If It's Lovin' That You Want
Encyclopedia
"If It's Lovin' that You Want" is a song recorded by Barbadian
recording artist Rihanna
, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun
(2005). The song was released on December 2, 2005 through Def Jam Recordings
, as the album's second and final single. The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock, Makeba Riddick
, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker
, and produced by Poke & Tone
. Musically, the song draws influence from the musical genre of R&B
; lyrically, it is about "basically telling a guy, 'If it's lovin' that you want, you should make me your girl because I've got what you need".
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, who both praised and criticized Rihanna's vocal performance, but also praised the song's composition. "If It's Lovin' that You Want" achieved moderate success around the world, reaching the top forty in few European countries, while reaching the top ten in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. In the United States, the song failed to match the commcercial success of Rihanna's previous single, "Pon de Replay", peaking at number thirty-six on the Billboard Hot 100
. It managed, however, to reach number nine on the Pop Songs
chart. An accompanying music video, directed by Marcus Raboy
, was shot on a beach in California, and features the singer enjoying various activities, such as dancing and riding jet ski
s with her friends.
", the lead single from Music of the Sun and Rihanna's debut in the music industry, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" was released as the second single from the album. In an interview with MTV News
, Rihanna explained the lyrical meaning behind the song, saying "The song is basically telling a guy, 'If it's lovin' that you want, you should make me your girl because I've got what you need". A sequel to the song entitled "If It's Lovin' That You Want - Part 2", which features rap
vocals by Cory Gunz
, was included as a bonus track on Rihanna's sophomore album
, A Girl Like Me
(2006). The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock, Makeba Riddick
, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker
and was produced by the latter two under their production name, Poke & Tone of Trackmasters
. Musically, the song draws influence from the musical genre of R&B
. According to the digital music sheet published at musicnotes.com, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" is written in the key of A-flat major and is set in common time
with a moderate dance goove
with a metronome of 98 beats per minute
. Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F
3 to the high note of G
5.
wrote that although the singer provides "simple, pleasant vocals", he noted that her voice sounds "too light" and "thin". Lamb continued to comment about the song, writing that although the song is "pleasurable" and "summery" to listen to and is not "offensive", it failed to re-capture the "killer hook of 'Pon de Replay". However, A. Vishnu of The Hindu
had contrasting opinions with regard to Rihanna's vocal performance, writing the song further "exposes her versatility and vocal range". A reviewer for Billboard
praised the song's composition and beat
, writing "[If It's Lovin' that You Want'] reinforces Rihanna's tropical reggae signature with an itchy hook that, albeit monotonous, cannot miss." A reviewer of Take40 and Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times
were brief in their reviews of "If It's Lovin' that You Want", with the former writing that the song is more "low-key" compared to Rihanna's previous release, "Pon de Replay", and the latter simply writing that it is a "pretty good" song.
chart on December 31, 2005, and number 99 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart on October 29, 2005. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked on the Australian Singles Chart
at number 9 on February 6, 2006. The song fell one position the following week to number ten, but managed to peak at number 9 again in its third week. In total, the song spent two non-consecutive weeks at number 9 and fourteen weeks on the chart. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 12 on the New Zealand Singles Chart
on December 19, 2005. During "If It's Lovin' that You Want"s first four weeks of charting, it fluctuated in the top twenty, but managed to peak at number 9 in its fifth week for one week. In total, the song spent 12 weeks on the chart.
In Europe, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" debuted on the Austrian Singles Chart
at number 40 on December 16, 2005. During the song's first five weeks on the chart, it struggled to stay inside the top forty, but in its sixth week, managed to peak at number 31 for one week, and spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number 25 on December 18, 2005, and peaked at number 19. The song spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart. In The Netherlands, the song debuted at number 76 on February 4, 2006, and peaked at number 13 the following week. The song spent a total of 7 weeks on the chart. In the Flanders region of Belgium, the song debuted at number 50 December 31, 2005, but dropped out of the chart the following week, but re-entered the chart at number 38 on January 21, 2006, and peaked at number 25 the following week. The song spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked on the UK Singles Chart
at number 11 on December 10, 2005, and dropped out of the Official UK Top 40 after five weeks on the chart.
The music video
for the song was shot on a stretch of beach on the coast of California
in Malibu and directed by Marcus Raboy
. In an interview with MTV News, Rihanna spoke about the development of the shoot for the video, saying "The water was so cold ... but oh my gosh, we had so much fun ... We were bumping each other off the Jet Skis and just had a ball". During the interview, the singer elaborated further upon the content of the video and the meaning behind it, saying "This video is about having fun, giving off the vibe of the Caribbean ... we did some mermaid-looking stuff down on the sand ...and I'm just [performing] to the camera as if it were my boyfriend. Now we're going to do [some scenes with] the Tiki torches. It's going to be incredible". The dance routines in the video were choreographed
by noted choreographer Fatima Robinson
.
The video begins with scenes of Rihanna dancing and walking along the beach and riding jet ski
s with her friends during the first chorus and continues into the first verse. Halfway through the first verse, a new scene of the singer is introduced, where she is dancing on a platform with four other female dancers, wearing a "short, flowing white skirt and a cropped tee", with the ocean as the backdrop behind her. During the second chorus, the previous scenes are intercut with each other, and continue into the second verse, where a new scene of the singer wearing a different outfit and lying on the beach, whilst also interacting with some male extras. For the third chorus, which is repeated twice, another new scene of Rihanna is shown with four other female dancers who belly dance
in the middle of a Tiki torch
circle during the night. The chorus is repeated for a final time, where scenes from throughout the video are intercut with each other.
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
recording artist Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
(2005). The song was released on December 2, 2005 through Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, as the album's second and final single. The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock, Makeba Riddick
Makeba Riddick
Makeba Riddick is a singer-songwriter who has been active since 2005. She is originally from West Baltimore, United States. Currently she is managed by Jay-Z's record label and production house, Roc Nation...
, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
, and produced by Poke & Tone
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
. Musically, the song draws influence from the musical genre of R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
; lyrically, it is about "basically telling a guy, 'If it's lovin' that you want, you should make me your girl because I've got what you need".
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, who both praised and criticized Rihanna's vocal performance, but also praised the song's composition. "If It's Lovin' that You Want" achieved moderate success around the world, reaching the top forty in few European countries, while reaching the top ten in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. In the United States, the song failed to match the commcercial success of Rihanna's previous single, "Pon de Replay", peaking at number thirty-six on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It managed, however, to reach number nine on the Pop Songs
Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs)
The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart...
chart. An accompanying music video, directed by Marcus Raboy
Marcus Raboy
Marcus Raboy is an American film and music video director.Since the early 1990s, Raboy has amassed a large number music video credits directing music videos for Mary J...
, was shot on a beach in California, and features the singer enjoying various activities, such as dancing and riding jet ski
Jet ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...
s with her friends.
Background and composition
Following the release and commercial success of "Pon de ReplayPon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
", the lead single from Music of the Sun and Rihanna's debut in the music industry, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" was released as the second single from the album. In an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, Rihanna explained the lyrical meaning behind the song, saying "The song is basically telling a guy, 'If it's lovin' that you want, you should make me your girl because I've got what you need". A sequel to the song entitled "If It's Lovin' That You Want - Part 2", which features rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
vocals by Cory Gunz
Cory Gunz
Peter Cory Pankey, Jr. is an American rapper, better known by his stage name Cory Gunz. He is the son of rapper Peter Gunz, member of the rap duo Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, and cousin of fellow rapper Junior. Gunz is currently signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, After Platinum...
, was included as a bonus track on Rihanna's sophomore album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Rihanna album)
A Girl like Me is the second studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. It was released through Def Jam Recordings on April 19, 2006 in Japan, on April 24 in the United Kingdom, and on April 25 in the United States. For the production of the album, Rihanna worked with Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken,...
(2006). The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock, Makeba Riddick
Makeba Riddick
Makeba Riddick is a singer-songwriter who has been active since 2005. She is originally from West Baltimore, United States. Currently she is managed by Jay-Z's record label and production house, Roc Nation...
, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
and was produced by the latter two under their production name, Poke & Tone of Trackmasters
Trackmasters
The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
. Musically, the song draws influence from the musical genre of R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
. According to the digital music sheet published at musicnotes.com, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" is written in the key of A-flat major and is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a moderate dance goove
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
with a metronome of 98 beats per minute
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F
F (musical note)
F is a musical note, the fourth above C. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle F is approximately 349.228 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
3 to the high note of G
G (musical note)
Sol, So, or G is the fifth note of the solfège starting on C. As such it is the dominant, a perfect fifth above C.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle G note is approximately 391.995 Hz...
5.
Critical response
The song was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics, who both praised and criticized Rihanna's vocal performance. Bill Lamb of About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
wrote that although the singer provides "simple, pleasant vocals", he noted that her voice sounds "too light" and "thin". Lamb continued to comment about the song, writing that although the song is "pleasurable" and "summery" to listen to and is not "offensive", it failed to re-capture the "killer hook of 'Pon de Replay". However, A. Vishnu of The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
had contrasting opinions with regard to Rihanna's vocal performance, writing the song further "exposes her versatility and vocal range". A reviewer for Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
praised the song's composition and beat
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, writing "[If It's Lovin' that You Want'] reinforces Rihanna's tropical reggae signature with an itchy hook that, albeit monotonous, cannot miss." A reviewer of Take40 and Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
were brief in their reviews of "If It's Lovin' that You Want", with the former writing that the song is more "low-key" compared to Rihanna's previous release, "Pon de Replay", and the latter simply writing that it is a "pretty good" song.
Chart performance
"If It's Lovin' that You Want" failed to match the commercial success of Rihanna's previous single, "Pon de Replay", and only peaked inside the top ten of three national charts. In the United States, the song managed to peak at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart on December 31, 2005, and number 99 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart on October 29, 2005. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number 9 on February 6, 2006. The song fell one position the following week to number ten, but managed to peak at number 9 again in its third week. In total, the song spent two non-consecutive weeks at number 9 and fourteen weeks on the chart. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 12 on the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
on December 19, 2005. During "If It's Lovin' that You Want"s first four weeks of charting, it fluctuated in the top twenty, but managed to peak at number 9 in its fifth week for one week. In total, the song spent 12 weeks on the chart.
In Europe, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" debuted on the Austrian Singles Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...
at number 40 on December 16, 2005. During the song's first five weeks on the chart, it struggled to stay inside the top forty, but in its sixth week, managed to peak at number 31 for one week, and spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number 25 on December 18, 2005, and peaked at number 19. The song spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart. In The Netherlands, the song debuted at number 76 on February 4, 2006, and peaked at number 13 the following week. The song spent a total of 7 weeks on the chart. In the Flanders region of Belgium, the song debuted at number 50 December 31, 2005, but dropped out of the chart the following week, but re-entered the chart at number 38 on January 21, 2006, and peaked at number 25 the following week. The song spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number 11 on December 10, 2005, and dropped out of the Official UK Top 40 after five weeks on the chart.
Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was shot on a stretch of beach on the coast of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in Malibu and directed by Marcus Raboy
Marcus Raboy
Marcus Raboy is an American film and music video director.Since the early 1990s, Raboy has amassed a large number music video credits directing music videos for Mary J...
. In an interview with MTV News, Rihanna spoke about the development of the shoot for the video, saying "The water was so cold ... but oh my gosh, we had so much fun ... We were bumping each other off the Jet Skis and just had a ball". During the interview, the singer elaborated further upon the content of the video and the meaning behind it, saying "This video is about having fun, giving off the vibe of the Caribbean ... we did some mermaid-looking stuff down on the sand ...and I'm just [performing] to the camera as if it were my boyfriend. Now we're going to do [some scenes with] the Tiki torches. It's going to be incredible". The dance routines in the video were choreographed
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
by noted choreographer Fatima Robinson
Fatima Robinson
Fatima Robinson is a noted music video director and choreographer. Robinson's choreography résumé includes many Aaliyah's Videos, and Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair"...
.
The video begins with scenes of Rihanna dancing and walking along the beach and riding jet ski
Jet ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...
s with her friends during the first chorus and continues into the first verse. Halfway through the first verse, a new scene of the singer is introduced, where she is dancing on a platform with four other female dancers, wearing a "short, flowing white skirt and a cropped tee", with the ocean as the backdrop behind her. During the second chorus, the previous scenes are intercut with each other, and continue into the second verse, where a new scene of the singer wearing a different outfit and lying on the beach, whilst also interacting with some male extras. For the third chorus, which is repeated twice, another new scene of Rihanna is shown with four other female dancers who belly dance
Belly dance
Belly dance or Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional "Middle Eastern" dance, especially raqs sharqi . It is sometimes also called Middle Eastern dance or Arabic dance in the West, or by the Greco-Turkish term çiftetelli...
in the middle of a Tiki torch
Tiki culture
Tiki kitsch culture is a 20th-century theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world...
circle during the night. The chorus is repeated for a final time, where scenes from throughout the video are intercut with each other.
Formats and track listings
- Digital download
- "If It's Lovin' that You Want" – 3:50
- Australia/United Kingdom/Germany/Europe CD/Maxi/Promo Single
- "If It's Lovin' that You Want" – 3:27
- "If It's Lovin' that You Want" (featuring Cory GunzCory GunzPeter Cory Pankey, Jr. is an American rapper, better known by his stage name Cory Gunz. He is the son of rapper Peter Gunz, member of the rap duo Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, and cousin of fellow rapper Junior. Gunz is currently signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, After Platinum...
) – 3:50
- Ireland EP
- "If It's Lovin' that You Want" – 3:27
- "If It's Lovin' that You Want" (Instrumental) – 3:20
- "Pon de Replay" (Pon de Club Play) – 7:32
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | December 2, 2005 | CD, Digital download | Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group... |
| Ireland | Digital download | ||
| Germany | |||
| Norway | |||
| United Kingdom | CD | Mercury Records Mercury Records Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal... |