(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You

Album

NSYNC

Label

RCA Records

Genre

Rhythm & Blues

Duration

4:00

Composer(s)

Evan Rogers/Carl Sturken

Entered Chart

Dec 5, 1998

Peak Date

Feb 27, 1999

Released

October 27, 1998

Recorded

1997

Catalog #

RCA 65685

B-Side

"Sailing (live version)"

This song is about a girl who changed a guy's life drastically in a good way: "How can it be that right here with me there's an angel, it's a miracle." He cannot believe he is with such an amazing person. He is convinced that when God was creating her, He spent more time on her than anyone else. >> This was written by New York-based songwriter/producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken, who worked extensively with Rihanna early in her career, writing most of the songs on her 2005 debut album, Music of the Sun. They started writing for other acts in the '80s and in the early '90s had their own group, Rythm Syndicate, which had a hit with "P.A.S.S.I.O.N." They could write to whatever was trendy, which in 1997 was a new generation of boy bands; they also wrote songs for 98 Degrees, Boyzone, and the spoof band 2Gether. The title came from a misheard lyric. The song's co-writer, Carl Sturken, was watching a singer perform on TV and thought he was singing "God must have spent a little more time on you," but then realized he was actually singing "Got to spend a little more time on you." With the misheard line available for the taking, he ran with it, using it as the basis for the song. This was the first Top 10 hit for 'N Sync in America, peaking at #8 in February 1999. The group formed in Orlando, Florida, but their music was first released outside the States, starting with their self-titled debut album in 1997 and the single "I Want You Back." The international edition of that album didn't include "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You," but it was included on the American version the following year. It was released as a single only in America and Australia. The breakthrough for 'N Sync came with their next album, No Strings Attached, released in 2000. It was massive, selling over 12 million copies in America and delivering their first #1 hit, "It's Gonna Be Me." Songs with long titles often get released with part of the title in parenthesis to make them easier to say, particularly for DJs who often ignore the part in parentheses (so Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" becomes "The Dock Of The Bay"). In this case, the official title is "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You," not God Must Have Spent (A Little More Time On You)," which would have been a better idea. "I remember hearing it on Casey Kasem," Carl Sturken told Songfacts, referring to Kasem's American Top 40 radio countdown. "He says, 'And now coming up into the Top 10, here's the second hit by the new group 'N Sync. 'A Little More Time On You.'" That's not right." Report This Ad Alabama released this as a single from their 1999 album, Twentieth Century, with backing vocals from 'N Sync. The cover landed at #29 on the Hot 100 in August 1999, just six months after the original version peaked. The Alabama rendition also reached #3 on the Country chart and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Collaboration by a group or duo. Many hear this as a Christian song, but that's not what the writers had in mind. "We never thought of it as a contemporary Christian song when we wrote it," Carl Sturken said in his Songfacts interview. "It does have 'God' in the title, but beyond that, it doesn't talk very much about those kinds of issues." When rival boy band Backstreet Boys was asked what 'N Sync song they wish they'd recorded, BSB member AJ McLean responded: "'(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You.' That song's dope."

Can this be true, tell me can this be real
How can I put into words what I feel
My life was complete, I thought I was whole
Why do I feel like I'm losing control

I never thought that love could feel like this
Then you changed my world with just one kiss
How can it be that right here with me
There's an angel, it's a miracle

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent a little more time on you, yeah
Oh yes

Can this be true?
Tell me, can this be real?
How can I put into words what I feel?
My life was complete
I thought I was whole
Why do I feel like I'm losing control?
I never thought that love could feel like this
and you've changed my world with just one kiss
How can it be that right here with me
there's an angel?
It's a miracle

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent
A little more time
On you
(A little more time, yes he did baby)

In all of creation
All things great and small
You are the one that surpasses them all
More precious than
Any diamond or pearl
They broke the mold
When you came in this world
And I'm trying hard to figure out
Just how I ever did without
The warmth of your smile
The heart of a child
That's deep inside
Leaves me purified

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep (and deep)
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent
A little more time
On you

Never thought that love could feel like this
and you changed my world with just one kiss.
How can it be that right here with me
There's an angel?
It's a miracle

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep (peaceful and deep)
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent
A little more time
On you

God must have spent
A little more time
on you

A little more time
on you