We Loved It

The song We Loved It is no ordinary track on the album Love in the Future: it sounds like a musical release between two voices that instantly recognize each other. Recorded with that blend of acoustic warmth and groove that John Legend usually reserves for his most intimate collaborations, here the singer teams up with Kimbra to turn a song into a conversation between two people who understand each other without needing words. What stands out is how the bass and drums intertwine in a rhythm that is neither too fast nor too slow, as if time itself had adapted to the confidence conveyed by the voices. The 4:03 duration gives it just enough space for each verse to breathe without rushing, without the chorus losing strength upon arrival.

The album Love in the Future was released in August 2013 under the labels GOOD Music and Columbia Records, and We Loved It was not a track meant to be a single, but rather a hidden gem among the eleven songs on the album. As John Legend revealed in a 2013 interview, the idea to record it came after finishing Wake Up! —the album he made with The Roots in 2010— and, instead of aiming for a polished sound, they chose to let the voices and instruments blend naturally, without filters. The result is a track that sounds like a late-night conversation in a small studio, with the particularity that the bass and drums move in a meter that does not follow the rigidity of traditional 4/4, but flows with a freedom that gives it an air of controlled improvisation.