This Love

History of "This Love" by Maroon 5

"This Love" emerged as the second single from Maroon 5's debut album Songs About Jane, a record that transformed the band from a respected Los Angeles club act into one of the most commercially successful pop-rock groups of the early 2000s. Maroon 5, originally performing as Kara's Flowers before their name change, had spent years developing their sound through live performances and club residencies before the album's release positioned them for mainstream success. "This Love" built on the momentum generated by the album's lead single and demonstrated the range and commercial instinct that would define the band's subsequent career.

The song was written by Adam Levine and James Valentine, two of the band's core members. Levine, as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, drew on personal experience to craft a lyrical narrative about a turbulent romantic relationship. Valentine's guitar contribution to both the writing and the recording was central to the song's distinctive sonic character, particularly the guitar riff that became one of the most recognizable elements of the recording. The compositional partnership between Levine and Valentine proved to be one of the defining creative collaborations of the band's early period.

The production of Songs About Jane was handled by Matt Wallace, who had worked with the band in its Kara's Flowers incarnation years before the mainstream breakthrough. Wallace's production approach captured the live energy of a working band while applying sufficient studio polish to make the recordings competitive on radio. "This Love" in particular benefited from production that balanced the rock energy of the guitar performance with the pop accessibility of Levine's vocal and the smooth, funk-influenced rhythm section. The resulting sound fit multiple radio formats, which proved crucial to the song's commercial performance.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 14, 2004, entering at number 66. Its ascent through the chart was steady and sustained, reflecting the organic growth of audience awareness rather than a promotional spike. By the week of April 24, 2004, "This Love" had climbed to its peak position of number 5, a remarkable achievement for a rock-oriented act on a chart that was increasingly dominated by hip-hop and R&B recordings. The song remained on the Hot 100 for an extraordinary 43 weeks, one of the longest runs on the chart among all recordings released in 2004.

The extended chart presence of "This Love" was a function of its crossover appeal. The recording found audiences on rock, adult contemporary, and pop radio simultaneously, an unusual breadth of format success that sustained its chart life well beyond the typical cycle for a pop-rock single. Radio programmers across multiple formats treated it as a reliable audience pleaser, keeping it in rotation well into 2004 and 2005. This multi-format success became a model for the band's subsequent commercial strategy.

The music video for the song was notable for its explicit visual content, which generated controversy and discussion that paradoxically extended the recording's media presence. The video received significant attention from music video platforms and entertainment media, contributing to the broader cultural conversation around the album and the band. This kind of attention, while not always positive in its framing, kept Maroon 5 in public discourse during the critical period of their mainstream establishment.

By the time "This Love" reached its peak chart position, Songs About Jane had already demonstrated significant commercial longevity. The album had a remarkably extended commercial life, continuing to sell well more than a year after its initial release date, a pattern more characteristic of classic rock catalog records than debut releases. The success of "This Love" as a single reinforced the album's position in retail and streaming environments and contributed to its eventual multi-platinum certification.

The Grammy Awards recognized Maroon 5's achievement with a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2005 ceremony, a nomination that placed the band among the most commercially and critically significant new acts of the year. This recognition helped cement the band's transition from critically regarded club act to mainstream phenomenon. "This Love" became a foundational song in the band's live catalog, remaining a concert staple for years after its commercial peak.

On YouTube, the recording accumulated over 401 million views over the course of its online life, a figure that confirms the song's enduring global appeal. This level of sustained viewer engagement, representing audiences discovering and rediscovering the track across two decades, speaks to the quality of the songwriting and the effectiveness of the original production.