Love Like Woe

"Love Like Woe" is the debut single by American electropop singer-songwriter Jordan Witzigreuter, also known as The Ready Set, from his major label debut album, I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming. It was written by Witzigreuter and J.R. Rotem, who also produced the track. The song peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 30 on the Canada CHR/Top 40. The music video for the song features a cameo appearance from Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, and was released on March 31, 2010.^[2]

"Love Like Woe"
Single by The Ready Set
from the album I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming
Released	March 29, 2010
Recorded	2009
Genre	Pop[1] synthpop
Length	3:20
Label	Reprise Sire Decaydance
Songwriter(s)	Jordan Witzigreuter J. R. Rotem
Producer(s)	J. R. Rotem
The Ready Set singles chronology
"Love Like Woe" (2010) "More Than Alive" (2010)
Music video
"Love Like Woe" on YouTube

Background and release

"Love Like Woe" was written based on experiences Witzigreuter had seen his friends grappling with. He stated, "It's about a situation where you want to be with someone but they are tough to deal with so you are trying to salvage the relationship."^[3] The song was originally titled, "Sign of Relief".^[4] An early version of the song was sent to Pete Wentz who took one listen to the song and ended up signing him to his record label, Decaydance.^[5] In 2010, Witzigreuter worked with rap duo New Boyz and released a mash-up version of the song.^[6] The song reached number 10 on AOL Radio.^[7]

The song earned The Ready Set, MTV Push Artist of the Week in September 2010.^[8] As of October 2010, "Love Like Woe" sold 46,000 digital downloads in the US.^[9] In November 2010, the single won a BDS Certified Spin Award based on the 50,000 spins it received.^[10]

Composition

The song was written by Jordan Witzigreuter and was produced by J. R. Rotem who also co-wrote the song.^[11] The track runs at 92 BPM and is in the key of B-flat major.^[12] According to Witzigreuter, the song was written in his mother's basement and that the song was never intended to be released as a single.^[13] In a separate interview in 2018, Witzigreuter revealed that he didn't plan on using the song after writing it. He also stated that he wrote the song in 20 minutes.^[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[11]

"Love Like Woe" was received with positive reviews from music critics. Bill Lamb of About.com gave the single a 3.5 star rating. He called the track a "radio friendly" song with a sing-along pop melody, clever lyrical hook and simple, appealing pop melody. However, he criticized the song for its overworked electronic effects. Overall, he remarked, "it is a bit over-dressed, but you are unlikely to switch the radio station when you hear 'Love Like Woe'."^[11] Chris Ryan of MTV described the song as "infectious" and "a dance anthem."^[8]

Music video

The first music video for "Love Like Woe" was released on March 31, 2010.^[15] It has received over 30 million hits on YouTube. It takes place in the middle of the woods where Jordan and a group of people are having a party in a shack. Outside, zombies try to enter the party with little success.^[15] The music video was directed by Isaac Ravishankara.^[16] According to Witzigreuter, the video took twelve hours to film.^[17]

A second version of the music video was released in February 2011.^[18] It features Witzigreuter getting ready to impress a girl when he drives up to her mother's house. He gathers a red heart-shaped box of candy, a large bouquet, and several animals, only to find out that his interest wasn't at her mother's house that day. The video also cuts in between him singing the song and his romantic interest getting ready for the day. This version of the music video was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero.^[19]

Track listing

Digital single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Love Like Woe"	Jordan Witzigreuter J. R. Rotem	J. R. Rotem	3:20
2.	"Love Like Woe" (X-Mix Chartbusters Vol. 63 Version)	Witzigreuter Rotem Mark "Tar Boy" Williams Joe "Capo" Kent	J. R. Rotem	4:42
3.	"Love Like Woe" (New Boyz Mash-Up)	Witzigreuter Rotem Legacy Ben J	J. R. Rotem New Boyz	3:09

Other versions

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Love Like Woe" (Digital Dogs Radio Mix)	Witzigreuter Rotem	J. R. Rotem Digital Dog	3:51

Charts

Chart performance for "Love Like Woe"

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[20]	30
South Korea (GAON) (International Chart)[21]	185
US Billboard Hot 100[22]	27
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[23]	35
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[24]	15

Certifications

Certifications for "Love Like Woe"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25]	Platinum	1,000,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Love Like Woe"

Region	Version	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	Original	March 29, 2010	Digital download	Sire/Reprise	[26]
United States		May 25, 2010	Contemporary hit radio	Reprise	[27]
Various	New Boyz Mash-Up	July 12, 2010	Digital download	Sire/Reprise	[6]

References

1. "Love Like Woe - The Ready Set". Retrieved June 7, 2021.
2. Kohli, Rohan (March 31, 2010). "The Ready Set Music Video For "Love Like Woe" - News Article - AbsolutePunk.net". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
3. Sara Brown (November 3, 2010). "The Ready Set is a go". Retrieved January 12, 2023.
4. @thereadyset (April 1, 2020). "i used to hate obvious titles like, love like woe was originally called sign of relief 🤔" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
5. Cara Carriveau (November 9, 2010). "The Ready Set Interview". Chicago Music Guide. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
6. "Love Like Woe (New Boyz Mash-Up) - Single by The Ready Set". Apple Music. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
7. "The Ready Set − Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
8. Chris Ryan (September 27, 2010). "MTV PUSH Artist Of The Week: The Ready Set". MTV. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
9. "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). p. 50. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
10. "BDS Certified Spin Awards November 2010" (PDF). p. 24. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
11. Lamb, Bill. "The Ready Set - 'Love Like Woe' Review". About.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
12. "The Ready Set "Love Like Woe" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com. Alfred Music Publishing. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
13. "The Ready Set: Love Like Woe Was Never Meant To Be The Hit". Fuse. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
14. "THE READY SET Interview- blowing up from 'Love Like Woe', Vans Warped Tour". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
15. Peter Gaston (March 31, 2010). "Exclusive Pics: Pete Wentz Goes Zombie!". Spin. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
16. "Love Like Woe Version 2 - IMVD". Retrieved June 7, 2021.
17. "Bamboozle California Q&A: The Ready Set". Alternative Press. May 6, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
18. Michele Bird (February 14, 2011). "The Ready Set premiere Valentine's Day video for Love Like Woe". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
19. "Love Like Woe Version 1 - IMVD". Retrieved June 7, 2021.
20. "The Ready Set Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
21. "Gaon Chart: 2010-12-04". GAON. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
22. "The Ready Set Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
23. "The Ready Set Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
24. "The Ready Set Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
25. "American single certifications – The Ready Set – Love Like Woe". Recording Industry Association of America.
26. "Love Like Woe - Single by The Ready Set". Apple Music. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
27. "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2022.