I Wanna Love You Forever

I Wanna Love You Forever is the lead single from Jessica Simpson's debut album "Sweet Kisses."

The single was released by Columbia Records on 15 April 1999

Song Background
Due to the mainstream success of teen pop artist Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, the label felt Jessica's debut album would perform just as well than their albums.

She immediately began working with producers such as Louis Biancaniello, Robbie Nevil, Evan Rogers, and Cory Rooney. Biancaniello worked with her on three of the album's eleven tracks, including "I Wanna Love You Forever."

Song Composition
"I Wanna Love You Forever" was written, composed, and produced by Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters.

The track is a darkly bittersweet love ballad, showing off the powerful vocals of Jessica.

Even though Biancaniello and Watters are credited jointly for writing and composing the song, at present, it is not known exactly which of the two wrote its lyrics and which composed its music.

According to the sheet music book published by Hal Leonard Corporation in Musicnotes.com, "I Wanna Love You Forever" is a common time signature song with a beat rate of 132 beats per minute.

It is set in the key of B minor with Jessica's voice ranging from the tonal nodes of F3 to F5 which is 2 octaves. It follows a basic sequence of I–II–IV–II–VV progression.

Music Video
As her debut video, careful attention was made to make sure that Jessica's virginal image would be used as the "anti-sex appeal" to draw viewers in.

Directed by Bille Woodruff, the video does not follow the dramatic story told in the song at all and instead centers on Jessica in a photo shoot.

The photo shoot starts out with Ms. Simpson being photographed in front of a giant airplane as she wears a white outfit with a blue jacket.

The song then shifts to a new scene in which Ms. Simpson has removed her jacket and is now in front of sunflowers.

The video seems to take things slowly, but in a dramatic turn of events, the sunflower scene is literally pushed over, to reveal the song's final scene: Jessica covered only in black on a dramatic soundstage lighted with blue lights.

The video also features shots intercut with the making of the video of Jessica and her personal girlfriends. One of those girlfriends in the video is her little sister Ashlee Simpson.

Although the video shoot is commonly believed to be a fake one, it appears that the video breaks the fourth wall as photos of the photographer taking photos apparently exist.

Jessica once spoke of the idea for a second video, but this one was never made. The video debuted on TRL on November 23, 1999 at #10.

Chart Performance
"I Wanna Love You Forever" was released on September 28, 1999 in the United States. It was initially a success in late 1999 in North America.

The single entered at number sixty-nine position on Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and is ranked at number following weeks, remaining in that position for five consecutive weeks with a total of twenty weeks on the music list, eighteen of them among the top forty which is the third longest recorded so far by a single singer.

The single also positioned number one for four consecutive weeks in the Hot 100 Singles Sales, being certified Platinum by the RIAA after overcoming 1,400,000 units sold.

It also became Jessica's best-selling physical single to date.

The single also experienced a significant level of airplay, becoming the first single from the singer who enters the twenty first positions of the Hot 100 Airplay.

It also became a huge success in the Top 40 radio, quickly entered the top ten positions of the Top 40 Tracks & Rhythmic Top 40 and was positioned number one for five consecutive weeks in the Top 40 Mainstream.

In Europe, "I Wanna Love You Forever" successfully entered the charts.

The single was positioned at number six for three non-consecutive weeks on the Hot 100 Singles European with fourteen weeks on the music list.

In the United Kingdom, the single entered directly into the top 10 on March 27, 2000. It managed to reach number 7 on the chart

The single stayed for eleven weeks in the music list, the second longest path recorded by a single singer after "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'."

In Sweden, the song stayed at the number five positions for three consecutive weeks, was certified Gold by the local IFPI have passed the 20,000 units sold, remained for twenty-two weeks on the music list and became so far the most successful single singer.

In Belgium, it entered on April 30, 2000 at the number seven position, remaining there for two consecutive weeks.

In Oceania, "I Wanna Love You Forever" was a resounding success.

In Australia, the single entered the February 15, 2000 at number twenty position, ascending in its fourth week of stay in the music list at number nine position, where it remained for two consecutive weeks.

It eventually stayed for five consecutive weeks in the top ten positions in the music list and was certified Platinum by the ARIA after passing 70,000.

In New Zealand, the single entered the February 14, 2000 at number forty-six position, ascending to the next week to the sixteenth position.

Lyrics
You set my soul at ease Chased darkness out of view Left your desperate spell on me Say you feel it too

I know you do I've got so much more to give This can't die I yearn to live

Pour yourself all over me And I'll cherish every drop here on my knees

[CHORUS:] I wanna love you forever And this is all I'm asking of you 10,000 lifetimes together Is that so much for you to do?

'Cause from the moment that I saw your face And felt the fire in your sweet embrace I swear I knew I'm gonna love you forever

My mind fails to understand What my heart tells me to do And I'd give up all I have just to be with you and that would do

I've always been taught to win And I never thought I'd fall Be at the mercy of a man I've never been Now I only want to be right where you are

[CHORUS:]

In my life I've learned that heaven never waits no Lets take this now Before it's gone like yesterday

Cause when I'm with you there's nowhere else That I would ever wanna be no I'm breathing for the next second I can feel you loving me I'm gonna love

[CHORUS:]