The Real Meaning Behind You Deserve It All By John Legend
While nothing will ever top Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," we're always ready to welcome more holiday songs into the fold. John Legend dropped his new addition, "You Deserve It All," on November 11, giving good ol' Mariah a run for her money.
Not only is Legend serving up some holiday tunes, but "You Deserve It All" also signals a major shift in his career, as the song marked Legend's new venture with Republic Records, as Rolling Stone notes. This is a major win for the record label and they know it. In a statement, Wendy Goldstein, president of Republic Records, said, "There's just no one like John Legend. He's the consummate 21st century superstar whose impact across culture and the world at large only continues to expand."
While this was clearly a new step in Legend's career, the holiday song was also created via a significant collaboration; Legend wrote the song with Meghan Trainor, the outlet notes. So we've got a festive collab marking a big step in Legend's trajectory. With so much to celebrate, let's see what the song really means.
John Legend is all about gift-giving
John Legend's "You Deserve It All" certainly falls under his love song list. While it doesn't fall under the category of his epic ballads like "All of Me" does, Legend's holiday tune offers an upbeat sound with a romantic twist.
The song's theme highlights gift-giving out of gratitude. Legend sings: "You've given me the world with all your love / So I got you something special just because / I found a gift that's perfect / And you're more than worth it," per Genius. While Legend does not explicitly state what the gift is, he's certainly eager to share it with his significant other. "You deserve it all / You know you've been good at all year / Come over here / And let me show you/ You deserve it all."
But before we conclude that the entire song is a euphemism for intimacy, Legend does convey a more material image with his gift-giving. "So treat yourself to something nice / The luxuries in life / 'Cause you're the gift that keeps on giving," he sings. For all we know, he's singing about a Birkin bag instead of (insert eggplant emoji). Legend adds a nice holiday tone when he sings: "For all you mean to me / Underneath the tree / For you to see / Beyond your wildest dreams." Even mere days after the song's release, Legend already received rave reviews.
Should John Legend do a Christmas special?
John Legend's "You Deserve It All" has gotten nothing but positive vibes from fans. "[T]his is the seasonal song I have been waiting for. I didn't know it then, but I know it now," someone wrote on YouTube. "I love the rhythm of this song...good holiday song. You deserve it all John! Thank you for making our holidays much better," another person added. Someone else said: "OMG, such a Beautiful song, voice & lyrics! As always your creation is nothing but perfection! " Positive reviews all around, indeed!
On Instagram, people teased Legend about running for holiday song champion. "Ok now!! Looks like someone is trying to take the Xmas crown from Mariah!!" someone said. Meanwhile, another fan offered a great idea in the spirit of Michael Bublé and, going way back, The Andy Williams Christmas Special. "I'm really hoping that you Chrissy & kids do a Christmas show," they said. It's honestly not a bad idea!