One of the most talked-about young relationships in the music business is that of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber. The singers dated on and off for nearly a decade. While they’re no longer together, what remains of Gomez and Bieber’s relationship is the music they each made over the years.
Some of Gomez’s most popular songs (based on time on the Billboard Hot 100 and iTunes sales) are thought to be about her very famous ex. Here’s a look at four of these, and what Gomez has said about them.
‘Lose You to Love Me’
“Lose You to Love Me” was the lead single off Gomez’s 2020 album Rare. It debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 23 weeks. The song peaked at No. 1, making it the artist’s first No. 1 single. It also reached No. 1 on iTunes.
The song depicts leaving behind a relationship and being better for it. Speaking at On Air With Ryan Seacrest about the track in October 2019, Gomez said she “wrote it over a year ago.” This not only lines up with the timeline of her relationship with Bieber, but one specific line stands out.
Seacrest asks her about the lyric: “In two months, you replaced us/Like it was easy.” Fans believed this to be a near-perfect representation of how Bieber was linked to his now-wife very soon after he and Gomez split the last time. “It’s all very real to me,” she said of seeing her ex in the tabloids with someone else.
‘It Ain’t Me’
“It Ain’t Me” was the lead single off popular DJ Kygo’s 2017 EP Stargazing, and featured Gomez as a songwriter and sole vocalist. The track peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent 29 weeks on the chart, making it Gomez’s second-longest charting hit, and the longest that she contributed to as a songwriter. It peaked at No. 2 on iTunes.
In the song, Gomez sings about being in a relationship with someone who drinks heavily and can’t keep supporting them. Bieber, notably, has spoken about his issues with drugs and alcohol in the past. Interestingly, co-writers Brian Lee and Andrew Watt had worked with Bieber before this.
Like every song on here, Gomez is not solely responsible for the lyrics to “It Ain’t Me.” However, songwriter Ali Tamposi told Billboard that while it was her concept, she “tapped into [Gomez’s] experiences,” saying, “I’m really impressed by her level of contribution.”
‘The Heart Wants What It Wants’
“The Heart Wants What It Wants” was Gomez’s only single off her 2014 compilation album For You, her last release through Disney’s Hollywood Records. The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 20 weeks on the chart. It, too, reached No. 2 on iTunes.
While many songs of Gomez’s from her Disney days were presumed by fans to be about Bieber, she doesn’t have a writing credit on them, specifically those she performed as Selena Gomez & the Scene. However, she does on “The Heart Wants What it Wants,” about still wanting to be with someone despite knowing they might be bad for you.
At this time, Gomez and Bieber’s relationship was rocky, and she wasn’t interested in the dissenting opinions of those around her. “Save your advice, ’cause I won’t hear,” she sings. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, as transcribed by the LA Times, she said, “I’m going to feel when I need to feel, and I don’t care what comes with that or what people want to say.”
‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’
“We Don’t Talk Anymore” was the third single off singer Charlie Puth’s 2016 album Nine Track Mind. Gomez contributed vocals and received a writing credit. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 24 weeks. It reached No. 2 on iTunes.
There were rumors that Gomez and Puth became involved around this time. While this may or may not be true, Puth reached out to her to sing on the track because of her breakup with Bieber. On “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” Gomez sings about hoping her ex with move on, but still missing them.
“I met up with Selena, and she went through a very public relationship, on and off, and she could just relate to the song and the lyrical sentiment,” Puth told MTV News. He continued, “I was playing the song for her, and she just started singing the second verse. I got chills.”
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