When You Tell Me that You Love (feat. Diana Ross)

Westlife's collaboration with Diana Ross in 'When You Tell Me that You Love Me' is a heartfelt ballad that delves into the transformative power of love. The song's lyrics express a deep yearning to achieve the impossible and to be a source of strength and comfort for a loved one. Shane's opening lines, 'I wanna call the stars down from the sky,' set the tone for a narrative filled with grand gestures and profound emotions. This desire to change the world and do the impossible for a loved one highlights the song's central theme: love as a powerful, motivating force.

Diana Ross's verses add a layer of intimacy and vulnerability to the song. Her lines, 'I wanna hold you close under the rain, I wanna kiss your smile and feel the pain,' capture the duality of love—the joy and the sorrow, the beauty and the pain. She emphasizes that in a world full of lies, the person she loves is her truth. This sentiment is echoed in the chorus, where the collective voices of Westlife and Diana Ross sing about becoming a hero and shining like a candle in the dark when they are told they are loved. This metaphor of a candle in the dark symbolizes hope, guidance, and the light that love brings into their lives.

Mark's solo lines, 'I wanna make you see just what I was, show you the loneliness and what it does,' reveal a past filled with loneliness and the transformative effect of love. Diana's response, 'You walked into my life to stop my tears, everything's easy now I have you here,' underscores the healing power of love. The song culminates in a powerful declaration that love makes them stronger, capable of facing any challenge. The repeated affirmation, 'When you tell me that you love me,' serves as a reminder of the song's core message: love is a source of strength, hope, and transformation.