Everything He Needs

## Audio

### Audio

**Everything He Needs** is the fifth track on Carly Rae Jepsen's fourth studio album, Dedicated (2019). It was released on May 17th 2019, through 604, School Boy and Interscope Records.

## **Lyrics**

**Verse 1**

He's strong, not one to settle down

You know he's that guy

Electric, those lips can wear me out

Wild thing he's all mine

**Pre-Chorus**

It's crazy, but when he can't sleep, I understand

Like pressure points, my love can ease him in my hand

'Cause *(He needs me)*

**Chorus**

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

*(I got everything he needs)*

*(He needs me)*

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

*(I got everything he needs)*

**Verse 2**

Soft rain *(Soft rain)*, we roll the windows down

Sweat disco all night

It's clear *(It's clear)*, we'd like to fool around

His hands reach for mine

**Pre-Chorus 2**

I know it's tough, baby, keep both eyes on the road

Pull right, a burnt-out streetlight, only halfway home

*(He needs me)*

**Chorus**

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

*(I got everything he needs)*

*(He needs me)*

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

*(I got everything he needs)*

**Post-Chorus**

Could never give him enough

Enough of my love, enough of my love

Enough of my

I could never give him enough

Enough of my love *(He needs me)*

Could never give him enough

Enough of my love, enough of my love

Enough of my

I could never give him enough

Enough of my love *(He needs me)*

**Bridge**

You know, not just physically

Emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, sexually

All the ways

**Chorus**

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

*(I got everything he needs)*

*(He needs me)*

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

He needs me, he needs me

*(He needs me)*

*(I got everything he needs)*

**Post-Chorus**

Could never give him enough

Enough of my love, enough of my love

Enough of my

I could never give him enough

Enough of my love *(He needs me)*

Could never give him enough

Enough of my love, enough of my love

Enough of my

I could never give him enough

Enough of my love *(He needs me)*

## **Song credits**

#### **Writing and production**

* **Written by:** Carly Rae Jepsen • Harry Nilsson ⊺ • Ben Romans • CJ Baran • Amanda Warner (MNDR)
* **Produced by:** Ben Romans • CJ Baran

#### **Instrumentation**

* **Keyboard:** Ben Romans
* **Bass:** Amanda Warner

#### **Additional credits**

* **Programming:** CJ Baran
* **Engineering:** CJ Baran
* **Mixing:** Mitch McCarthy
* **Mastering:** Gene Grimaldi

#### **Studio info**

* **Mixed at:** SOTA Studios (Sarasota, FL)
* **Mastered at:** Oasis Mastering (Burbank, CA)

#### **Sample info**

* **Samples:** Harry Nilsson - He Needs Me (1980)
* **Written by:** Harry Nilsson
* **Published by:** Sony/ATV Harmony (ASCAP) • Walt Disney Music Company

#### **Publishing info**

* **Published by:** Universal Music Corp • Jepsen Music Publishing (ASCAP) • Sony/ATV Harmony (ASCAP) • Walt Disney Music Company • Clandestine Sonics Administered by These Are Songs of Pulse (ASCAP) • These Are Songs of Pulse (ASCAP) • MXM Administered by Kobalt Songs Music Publishing (ASCAP) • Wondershow Songs (BMI) Administered by Kobalt • Triangletrax c/o Kobalt Publishing (SESAC)

## **Writing and development**

Everything He Needs was first conceived when Jepsen was working on new music with collaborators CJ Baran and Ben Romans during the development of Dedicated, sometime between 2016 and 2018, in one of Jepsen's self-proclaimed favourite writing days.

The song first materialised from the use of a sample of Harry Nilsson's *He Needs Me*, which featured in the 1980 Popeye movie. Jepsen explained how the idea came about, stating '[Ben, CJ, and I] have this absurd, musical theatre side to everything we do. We were looking at old musicals, and I don’t even know how we landed on Robin Williams doing Popeye, but Olive sings this song about how Popeye needs her. We found the hook of that so creepy, catchy, confident and ballsy; we wrote a whole song around that idea.'

#### **Sample clearance and Disney legality**

One hurdle that appeared during the creation of the song was to get Disney's permission to use the He Needs Me sample. Jepsen explained how this was difficult, stating 'it’s not an easy thing, to get Disney’s permission. Every person at my publishing house told me it wasn’t going to happen.'

Jepsen became increasingly devastated over the legality of the sample, and began to hatch a plan to get the it cleared. On a trip to Disneyland in December 2018, Jepsen wrote up a fake contract, and stood in line to have Mickey Mouse sign it. She explained, 'I was so heartbroken, I did this theatrical move. I went to Disneyland, I wrote up a fake contract that said *He Needs Me* and I stood in line to make Mickey Mouse sign it. Then sent it around to the publishers again asking 'Are you sure? Mickey Mouse, the big star boss, says it’s okay.' Two weeks later, someone said fine, go for it.'  Everything He Needs would end up being the last song to make the album, as Jepsen would only receive agreement to use the sample just a week before album clearance.

## **Trivia**

* Jepsen has expressed her interest in producing a Popeye themed music video for the song, but stated this is unlikely due to Disney's legal restrictions and copyright hold.
* The phrase 'he needs me' is said a total of 46 times throughout the song.
* Everything He Needs references the scrapped Disco Sweat project in the lyrics in its second verse.

## **Alternate versions**

* **He Needs Me** — Demo version (2016-18) 3:03
	+ Assumed demo version that was registered

* **Everything He Needs** — Final version (2019) - 3:38
	+ Final version of the song released in May 2019

## **References**

1. ↑ *Dedicated* (album booklet). Carly Rae Jepsen. 604 Records, School Boy Records and Interscope Records. 2019.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Dork "Dedicated: Carly Rae Jepsen is back! Back!! Back!!!" (readdork.com) May 17th, 2019. Retrieved April 5th, 2021.
3. ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Just two gals catching up. @Disneyland #DisneylandHolidays" (Tweet) December 14th 2018 - Via Twitter
4. ↑ The BUILD Queen, Carly Rae Jepsen Is In The House! Youtube. May 29 2019. Retrieved March 6th, 2021.
5. ↑ GEMA work no.: 22775103-001