Like I Would

LIKE I WOULD

"Like I Would"
Metadata
Artist	Zayn Malik
Release Date	March 10, 2016
Recorded	2015
Genre	Dance, Electro R&B
Length	3:12
Label	RCA Records
Producer(s)	Malay
Album	Mind of Mine
Singles Chronology
Previous	Pillowtalk
Next	Wrong
Mind of Mine Chronology

Like I Would, stylized as LIKE I WOULD, is song of the English singer-songwriter Zayn Malik's debut solo album, Mind of Mine. It was released on March 10, 2016 as the second official single. It is only available on the deluxe edition of the album.

Lyrically, the song tries to prove to someone that he is the best thing she is ever going to get and that her new lover lacks the skills he brings to the bedroom.

Background

As described by the Billboard, the song is like a "dancefloor-ready R&B jam". The Independent described it as "electro-R&B".

According to Complex, the song features an "upbeat backdrop and a catchy hook", and according to Spin, it has "a steady bass" and "funkyhook." It has been also described as a dance track.

 The song incorporates disco grooves in its chorus and brooding lyrics.

The song’s lyrics were met with immediate comparisons, on Twitter to his former group’s 2012 song “I Would.”

Lyrics

{{{lyrics}}}

Music Video

Background

The music video for the song was uploaded onto his YouTube/VEVO account on 10 May 2016. It was shot by Director X in a Los Angeles studio. Zayn's appearance in the video, and the video's array of lights and lasers, takes inspiration from the Tron science fiction films. Director X had previously directed Usher's "Yeah", which he said he had "been wanting to redo" differently with "all laser" for a long time. He also cited Tron as inspiration. The video features the Cyclone, a large custom laser rig created by Zayn's laser designers. The video also features energetic dancing by a squad of dancers.

Zayn's appearance in the video, including a neon suit and a bright orange eye contact, takes inspiration from Marvel Comics' current Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes, who was in turn inspired by Malik. According to Director X, the orange eye contact was Zayn's idea. It is seen as part of Zayn's "man in the machine" theme, including his 2 May 2016 appearance at Met Gala's Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, where he wore metal robot arms over his tuxedo. The music video reached number 15 on the UK TV Airplay Chart.

Music Video	Information
	Released	May 10, 2016
	Length	3:25
	Director	Director X
	Production Co
	Choreographer
	Filmed	April 2016
	Location	Los Angeles studio
	VEVO views	58,458,993 (as of May 09, 2019)

Synopsis

The video starts with Zayn "in the center of a beam of neon blue lines of light," as explained by Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos, who continued: "His full outfit is also covered with neon lines that glow against a black background and he's sporting an orange contact lens on one of his eyes. Elsewhere a crew of dancers, mostly made up of women, dance to the track amidst more neon lights.". Brennan Carley of Spin called it "pretty spectacular" with "a stunningly shot treatment."

Lyric Video

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Lyrics Video)

Live Performances

Malik performed "Like I Would" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 24, 2016, and at the Mind of Mine iHeartRadio release party on March 25, 2016. He also performed the song at the 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 03, 2016. His performance was ranked the best performance at the show by International Business Times, and the third best performance by Billboard. He also performed the song at KIIS-FM's Wango Tango on May 14, 2016, and during the season 10 finale of The Voice on May 24, 2016.

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Live on the Honda Stage at the iHeartRadio Theater NY)

ZAYN - Like I Would (Wango Tango 2016)

Zayn- "Like I Would" - The Voice 2016

Zayn Malik - Like I Would (LIVE iHeartRadio Awards) 2016

Remix Versions

These are the list of remix versions of "Like I Would".

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (The White Panda Remix) -Audio-

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Oliver Nelson Remix) -Audio-

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Sharam Jey Remix) -Audio-

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Rytmeklubben Remix) -Audio-

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Dave Audé Mix) -Audio-

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Lenno Remix) -Audio-

ZAYN - LIKE I WOULD (Troyboi Remix) -Audio-

Commercial Performance

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. In Canada, it debuted at number 23 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 14 on the Canadian Digital Songs chart.

In the United States, it debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on the Pop Digital Songs chart. It is Zayn's third Hot 100 hit, after "Pillowtalk" and "iT's YoU". "Like I Would" also debuted at number 31 on the Digital Songs chart, selling 26,000 downloads, and number 42 on the Streaming Songs chart, with 5.6 million streams.

Commercially, the song reached the top-forty in eight countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It also became his second song as a solo artist to reach the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at number 55, and also topped the country's dance charts.

Reception

The Fader included it in their "11 Songs You Need In Your Life This Week" list, describing it as a "euphoric, super danceable breakup jam". Nate Scott of USA Today ranked it number two on his "10 best songs of the week" list, calling it "another step in the right direction," noting that "the dancey track has verve and Malik’s voice shows some range." Lewis Corner and Amy Davidson of Digital Spy also included it in their "10 tracks you need to hear" list, stating that they "were still waiting for that BIG pop banger we know he's capable of" and that "Like I Would" is "just that and then some." Corner later added that the song is "screaming louder than Zayn's fans to be a No.1 hit" as the "hook is contagious, the lyric is swoon-worthy arrogant, and the chorus is enough to pop off arena ceilings across the globe." Robbie Daw of Idolator called it "a glorious ’80s throwback". Andrew Milne of musicOMH called it an "exhilarating breakup banger," while Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone enjoyed it for being a "clubby success." 

Edwin Ortiz of Complex stated that it "has major potential to get burn in clubs across the country." Nicholas Parco of New York Daily News stated that the track "is primed to be an early contender for hit of the early summer". Brennan Carley of Spin praised "ZAYN’s rich, warm vocals" that "weave themselves around a backing choir before a huge funky hook kicks in." Carley also stated: "What 'Sorry' did to jumpstart Justin Bieber's 'Purpose', 'Like I Would' is the poppy kick in the ass 'Mind of Mine' needed pre-release." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly noted that the song leans "headfirst into sleek, Weeknd-style hedonism," a sentiment that Maeve McDermott of USA Today also expressed, writing that it "give us another clue what R&B contemporary Malik is taking clues from on this record: the Weeknd." Nick Levine of The Independent also agreed with both critics about The Weeknd's reference. Michael Cragg of The Guardian thought it was weird that "the excellent, upbeat 'Like I Would' is relegated to the deluxe edition."

Credits and Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Mind of Mine, RCA Records

Recording

• Recorded at Record Plant, Los Angeles, California; Grove Studios, Los Angeles.
• Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, California

Personnel

• Zayn – vocals, writing.
• Chase Wells – writing, production, keyboards, programming, guitars.

• James Griffin – writing, production, keyboards, programming.
• Kevin Rains – writing, production, keyboards, programming.
• James Emerson – writing, production, keyboards, programming, guitars.

• Salvador Waviest – writing, production, keyboards, programming, guitars, recording.
• Couros Sheibani – keyboards, programming.
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Henrique Andrade – recording.
• Alex Layne – recording assistant.
• John Hanes – mixing engineer.