John Legend is back with a song for the lovers. Three years since his last album, the R&B crooner returns with “Love Me Now,” the first single off his upcoming fifth album Darkness and Light.
“It’s all about lovin’ and livin’ to the fullest, don’t wait till tomorrow,” explained Legend during a Facebook Live Q&A. “Hold the people you love close to you right now.”
With an emotional tone, Legend sings about the power of love and its effects. “Pulling me further, further than I’ve been before,” he sings. “Making me stronger, shaking me right to the core.”
The hook is an ode to love in the moment while acknowledging its finite existence. “I don’t know who’s gonna kiss you when I’m gone,” he sings over the galloping beat. “So I’m gonna love you now like it’s all I have / I know it’ll kill me when it’s over / I don’t want to think about it / I want you to love me now.”
Likely a dedication to Legend’s supermodel wife, Chrissy Teigen, the song’s artwork features the new parents in an intimate moment.
Darkness and Light is due later this year and features a dedication to the couple’s daughter Luna called “Right by You.” The follow-up to 2013’s Love in the Future also features Chance the Rapper, Miguel, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.
“It’s my best work yet,” he promised.
Watch Mr. Legend perform “Love Me Now” live from his living room below.