][15] Michael Green looked to 1950s music as inspiration for the composition.[4][16] Hilton described "I Need You" as "the ultimate Valentine’s Day song" and "a song that people could listen to ... , smile and make out to".[6][13] It is a departure from Hilton's previous pop and dance-oriented releases since she wanted to record "something timeless and classic".[6] Cosmopolitan's Eileen Reslen wrote that "I Need You" has a softer sound than Hilton's 2006 singles "Stars Are Blind" and "Nothing in This World".[13] Time's Raisa Bruner described its tone as "a sugary doo-wop vibe".[17] Critics noted that Hilton uses "breathy vocals" throughout the song.[14][17][18]

The track opens with Hilton saying: "Babe I love you so much so I wrote you this song. I need you."[8] She sings about love, saying she will "never lose sight of the reasons that I love you", and the safety felt in a relationship: "You make me want to be the woman I've always wanted to be."[7] The chorus is: "Every hour of the day (every hour of the day), every day of the week (every day of the week). I need you (I need you)."[16] The lyrics feature puns about holidays, such as "I wanna be the bunny in your Easter".[17][19] Other examples include: "I wanna put the happy in your Birthday / And I wanna be the merry in your Christmas / I’m always giving thanks for you on every Thanksgiving."[7][14] Out magazine writer Hilton Dresden described the song as "over-the-top syrupy and smothering".[20] Paper's Michael Love Michael said it was about a "profound neediness" and a desire to spend a day with a significant other.[18]

"I Need You" received generally positive reviews from music critics. It was included Vulture.com's list of the best songs for the week of February 14, 2018,[19] and a playlist for 2018 Best Songs of the Week.[21] Critics likened the song to a Valentine's Day gift,[10][22] including Bustle's Shannon Carlin who described it as a "deliciously over-the-top holiday treat".[22] Idolator's Mike Wass said Hilton replaced Cupid the "true messenger of love" in the song,[16] and People's Nicole Sands praised the lyrics as "written in the name of love".[6] The song's composition was also the subject of praise.[8][18][23] Michael Love Michael enjoyed its "featherlight doo-wop arrangement",[18] and the Gay Times' Sam Damshenas identified the song as a "bubbly, doo-wop inspired affair".[23] In a less enthusiastic review, Vogue Australia's Francesca Wallace wrote "the song actually isn’t too bad".[24]

Some critics praised Hilton for pursuing a different musical style. Hilton Dresden wrote the single reflected a "softer, moodier direction" for Hilton.[20] Michael Love Michael viewed it as a "refreshing sonic direction" in Hilton's music career.[18] Raisa Bruner cited "I Need You" as a part of Hilton's "ongoing reinvention", and considered it one of the top five songs released in the week of February 16, 2018.[17]

Commercially, "I Need You" debuted at number 48 and peaked at number 32 on the Dance Club Songs Billboard chart.[25][26] It marked Hilton's fifth appearance on the chart, following "Stars Are Blind", "Turn It Up", "Nothing in This World", and "High Off My Love".[25] According to Cait Munro of Refinery29, the song was not as commercially successful as "Stars Are Blind", which she labeled a "cult hit".[27]

Hilton, in a scene from the video. Critics described the moment as a homage to the 1999 film American Beauty.

Chris Zylka directed and produced the single's accompanying music video,[4][28] which was released on February 14, 2018, through Hilton's official YouTube account.[29] Hilton felt "more comfortable" with Zylka as the director.[30] The video was shot in February 2018, and the editing process took roughly a week.[7] A behind the scenes video was uploaded on her YouTube account on May 28, 2018.[31] She explained Marilyn Monroe, specifically her performance of "I Wanna Be Loved by You", and Jessica Rabbit inspired it.[4][13] She described it as "a Valentine to [Zylka] and to all of my fans".[32]

Hilton appears in "various stages of undress" throughout the video.[24] She is shown wearing different wigs and 1950s-inspired fashion,[24] including various types of lingerie.[15][33][lower-alpha 4] She bakes cupcakes while wearing a polka dot apron and pops out of a cake.[15][33] For another scene, she appears naked on a bed covered in red rose petals,[11][15] which critics felt was an homage to the character Angela Hayes from the 1999 film American Beauty.[11][22][35] For the shot, Hilton wears nude fish-net leggings and jewelry[lower-alpha 5] rather than being fully naked like Hayes was in the movie.[11] Emily Wang wrote that Hilton's various outfits included "other photographic homages to classic Americana imagery", likening some of her looks in the video to those of Jayne Mansfield and Barbie dolls from the 1950s.[11] Shannon Carlin of Bustle compared the clip to a David Lynch production.[22]

Remixes by various artists, including Stash Konig, Dirty Disco and Nitemover, were made available to promote the track.[25][36] They were released primarily on SoundCloud through the individual producers' accounts,[36] while Hector Fonseca and Zambianco posted it on their Facebook account.[37] Hilton commissioned the remixes "so that [she] can play it in Ibiza and during [her] concerts".[7]

Credits adapted from a Time Out article:[1]

• Songwriting – Paris Hilton, Simon Wilcox, Michael Green
• Production – Michael Green

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
• "I Need You" (music video) on YouTube