Music Friday: Mario's New Love Deserves a Fistful of Diamonds, Handful of Rings

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you hit songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Mario tells his new love interest why she deserves a fistful of diamonds and a handful of rings in his 2004 blockbuster hit, "Let Me Love You."

Written by Ne-Yo, Kameron Houff and Scott Storch, "Let Me Love You" is the story of a young woman with relationship problems. She has to choose between a cheating boyfriend who comes home with makeup on his shirt and a sweet-talking suitor who promises to show her the way love's supposed to be.

Mario sings, "You're the type of woman (deserves good thangs) / Fistful of diamonds (handful of rings) / Baby you're a star (I just want to show you, you are)."

The song, which appears on Mario's second studio album, Turning Point, was an instant hit, as it zoomed to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for nine consecutive weeks. It was also an international hit, charting in 19 countries. Billboard named "Let Me Love You" the eighth most successful single of the decade. It even earned Mario a Grammy award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2006.

Trivia: Mario's "Let Me Love You" is one of the top-selling ringtones of all time with 1.6 million downloads.

Mario Dewar Barrett was born in Baltimore in 1986. At age four, Barrett told his family that he wanted to be a singer, and to support his dream, his mother bought him a karaoke machine. At age 11, Barrett signed a record deal after being discovered at a Coppin State College talent show by producer Troy Patterson. Three years later, the talented teen signed a new deal with Clive Davis' J Records.

Please check out the video of Mario's duet with Zendaya. The live performance of "Let Me Love You" is from the short-lived television show called Greatest Hits ABC, which ran in the summer of 2016. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Let Me Love You"
Written by Ne-Yo, Kameron Houff and Scott Storch. Performed by Mario, with Zendaya.

Baby I just don't get it
Do you enjoy being hurt?
I know you smelled the perfume, the make-up on his shirt
You don't believe his stories
You know that they're all lies
Bad as you are, you stick around and I just don't know why

If I was ya man (baby you)
Never worry bout (what I do)
I'd be coming home (back to you)
Every night, doin' you right
You're the type of woman (deserves good thangs)
Fistful of diamonds (handful of rings)
Baby you're a star (I just want to show you, you are)

You should let me love you
Let me be the one to give you everything you want and need
Baby good love and protection
Make me your selection
Show you the way love's supposed to be
Baby you should let me love you, love you, love you"

Listen Your true beauty's description
Looks so good that it hurts
You're a dime plus ninety-nine
And it's a shame don't even know what you're worth
Everywhere you go they stop and stare
'Cause you're bad and it shows
From your head to your toes, out of control, baby you know

Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.

'Journey' Ad Campaign Tells the Timeless and Epic Story of Natural Diamonds

The Diamond Producers Association (DPA) is launching an $11 million ad campaign that is an unprecedented, cinematic telling of the natural diamond story. Titled "The Diamond Journey," the video chronicles the history of a beautiful rough diamond from its fiery subterranean origins to its place as the ultimate representation of love, commitment and meaningful moments.

At the epicenter of the campaign is a three-minute hero film that could be mistaken as the trailer for a major motion picture, due to its impressive special effects, period costumes, cast of characters and engaging score by Oscar-winning musician, Atticus Ross.

As the newest part of the “Real is Rare, Real is a Diamond” platform, the campaign was developed in partnership with creative agency BBH London. The film was directed by Ian Pons Jewell, whose impressive client list includes Nike, Audi, Lexus and Michelob.

“We know from research that the majority of consumers are unaware that diamonds are the oldest thing they will ever touch or own," noted Jean-Marc Lieberherr, CEO of the DPA. "It’s a powerful message that resonates and one this campaign celebrates with the tagline ‘Three Billion Years in the Making.’"

The campaign also uses the phrase "Before there was life, there were diamonds."

Elements of the three-minute hero film have been edited into 60-, 30- and 15-second videos, which will be seen on social media platforms. The DPA is also producing striking portrait and landscape still visuals of an embracing pair of hands emerging from a natural scene. One of the hands is adorned with a diamond ring (See image, above).

The featured item in the campaign is a 2-carat cushion-cut diamond engagement ring, set in yellow gold. It was chosen because it evokes a classic, timeless quality with eternal appeal.

The advertising campaign, which has a primary target audience of 21-39 year olds, launches digitally on October 15 with Condé Nast, The New York Times and Sports Illustrated, among others. The creative ads also will be posted to Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

"The Diamond Journey" commercials will be seen during NFL games on ESPN, holiday movies on the Hallmark channel, and The Today Show on NBC.

The DPA is also targeting high-impact placements in transit hubs and key cities during the busy holiday travel and gifting season. Expect to see "The Diamond Journey" messaging in New York's Grand Central Terminal, JFK and LAX airports, and select in-flight TVs.

Check out the full-length version of "The Diamond Journey" here...

Credits: Image courtesy of the Diamond Producers Association.

Average Guy Knows His Partner Is 'The One' After 7 Months of Dating: Survey

The average American man knows after seven months of dating if his partner is "the one" and nearly half received not-so-subtle hints encouraging the proposal, according to a survey conducted for the Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group.

Two of the top five methods of dropping hints included forwarding emails from jewelry websites (45%) and stopping in jewelry stores to look at rings (40%). Other key signs that a partner was looking to tie the knot included watching TV or movies that involved weddings (54%), discussing other people’s engagements and marriages (52%), and leaving wedding magazines out to be discovered (50%).

The survey also revealed that it took an average of two months to find the perfect diamond. Of those who proposed with a ring, three in five noted that they were guided by their partners about ring preferences.

After purchasing the engagement ring, nearly half of the men kept it in a home safe while 30% put it in a shoebox. A quarter of the men kept the ring with them all the time, while 27% gave it to mom and dad for safekeeping. The survey also found the most common methods to protect the investment were a jeweler’s warranty (56%), specialty jeweler’s insurance (43%) and manufacturer’s warranty (42%).

Nearly eight in 10 men (79%) said their proposal went exactly as planned and 85% revealed that their proposal actually surprised their partner. We had previously reported that when it comes to getting engaged, nearly half of American brides-to-be want their engagement rings to be a surprise.

Followers of this blog know all too well that the best laid proposal plans sometimes go awry. We've reported on major snafus that nearly thwarted their engagements — including rings getting flushed down the toilet, trapped in lost luggage, falling into city utility grates, and even being washed out to sea during the proposal.

Luckily, all had happy endings.

“Popping the question and finding that perfect ring to symbolize your love are huge decisions,” said Jessica VandenHouten, brand communications manager for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group. “Deciding how to protect the ring should be equally important. Given the time, financial and emotional investment, you want to protect the ring for all its worth.”

The survey results are based on responses from 2,000 engaged and married American men and was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group.

Credits: Top image by BigStockPhoto.com; Infographics courtesy of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group.