Someone to Call My Lover
Encyclopedia
"Someone to Call My Lover" is a song by American recording artist Janet Jackson
from her seventh studio album, All for You. Written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
, the song was released as the album's second single
on June 26, 2001.
guitar
riff
is sampled
from America
's 1972 hit "Ventura Highway
". The loop played throughout the chorus is an interpolation of "Gymnopédie No. 1
" by French classical
composer Erik Satie
, played in 4/4 time instead of the original 3/4. Jackson had searched for years for the catchy Satie track. "When I was a little girl and I used to come home from school, there was something called "The 3:30 Movie", and they used to play the MGM
Musicals. There was a commercial. I remember watching Singin' in the Rain
and there was a commercial with the lady all in white, and I don't know if it was for Dove or something like that, but they would play this, 'Da, da , da.' It was the Erik Satie
. I never knew who the composer was, and this song never left me."
Jackson said she came across the tune again about seven years later: "I was at Ralph Lauren
and I said, 'Oh, my God! Is this the radio or is this a CD?' I said, 'Please tell me it's a CD.' They said, 'It's a CD—well, actually it's a Ralph Lauren
CD and we don't have it anymore. I was like, 'Oh God...no,' and they gave me the CD."
Jackson said, "I took it straight to Jimmy [Jam] and said, 'Jimmy, I've just got to share this with you,' and he saw my passion and my love for it. He didn't take the actual song, but he kind of put his own flavor to it in 'Someone To Call My Lover,' which takes me back to my childhood."
At the time of recording, Jackson had just divorced her longtime husband, René Elizondo, Jr., after nearly ten years of marriage. "Someone to Call My Lover", and several of the other songs on the All for You album, use Jackson's divorce and re-emergence into single life as central themes.
The song's So So Def
Remix was Jackson's first collaboration with Jermaine Dupri
, and the single peaked at number three in the United States
. The song earned Jackson a Grammy Award
nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
in 2002, losing out to Nelly Furtado
's "I'm Like a Bird
".
Jackson performed the song only on the All for You Tour
. To date, it is the most recent of Jackson's singles to reach the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
.
, and centres around a jukebox
. Jackson is depicted driving and walking into a bar, where she sings, dances and eventually hitches a ride from a red car. A video for the So So Def Remix was also released, and contains similar footage to the original but contains shots of Dupri in alternate scenes as well as his vocals.
The original video made the limited bonus-DVD edition of All for You while the So So Def Remix video appears on the 2004 video compilation From janet. to Damita Jo: The Videos.
European CD single (VSCDE 1813)
European CD maxi single (7243 8 97773 2 1)
UK 12" promo single (VSTDJX 1813)
UK 12" single (VST 1813)
U.S. 12" promo single (SPRO-16408)
U.S. double 12" promo single (SPRO-16404)
U.S. CD single (7243 8 97773 0 7)
UK CD single (VSCDT 1813)
Japanese promo CD single (VJCP-12141)
Australian CD single (8977732)
French promo CD single (VUSCDJ1813)
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
from her seventh studio album, All for You. Written and produced by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, the song was released as the album's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on June 26, 2001.
Song information
The song's loopedMusic loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
is sampled
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...
from America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
's 1972 hit "Ventura Highway
Ventura Highway
"Ventura Highway" is a popular 1972 song by the rock 'n' roll band America from its album, Homecoming.-Background:The vocalist and writer of the song Dewey Bunnell has said that the lyric "alligator lizards in the air" in the song is a reference to the shapes of clouds in the sky...
". The loop played throughout the chorus is an interpolation of "Gymnopédie No. 1
Gymnopédie
The Gymnopédies, published in Paris starting in 1888, are three piano compositions written by French composer and pianist Erik Satie.These short, atmospheric pieces are written in 3/4 time, with each sharing a common theme and structure...
" by French classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
composer Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
, played in 4/4 time instead of the original 3/4. Jackson had searched for years for the catchy Satie track. "When I was a little girl and I used to come home from school, there was something called "The 3:30 Movie", and they used to play the MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
Musicals. There was a commercial. I remember watching Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...
and there was a commercial with the lady all in white, and I don't know if it was for Dove or something like that, but they would play this, 'Da, da , da.' It was the Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
. I never knew who the composer was, and this song never left me."
Jackson said she came across the tune again about seven years later: "I was at Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
and I said, 'Oh, my God! Is this the radio or is this a CD?' I said, 'Please tell me it's a CD.' They said, 'It's a CD—well, actually it's a Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
CD and we don't have it anymore. I was like, 'Oh God...no,' and they gave me the CD."
Jackson said, "I took it straight to Jimmy [Jam] and said, 'Jimmy, I've just got to share this with you,' and he saw my passion and my love for it. He didn't take the actual song, but he kind of put his own flavor to it in 'Someone To Call My Lover,' which takes me back to my childhood."
At the time of recording, Jackson had just divorced her longtime husband, René Elizondo, Jr., after nearly ten years of marriage. "Someone to Call My Lover", and several of the other songs on the All for You album, use Jackson's divorce and re-emergence into single life as central themes.
The song's So So Def
So So Def Recordings
So So Def Recordings is a record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music.-Beginnings:...
Remix was Jackson's first collaboration with Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, and the single peaked at number three in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The song earned Jackson a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
in 2002, losing out to Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
's "I'm Like a Bird
I'm like a Bird
"I'm Like a Bird" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, and produced by Gerald Eaton and Brian West, as the first single from her first album Whoa, Nelly!. It was one of the year's critically acclaimed songs and widely considered as Furtado's signature song...
".
Jackson performed the song only on the All for You Tour
All for You Tour
The All for You Tour was a worldwide concert tour in 2001 by American pop/R&B singer Janet Jackson in support of her multi-platinum album All for You...
. To date, it is the most recent of Jackson's singles to reach the top ten 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...
.
Music video
The music video was directed by Francis LawrenceFrancis Lawrence
Francis Lawrence is an American music video and film director.-Life and career:Lawrence was born in Vienna, Austria. His father is a physicist who taught at California State University, Northridge and his mother is V.P. Technology at a PR agency. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of three...
, and centres around a jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
. Jackson is depicted driving and walking into a bar, where she sings, dances and eventually hitches a ride from a red car. A video for the So So Def Remix was also released, and contains similar footage to the original but contains shots of Dupri in alternate scenes as well as his vocals.
The original video made the limited bonus-DVD edition of All for You while the So So Def Remix video appears on the 2004 video compilation From janet. to Damita Jo: The Videos.
Track listings
European 12" promo single (VSTDJ 1813)- Side A:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" – 4:32
- Side B:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Velvet Mix-Jam & Lewis) – 4:46
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (80's Remix-Jam & Lewis) – 5:08
European CD single (VSCDE 1813)
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Single Edit) – 4:14
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
European CD maxi single (7243 8 97773 2 1)
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Single Edit) – 4:14
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Edit) – 3:49
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Velvet Mix) – 4:46
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Mix) – 7:48
UK 12" promo single (VSTDJX 1813)
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Mix) – 7:48
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Dub Mix) – 6:02
UK 12" single (VST 1813)
- Side A:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Mix) – 7:48
- Side B:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (The Velvet Mix) – 4:46
U.S. 12" promo single (SPRO-16408)
- Side A:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Album Version) – 4:32
- Side B:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Instrumental) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Album Instrumental) – 4:32
U.S. double 12" promo single (SPRO-16404)
- Vinyl one – side A:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Album Version) – 4:32
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Album Instrumental) – 4:32
- Vinyl one – side B:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Instrumental) – 4:40
- Vinyl two – side A:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Vocal Mix) – 7:48
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Vocal Mix) – 3:49
- Vinyl two – side B:
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Dub Mix) – 6:02
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Acappella) – 3:49
U.S. CD single (7243 8 97773 0 7)
UK CD single (VSCDT 1813)
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Single Edit) – 4:14
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Mix) – 7:48
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Video)
Japanese promo CD single (VJCP-12141)
Australian CD single (8977732)
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Single Edit) – 4:14
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Mix) – 3:49
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (So So Def Remix) – 4:40
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (The Velvet Mix) – 4:46
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Mix) – 7:48
French promo CD single (VUSCDJ1813)
- "Someone to Call My Lover" (Single Edit) – 4:14
Official remixes
- Album Version – 4:32
- Album Instrumental – 4:32
- Single Edit – 4:14
- Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Mix – 7:38 (= Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Vocal Mix or Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Club Vocal Mix)
- Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio Mix – 3:49
- Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Radio A Cappella – 3:49
- Hex Hector/Mac Quayle Dub Mix – 6:02
- Velvet Mix – 4:46
- Jam & Lewis Total 80's Remix – 5:08
- So So Def Remix featuring Jermaine Dupri – 4:40
- So So Def Instrumental – 4:40
- So So Def Remix Acapella - 4:40
Peak positions
| Chart (2001) | 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... |
15 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
32 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
38 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
9 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
28 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
58 |
| 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... |
65 |
| 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... |
23 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
34 |
| 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... |
18 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
49 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
42 |
| 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 ... |
11 |
| 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... |
3 |
| U.S. 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,... |
11 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
| U.S. Adult Contemporary Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
29 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2001) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 38 |