Ain't It Funny
Encyclopedia
"Ain't It Funny" is a song recorded by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez
. The song was written by Lopez and Cory Rooney
, and produced by Rooney and Dan Shea
for Lopez's second studio album, J.Lo (2001). The song was released as the album's third single on July 3, 2001.
of the song were sent out to U.S. radio stations in the autumn of 2001 after the success of "I'm Real" in the United States. Lopez even stopped by MTV
's Total Request Live
to premier the video and explain the concept of the song. She said she had written the song while filming The Wedding Planner
. The song was originally intended for the film's soundtrack, but did not make the final cut.
Due to lack of promotion and radio airplay
, the single did not receive a proper U.S. commercial release and was therefore ineligible to chart on any of the Billboard charts
. It nevertheless became an international hit, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sweden, and the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland. Lopez also performed the song at the Royal Variety Performance
on November 26, 2001, in front of Queen Elizabeth II.
"Ain't It Funny" later received a hip hop
-oriented remix
entitled "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix), which appeared on Lopez's 2002 remix album J to tha L-O!: The Remixes
; it went on to be far more successful than the original track in the United States. Unlike "I'm Real", "Ain't It Funny"'s original version and its remix charted separately.
"Que Ironía" (meaning "What an Irony"), the Spanish-language
version of "Ain't It Funny", was released to Spanish-speaking countries in 2001. This version is commercially available on all Latin American copies of the J.Lo album, and it is also available on some international CD singles.
was filmed in sepia tone and directed by Herb Ritts
. It opens with Lopez traveling on a road where she finds a fortune-teller
who shows Lopez her future with the cards. A group of female gypsies (one of them played by former Pussycat Dolls
member Carmit Bachar
) shows up and makes over Lopez so as to make her one of their own. Then Lopez finds a man (played by Mexican soap opera actor Eduardo Verástegui
) she could not resist, falling in love with him. In the middle of the video, there is an extended dance sequence, in which she performs a flamenco
-influenced routine. Eventually all the people there start dancing together, including Lopez and her lover. The video debuted the week of July 2, 2001 internationally and in the autumn of 2001 in the U.S.
Murder Remix
The video
is in two parts which frequently interchange back and forth throughout the song. The first part of the video shows Lopez having a small party in her home with guests including Ja Rule and Ashanti. This part of the video is from the point of view of the guy who is being mentioned in the song. His face is not seen, and Lopez addresses the camera throughout this section of the video. This section begins with the guy knocking on the door, Lopez inviting him in, and then eventually showing him the door when she sees him attempting to look/flirt with other women at the party. As he leaves, she goes on entertaining the other guests.
The second part of the video involves scenes with Lopez and Ja Rule in a white room, Ja Rule in a recording studio in Lopez's home, Lopez sitting in a chair singing bits of the song, and Lopez and Ja Rule singing the parts of the final verse against a gold backdrop.
(Released: July 16, 2001)
2-track CD single
CD maxi single (671202 2)
(Released: July 16, 2001)
CD single
12" single
. The remix was written by Lopez, Cory Rooney
, Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, Caddillac Tah, and 7 Aurelius, and was produced by Gotti and 7 Aurelius. The song was released on the same day as the original version of the song. The remix later appeared on J to tha L-O!: The Remixes
(2002). The song was also included on the 2002 compilation album Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.
as well as on Ja Rule's greatest hits album Exodus
.
The single topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
becoming Lopez's third number-one single and Ja Rule's third number-one single; it also peaked at number four in the United Kingdom. Caddillac Tah also performs on the song and appears on the song's music video
, and even has a longer part than Ja Rule. The remix samples
Craig Mack
's 1994 hit "Flava in Ya Ear
". The song spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 from March 9, and followed another Ja Rule duet, "Always on Time
" with Ashanti
. Ashanti's "Foolish" replaced it at the number-one spot. Ashanti also appears in the video alongside Lopez, Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, Caddillac Tah, and other Inc. members.
The original version of the song appears on Lopez's second studio album, 2001's J.Lo, and was also a single of its own. It was written by Cory Rooney
for the soundtrack to Lopez's film The Wedding Planner
, but it was felt that the timbales
gave it too much of a Latin
sound, and the song was not used for the soundtrack. After the success of "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", a previous Lopez–Ja Rule collaboration, they decided to remix "Ain't It Funny" as a duet and release it as a follow-up. Unlike "I'm Real", the two versions of "Ain't It Funny" were released on different dates, and so charted separately. The songs also charted separately because Billboard
instituted a new chart policy.
In the Murder Inc. studio then-upcoming artist Ashanti dropped by the studio. "Everyone was there and Ja (Rule) was on the floor playing video games, and they had the beat playing in the background. Chris Gotti, Irv Gotti's brother, said 'Ja's supposed to be writing this record for J-Lo, but it doesn't look like he's going to be doing anything tonight. Why don't you go in there and see what's happening?' So that's exactly what I did", says Ashanti, who wrote three verses and demoed the new "Ain't It Funny" for Lopez. Ashanti recalled, "I got a call from Gotti in Los Angeles. He asked me to write another verse [...] I had to write it over the phone and two-way Irv the lyrics." Virtually the entire hook on the final version of the song consisted of Ashanti's vocals.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
. The song was written by Lopez and Cory Rooney
Cory Rooney
Cory Rooney is an American songwriter, record producer, and C.E.O. of Cory Rooney Group. He has written, produced, and developed many hits and careers for artists such as Mariah Carey, Mary J...
, and produced by Rooney and Dan Shea
Dan Shea (record producer)
Dan Shea is an American record producer and composer who has worked with numerous artists including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Santana, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Simpson. Sara Evans, Rob Thomas, Marc Anthony, Boys II Men, Martina McBride, Kenny G., Ricky Martin, Bono,...
for Lopez's second studio album, J.Lo (2001). The song was released as the album's third single on July 3, 2001.
Chart performance
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Gold |
| Sweden | Gold |
Background and release
Although originally set for European and Australian release only, promotional singlesPromotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
of the song were sent out to U.S. radio stations in the autumn of 2001 after the success of "I'm Real" in the United States. Lopez even stopped by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
to premier the video and explain the concept of the song. She said she had written the song while filming The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, and starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.-Plot:...
. The song was originally intended for the film's soundtrack, but did not make the final cut.
Due to lack of promotion and radio airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
, the single did not receive a proper U.S. commercial release and was therefore ineligible to chart on any of the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. It nevertheless became an international hit, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sweden, and the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland. Lopez also performed the song at the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
on November 26, 2001, in front of Queen Elizabeth II.
"Ain't It Funny" later received a hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
-oriented remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
entitled "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix), which appeared on Lopez's 2002 remix album J to tha L-O!: The Remixes
J to tha L-O!: The Remixes
J to tha L–O! The Remixes is the first remix album by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, released in the United States on February 5, 2002 by Epic Records. It was the first remix album to debut at the top of the U.S...
; it went on to be far more successful than the original track in the United States. Unlike "I'm Real", "Ain't It Funny"'s original version and its remix charted separately.
"Que Ironía" (meaning "What an Irony"), the Spanish-language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version of "Ain't It Funny", was released to Spanish-speaking countries in 2001. This version is commercially available on all Latin American copies of the J.Lo album, and it is also available on some international CD singles.
Music video
The music videoMusic 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...
was filmed in sepia tone and directed by Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts
Herbert "Herb" Ritts was an American fashion photographer who concentrated on black-and-white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture.-Early life and career:...
. It opens with Lopez traveling on a road where she finds a fortune-teller
Fortune-telling
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination...
who shows Lopez her future with the cards. A group of female gypsies (one of them played by former Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
member Carmit Bachar
Carmit Bachar
Carmit Bachar is an American singer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. She was a member of the successful pop/R&B group, The Pussycat Dolls and one of the main vocalists of the group, along with Nicole Scherzinger and Melody Thornton. Bachar left the group in February 2008. She is currently...
) shows up and makes over Lopez so as to make her one of their own. Then Lopez finds a man (played by Mexican soap opera actor Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui is a Mexican model, singer, and actor.- Biography :Verástegui was born in Mante, Tamaulipas, México and was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. He moved to Mexico City to pursue modeling, landing work with Calvin Klein among others...
) she could not resist, falling in love with him. In the middle of the video, there is an extended dance sequence, in which she performs a flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
-influenced routine. Eventually all the people there start dancing together, including Lopez and her lover. The video debuted the week of July 2, 2001 internationally and in the autumn of 2001 in the U.S.
Murder Remix
The 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...
is in two parts which frequently interchange back and forth throughout the song. The first part of the video shows Lopez having a small party in her home with guests including Ja Rule and Ashanti. This part of the video is from the point of view of the guy who is being mentioned in the song. His face is not seen, and Lopez addresses the camera throughout this section of the video. This section begins with the guy knocking on the door, Lopez inviting him in, and then eventually showing him the door when she sees him attempting to look/flirt with other women at the party. As he leaves, she goes on entertaining the other guests.
The second part of the video involves scenes with Lopez and Ja Rule in a white room, Ja Rule in a recording studio in Lopez's home, Lopez sitting in a chair singing bits of the song, and Lopez and Ja Rule singing the parts of the final verse against a gold backdrop.
Formats and track listings
CD single (671202 1)(Released: July 16, 2001)
- "Ain't It Funny" (Album Version) – 4:06
- "Ain't It Funny" (Brandnew Extended) – 4:54
2-track CD single
- "Qué Ironía (Ain't It Funny)" – 4:07
- "Ain't It Funny" – 4:08
CD maxi single (671202 2)
(Released: July 16, 2001)
- "Ain't It Funny" (Album Version) – 4:06
- "Ain't It Funny" (Silk's House Mix Pt. 1 & 2) – 8:28
- "Ain't It Funny" (Brandnew Extended) – 4:54
- "Ain't It Funny" (Tropical Dance Remix) – 3:49
- "Ain't It Funny" (D'Hip Mix) – 4:23
CD single
- "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) - 3:49
- "PlayPlay (Jennifer Lopez song)"Play" is the second single from Jennifer Lopez's second album, J.Lo. Singer Christina Milian co-penned the song for Lopez before hitting the music scene herself. She has also allegedly provided vocals for the chorus...
" (Artful Dodger Main Mix) - 3:59 - "Feelin' So GoodFeelin' So Good"Feelin' So Good" is the fourth single from Jennifer Lopez's debut album, On the 6 . Released in March 2000, it features rappers Big Pun and Fat Joe. Although it was released as the album's fourth single, Lopez wanted this song to be the lead single, instead of "If You Had My Love"...
" (HQ2 Club Mix) - 5:17 - "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) (Video) - 3:52
12" single
- "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) - 3:50
- "Ain't It Funny" (Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) (Instrumental) - 3:49
- "Waiting for TonightWaiting for Tonight"Waiting for Tonight" is a song originally recorded by American female pop trio 3rd Party for their 1997 album Alive. American recording artist Jennifer Lopez recorded a version for her debut album, On the 6 , and the song became the second single from the album and also the most famous version of...
" (Hex Hector Vocal Club Extended/Hex's Momentous Club Mix) - 4:44
Murder Remix
An alternate version of "Ain't It Funny", called the Murder Remix was recorded by Lopez and American rapper Ja RuleJa Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
. The remix was written by Lopez, Cory Rooney
Cory Rooney
Cory Rooney is an American songwriter, record producer, and C.E.O. of Cory Rooney Group. He has written, produced, and developed many hits and careers for artists such as Mariah Carey, Mary J...
, Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, Caddillac Tah, and 7 Aurelius, and was produced by Gotti and 7 Aurelius. The song was released on the same day as the original version of the song. The remix later appeared on J to tha L-O!: The Remixes
J to tha L-O!: The Remixes
J to tha L–O! The Remixes is the first remix album by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, released in the United States on February 5, 2002 by Epic Records. It was the first remix album to debut at the top of the U.S...
(2002). The song was also included on the 2002 compilation album Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.
Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc.
Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. is a compilation album released in 2002 featuring members of Irv Gotti's label Murder Inc. . The album featured the singles "Down 4 U", which reached #6 on the U.S. Hot 100 and "Ain't It Funny" , which made it all the way to #1...
as well as on Ja Rule's greatest hits album Exodus
Exodus (Ja Rule album)
Exodus is a 2005 compilation album by rapper Ja Rule. He had released an album every year since 1999, but in 2005, with no new album planned The Inc. released this greatest hits album featuring songs such as "Mesmerize" and "Wonderful"....
.
The single topped the U.S. 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...
becoming Lopez's third number-one single and Ja Rule's third number-one single; it also peaked at number four in the United Kingdom. Caddillac Tah also performs on the song and appears on the song's 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...
, and even has a longer part than Ja Rule. The remix samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
Craig Mack
Craig Mack
Craig Mack is an American Grammy nominated rapper, who gained fame on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment record label in the 1990s. Although his first single was released under the name MC EZ in 1988, he is best known for his 1994 hit single "Flava In Ya Ear", which was released under his real name...
's 1994 hit "Flava in Ya Ear
Flava in Ya Ear
"Flava in Ya Ear" is a single by Craig Mack. The original single was released first and the remix was followed soon after. It featured performances by labelmate The Notorious B.I.G. , Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes. It also contains Puff Daddy as a promoter and brief appearances by Keisha Epps...
". The song spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 from March 9, and followed another Ja Rule duet, "Always on Time
Always on Time
"Always on Time" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule, featuring Ashanti, and produced by Irv Gotti. The music was written by 7 Aurelius, Ja Rule and Irving Lorenzo. The song became both Ashanti's first Hot 100 number one single and Ja Rule's second....
" with Ashanti
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
. Ashanti's "Foolish" replaced it at the number-one spot. Ashanti also appears in the video alongside Lopez, Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, Caddillac Tah, and other Inc. members.
The original version of the song appears on Lopez's second studio album, 2001's J.Lo, and was also a single of its own. It was written by Cory Rooney
Cory Rooney
Cory Rooney is an American songwriter, record producer, and C.E.O. of Cory Rooney Group. He has written, produced, and developed many hits and careers for artists such as Mariah Carey, Mary J...
for the soundtrack to Lopez's film The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, and starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.-Plot:...
, but it was felt that the timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
gave it too much of a Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
sound, and the song was not used for the soundtrack. After the success of "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", a previous Lopez–Ja Rule collaboration, they decided to remix "Ain't It Funny" as a duet and release it as a follow-up. Unlike "I'm Real", the two versions of "Ain't It Funny" were released on different dates, and so charted separately. The songs also charted separately because 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...
instituted a new chart policy.
In the Murder Inc. studio then-upcoming artist Ashanti dropped by the studio. "Everyone was there and Ja (Rule) was on the floor playing video games, and they had the beat playing in the background. Chris Gotti, Irv Gotti's brother, said 'Ja's supposed to be writing this record for J-Lo, but it doesn't look like he's going to be doing anything tonight. Why don't you go in there and see what's happening?' So that's exactly what I did", says Ashanti, who wrote three verses and demoed the new "Ain't It Funny" for Lopez. Ashanti recalled, "I got a call from Gotti in Los Angeles. He asked me to write another verse [...] I had to write it over the phone and two-way Irv the lyrics." Virtually the entire hook on the final version of the song consisted of Ashanti's vocals.
Chart performance
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| European Hot 100 Singles | 13 |
| Ireland | 8 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 7 |
| German Singles Chart | 18 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard 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,... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
8 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks | 1 |
Credits and personnel
Murder Remix- Lead vocals: Jennifer Lopez
- Background vocals: Shalene Thomas, Cory Rooney
- Programming: Dan Shea, Jose Sanchez
- Pro-Tools: Peter Wade Keusch
- Guitar: René Toldeo
- Trumpet: Angel Fernandez
- Recorded by Robert Williams, Fabian Marasciullo, Glen Marchese
- Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Tony Maserati, and Dan Hetzel & Richie Jones - Mix engineer: Dan Hetzel
- Assistant mix engineer: Jim Annunziato, Peter Wade Keusch
- MasteredMaster recordingA multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
by Ted Jensen