"If It's Lovin' That You Want"
Single by Rihanna
from the album Music of the Sun
ReleasedAugust 16, 2005 (2005-08-16)
Recorded2005
StudioBassmint, The Loft (Bronxville, New York)
GenreReggae
Length3:28
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Poke & Tone
Rihanna singles chronology
"Pon de Replay"
(2005)		 "If It's Lovin' That You Want"
(2005)		 "SOS"
(2006)
Music video
"If It's Lovin' That You Want" on YouTube

"If It's Lovin' That You Want" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her debut studio album, Music of the Sun (2005). It was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott La Rock, Makeba Riddick, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker, and produced by Poke & Tone. It was released on August 16, 2005, as the second and final single from the album. The lyrics revolve around "basically telling a guy, 'If it's lovin' that you want, you should make me your girl because I've got what you need".[1]

The song received mixed reviews from music critics, many of whom praised and criticised Rihanna's vocal performance; its composition was also complimented. "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 commercial success of Rihanna's previous single, "Pon de Replay", peaking at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It managed, however, to reach number nine on the Pop Songs chart. The song's accompanying music video, directed by Marcus Raboy, was shot on a beach in California, and features the singer enjoying several activities, such as dancing and riding jet skis with her friends.

Background and composition

Following the release and commercial success of "Pon de Replay", 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.[4] 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".[1]

Musically, is a reggae song with R&B influence, reinforcing Rihanna's "tropical reggae signature".[5] 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 groove with a metronome of 98 beats per minute.[6] Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F3 to the high note of G5.[6] A sequel to the song titled "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).[7] The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock, Makeba Riddick, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker[8] and was produced by the latter two under their production name, Poke & Tone of Trackmasters." "If It's Lovin' that You Want" contains interpolations from the composition "The Bridge Is Over", as performed by Boogie Down Productions, and written by Scott La Rock and Lawrence Parker.

Critical reception

The song was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics, who both praised and criticised Rihanna's vocal performance. Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that although the singer provides "simple, pleasant vocals", her voice sounds "too light" and "thin".[3] Lamb continued to comment about the song, writing that although the song is "pleasurable" and "summery" to listen to and is not "offensive", it fails to re-capture the "killer hook of 'Pon de Replay'".[3] 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".[2] 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."[5] 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",[9] and the latter simply writing that it is a "pretty good" song.[10]

Chart performance

"If It's Lovin' that You Want" peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, failing to match the commercial success of Rihanna's previous single, "Pon de Replay", only peaking within the top ten of three national charts. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked on the Australian Singles Chart at number 9 on February 6, 2006.[11] The song fell one position the following week to number ten, but managed to peak at number 9 again in its third week.[11] In total, the song spent two non-consecutive weeks at number 9 and fourteen weeks on the chart.[11] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 12 on the New Zealand Singles Chart on December 19, 2005.[12] 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.[12] In total, the song spent 12 weeks on the chart.[12]

In Europe, "If It's Lovin' that You Want" debuted on the Austrian Singles Chart at number 40 on December 16, 2005.[13] 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.[13] In Switzerland, the song debuted at number 25 on December 18, 2005, and peaked at number 19.[14] The song spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart.[14] In The Netherlands, the song debuted at number 76 on February 4, 2006, and peaked at number 13 the following week.[15] The song spent a total of 7 weeks on the chart.[15] In the Flanders region of Belgium, the song debuted at number 50 December 31, 2005, but dropped out of the chart the following week,[16] but re-entered the chart at number 38 on January 21, 2006, and peaked at number 25 the following week.[16] The song spent a total of 10 weeks on the chart.[16] 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.[17][18]

Music video

Rihanna lying on a beach in the music video for "If It's Lovin' That You Want"

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 on August 9, 2005.[1] 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".[1] 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".[1] The dance routines in the video were choreographed by noted choreographer Fatima Robinson.[1]

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.[1] 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",[1] 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 choreographing 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.[1]

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "If It's Lovin' that You Want"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[48] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "If It's Lovin' that You Want"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 16, 2005 12-inch vinyl [49]
August 30, 2005 Rhythmic contemporary radio [50]
September 13, 2005 Urban contemporary radio [51]
September 20, 2005 Contemporary hit radio [50]
United Kingdom November 28, 2005 CD Mercury [52]
Germany December 2, 2005 Maxi CD Universal Music [53][54]
Australia January 23, 2006 [55]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Brandee J. Tecson and Yasmine Richard (August 19, 2005). "Rihanna Insists She's Got What You Need In 'Pon De Replay' Follow-Up". MTV News. Viacom. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Vishnu, A (January 12, 2006). "Of sun, sea 'n' sand". The Hindu. The Hindu Group. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Lamb, Bill. "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want (Def Jam)". About.com, The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  4. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want – Single". iTunes Store (AU). December 2, 2005. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  5. 1 2 CJ (August 27, 2005). "Singles". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 35. p. 52. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "If It's Lovin' that You Want – Rihanna Digital Music Sheet". Musicnotes.com. 2005. MN0055411 (Product Number).
  7. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want Pt. 2". Allmusic, Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  8. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want". Allmusic, Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Rihanna's Rocking Her Roots". Take40. February 26, 2006. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  10. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (September 5, 2005). "Critic's Choice: New CDs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 "Rihanna – It It's Lovin' that You Want – Song". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 "Rihanna – It It's Lovin' that You Want – Song". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Rihanna – It It's Lovin' that You Want – Song" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  14. 1 2 "Rihanna – It It's Lovin' that You Want – Song" (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Rihanna – It It's Lovin' that You Want – Song" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 "Rihanna – It It's Lovin' that You Want – Song" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  17. ↑ "10th December 2005". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  18. ↑ "7th January 2006". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  19. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want – Single" (in Norwegian). iTunes Store (NO). December 2, 2005. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Amazon.com: If It's Lovin That You Want Pt.1: Rihanna: Music". Amazon. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  21. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want – Single". iTunes Store (IE). December 2, 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Issue 832" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  27. ↑ "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1641. January 20, 2006. p. 32. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Rihanna – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Rihanna. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  30. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – If It's Lovin' That You Want". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want". Top Digital Download. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rihanna" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  34. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Romanian Top 100: July 10, 2006". Romanian Top 100. July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on July 17, 2006. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Rihanna: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Rihanna Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  41. ↑ "Rihanna Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Rihanna Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  43. ↑ "Rihanna Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  44. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2006". ARIA. Archived from the original on March 5, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  45. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Urban Singles 2006". ARIA. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Romanian Top 100 – Top of the Year 2006". Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  47. ↑ "British single certifications – Rihanna – If It's Lovin' That You Want". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  48. ↑ "American single certifications – Rihanna – If It's Lovin' that You Want". Recording Industry Association of America.
  49. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want". Amazon. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  50. 1 2 FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!
  51. ↑ "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Urban". Gfa.radioandrecords.com. September 13, 2005. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  52. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. November 26, 2005. p. 25.
  53. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want (2-Track): Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon Germany. September 9, 2009. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  54. ↑ "If It's Lovin' That You Want: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon Germany. September 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  55. ↑ "New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 23rd January 2006" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 829. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 23, 2006. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2021 – via Pandora archive.
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