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"Defenceless" is a song by English singer-songwriter Louis Tomlinson from his debut studio album, Walls.

Background

Tomlinson first premiered the track when he performed the song live at the Coca Cola Music Experience Festival in Madrid in September 2019. He described the song as a "bit of a cry for help."

In February 2021, fans began "Project Defenceless", to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his debut studio album, Walls, as well as boosting the song's streams and sales. In response to the fans, Tomlinson tweeted, "You guys are relentless. Thank you for all your hard work!"

Composition

"Defenceless" was written by Louis Tomlinson and Sean Douglas, while production was handled by Joe Janiak who also co-wrote the track. Speaking about the song's lyrics, Tomlinson stated, "The conception of this song is kind of about that moment where you're in an argument or feeling particularly vulnerable. Lyrically, I've said in the past it's always been important for me to be honest and vulnerable at times, definitely there's a lot of honesty in there."

Reception

"Defenceless" was met with mixed responses. The song is considered as a "fan favourite" from the album. Mike Nied of Idolator praised Janiak's production on the track stating, "Joe Janiak's production swells and recedes epically across the track. And this is another moment that only gets better the more you listen to it." However, others have criticized the lyrics of the song. Ella Kemp of NME stated, "often he'll just sing the song's title over and over again." CityNews noted, "His lyrics are lazy; he rhymes 'defenceless' with 'fences'."

Chart performance

Due to "Project Defenceless", the song charted on 25 countries' Spotify Viral 50 chart. It also peaked at number one on the iTunes Top Songs Chart in 28 countries, as well as entering the iTunes Worldwide chart at number three. The song reached number 32 on the UK Top 40 chart. "Defenceless" peaked at number 65 on the UK Singles Sales chart and at number 34 on the Belgium Ultratip Flanders chart.

Personnel

Credits for "Defenceless" adapted from album's liner notes.

Charts

References

1. ^ "Louis Tomlinson's 'Defenceless' Lyrics Explained & Meaning". Capital FM. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
2. ^ Gabriella E (4 February 2021). "Louies, It's Project Defenceless Time!". United by Pop. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
3. "Louis Tomlinson Has Incredible Week Thanks To Fans Who Celebrate 'Defenceless' Hitting Chart". Capital FM. 8 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
4. ^ Walls (booklet). Louis Tomlinson. Syco. 2020. 88985471362.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. "Louis Tomlinson Fans Get Defenceless to the Number One Spot". TBHonest. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
6. Mike Nied (3 February 2020). "Album Review: Louis Tomlinson's 'Walls' Is A Strong Debut". Idolator. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
7. Ella Kemp (27 January 2020). "Louis Tomlinson – 'Walls' review: Oasis-inspired album is the foundation for a rewarding future". NME. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
8. "Review: Louis Tomlinson drops a total snoozer of an album". CityNews. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
9. "Louis Tomlinson's 'Defenceless' enters UK chart after fan campaign". Big Top 40. 7 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
10. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart: 11 February 2021 - 17 February 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
11. ^ "Louis Tomlinson – Defenceless" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 22 February 2024.

• 2020 songs
• Louis Tomlinson songs
• Songs written by Louis Tomlinson
• Songs written by Sean Douglas (songwriter)
• Songs written by Joe Janiak