My Love Is Like...Wo
Encyclopedia
"My Love Is Like...Wo" is a song by American recording artist Mýa
from her third studio album, Moodring
(2003). Written and produced by Missy Elliott
and brothers Charles and Kenneth Bereal, it was released as the album's lead single
in June 2003.
Released two years after the number-one success of "Lady Marmalade
", the track emerged as one of Mýa's biggest U.S. hits, reaching number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100
and number seventeen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. Internationally, it reached number twenty-five in Australia as well as the top forty in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand. A music video
for the single, directed by Paul Hunter
, earned Mýa two nominations at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
for Best Dance Video
and Best Choreography
.
song composed in the key of G major
. The song's tempo
is set a slow moderate sixty-nine beats per minute in common time
. Harrison's vocal range
spans from G3 to D5.
The lyrics of "My Love Is Like...Wo" is composed in the traditional verse-chorus form
. Mýa opens the song with brief spoken lyrics. She begins the first verse, followed by the chorus leading her into the second verse. The song continues to the bridge
, chorus, then fades out with the piano.
magazine gave the song a positive review:
chart and peaked at number thirteen in its eleventh week, spending four weeks at its peak position and twenty consecutive weeks altogether on the chart. On the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs the song reached number seventeen in its ninth week and became the singer's sixth non-consecutive top forty hit. Internationally the single saw similar success, reaching the top forty in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
, released in May 2003 and directed by Paul Hunter
, is a single video only showcasing Mýa. It features rapid and/or instant costume changes that mostly occur without the changing of a scene. The dancing in the video was choreographed by Travis Payne. An edited version excludes a few scenes during the striptease
performance at the end of the video, such as the one in which Mýa pulls out of her swimsuit what seems to be a motel
key, and also censors the word "ass
" in the chorus.
The video was nominated for Best Dance Video
and Best Choreography
at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
.
U.S. 12" single
European CD single
European CD maxi single
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
from her third studio album, Moodring
Moodring
Moodring is the third studio album by American recording artist Mýa, released July 22, 2003 on A&M and Interscope records. Recorded after the number one success of "Lady Marmalade" and her appearance in the box office hit Chicago, the album featured contributions from noteworthy hitmakers Ron Fair,...
(2003). Written and produced by Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
and brothers Charles and Kenneth Bereal, it was released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
in June 2003.
Released two years after the number-one success of "Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...
", the track emerged as one of Mýa's biggest U.S. hits, reaching number thirteen 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...
and number seventeen on the 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. Internationally, it reached number twenty-five in Australia as well as the top forty in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand. A 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 single, directed by Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter (director)
Paul Hunter is a music video director known for his high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music singles. He has directed over 100 music videos, many television advertisements and was nominated for an Emmy for Nike's Freestyle commercial...
, earned Mýa two nominations at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
for Best Dance Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category was cut out along with several others, yet it returned for the...
and Best Choreography
MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video....
.
Composition
"My Love Is Like...Wo" is a mid-tempo popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song composed in the key of G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
. The song's tempo
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:...
is set a slow moderate sixty-nine beats per minute 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...
. Harrison's vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
spans from G3 to D5.
The lyrics of "My Love Is Like...Wo" is composed in the traditional verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
. Mýa opens the song with brief spoken lyrics. She begins the first verse, followed by the chorus leading her into the second verse. The song continues to the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
, chorus, then fades out with the piano.
Critical reception
BillboardBillboard (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...
magazine gave the song a positive review:
The doe-eyed girl next door is proving to be quite a versatile performer, with a decidedly vampish performance in the movie Chicago and new imaging that redresses Mýa as a sexy and certain young woman. The first single from forthcoming Moodring, due July 22, is a playfully coy call to arms for the singer's more tactile attributes, from her love, her kissKissA kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
, and her touch to her sex, ass, and body—all of which "are like wo." Get it? An appropriately hip-swaying beat swirls around the vocal, courtesy of ever-hitworthy producer Missy Elliott. This is the record that will propel Mýa to the A-list among today's pop/R&B icons; throughout the song, she delivers womanly strength and sass with a knowing wink. Moodring sounds like a perfect fit.
Chart performance
"My Love Is Like...Wo" debuted at number eighty-one on the 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 and peaked at number thirteen in its eleventh week, spending four weeks at its peak position and twenty consecutive weeks altogether on the chart. On the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs the song reached number seventeen in its ninth week and became the singer's sixth non-consecutive top forty hit. Internationally the single saw similar success, reaching the top forty in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Music video
The single's 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...
, released in May 2003 and directed by Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter (director)
Paul Hunter is a music video director known for his high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music singles. He has directed over 100 music videos, many television advertisements and was nominated for an Emmy for Nike's Freestyle commercial...
, is a single video only showcasing Mýa. It features rapid and/or instant costume changes that mostly occur without the changing of a scene. The dancing in the video was choreographed by Travis Payne. An edited version excludes a few scenes during the striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
performance at the end of the video, such as the one in which Mýa pulls out of her swimsuit what seems to be a motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
key, and also censors the word "ass
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
" in the chorus.
The video was nominated for Best Dance Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category was cut out along with several others, yet it returned for the...
and Best Choreography
MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video....
at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
.
Tracklisting
U.S. CD single- "My Love Is Like...Wo" – 3:29
- "No Sleep Tonight" – 3:46
U.S. 12" single
- A1. "My Love Is Like...Wo" (Main Mix) – 3:31
- B1. "My Love Is Like...Wo" (Acapella) – 3:31
- B2. "My Love Is Like...Wo" (Instrumental) – 3:29
European CD single
- "My Love Is Like...Wo" – 3:29
- "Case of the ExCase of the Ex"Case of the Ex" is an R&B/Dance Pop song by American singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by Tricky Stewart for Harrison's sophomore studio album Fear of Flying. Case of The Ex was written by Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Traci Hale, and Tab. The lyrics speak about an ex lover who will...
" – 3:55
European CD maxi single
- "My Love Is Like...Wo" – 3:29
- "Case of the Ex" – 3:55
- "Little Too Much, Little Too Late" – 3:24
- "My Love Is Like...Wo" (Video)
Credits and personnel
- Produced by: Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
- Co-produced by: CKB
- Vocal arranged by: Mýa Harrison, Ron Fair
- Strings arranged and conducted by: Ron FairFairA fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
- Additional background vocals: Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Sue Ann Carwell - 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...
: Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado - Engineered by: Dylan "3-D" Dresdow
- Assistant mixed engineer by: Ethan Willdughby
Chart positions
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
25 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Flanders) | 12 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia) | 14 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
73 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
36 |
| 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... |
33 |
| 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 ... |
33 |
| 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... |
13 |
| 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,... |
17 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop Songs | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was... |
10 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2003) | Rank position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 64 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 88 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United States | June 10, 2003 | Interscope Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:... |
| Europe | August 25, 2003 | A&M A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:... |
| United Kingdom | September 8, 2003 | Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
| Australia | September 9, 2003 | Universal Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
| New Zealand |