Sara Bareilles Says the True Story Behind ‘Love Song’ Isn’t What You Think

We all know Sara Bareilles writes absolute bangers—songs with driving beats and almost sermonic messages. Her anthems make us want to write a letter to an ex and burn it by the flame of a scented candle. After “Love Song”—reportedly an angry response to a record label looking for more bankable lyrics—became a staple, we thought, Okay, we get it. Sara Bareilles is a pop-star with a twist of integrity. She rocks a side part. She makes us wish we had taken piano lessons.

But we’ve underestimated Sara Bareilles every step of the way. First, she became a major pop star without selling out. Next, she’s succeeded where many, many successful musicians have failed—we’re talking Bono, Sting, and Sheryl Crow—in that she wrote original music and lyrics for what became a hit Broadway musical, Waitress. The songs of Waitress have touched people so deeply, they’ve inspired countless covers and a full-on TikTok trend.

Okay, we thought. We get it—she’s a singer-songwriter, and she’s also a theater nerd who got the last laugh. Then, in May, Bareilles starred in Girls5Eva, a TV musical comedy on NBC’s Peacock from Tina Fey and Meredith Scardino. Bareilles is so effortlessly funny, it’s almost crazy-making—how is this the same woman who we’ve been bopping to on the radio for so many years? Why hasn’t she hosted SNL?

Bareilles isn’t offended that people are surprised. “I’m surprised too,” she tells Glamour, laughing. Her funny, acting self is the part of her that only her friends had known before Girls5Eva. “I think humor is one of the secrets to making it through this life.” 

Now, she’s back at the piano—she just released her new live album Amidst the Chaos: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, recorded in 2019 and delayed during the pandemic. Recently, she performed her first live show in New York City since 2020—a fundraiser for a non-profit that brings free meals to homebound people.“It was just a tremendous gift to return to the stage and to return to human beings in seats,” she says, her voice catching in a very real, very Sara Bareilles way. “It was just—a miracle.”

In some ways, Bareilles even underestimated herself—she never thought she would write a book, produce a show, or act on TV. “Life has showed up bigger and better than I ever could have imagined,” she says. Celebrating her new album and the return of live music, Glamour sat down with Bareilles to break down the real stories behind some of her greatest hits, for an installment of our new series, 5 Songs, 5 Stories.

“Gravity”

“Gravity” is Bareilles’ sleeper hit—she wrote it as a teenager as a kind of letter to her high school boyfriend, long before she was attached to an agent or a studio. When her first album, Careful Confessions, was released in 2004, “Gravity” was the first track. It’s the oldest song Bareilles plays in public and a fan favorite.