"Play" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jennifer Lopez | ||||
from the album J.Lo | ||||
Released | March 20, 2001 | |||
Recorded | 2000 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:33 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Bag & Arnthor | |||
Jennifer Lopez singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Play" on YouTube |
"Play" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her second studio album, J.Lo (2001). It was released on March 20, 2001, as the album's second single. The song was written by Cory Rooney, Christina Milian, Arnthor Birgisson and Anders Bagge, with production done by the latter two under their production name, Bag & Arnthor. A dance-pop track, it was noted for its funky vibe, compared to the works of Madonna by critics. Over an electric guitar and a funky beat, Lopez sings about pleading a DJ to play her favorite song.
"Play" was a commercial success, peaking at number eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Play" peaked within the top ten of the charts in over ten countries, including Canada, Finland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Its futuristic-themed music video was directed by Francis Lawrence. Additionally, "Play" was performed live by Lopez on numerous occasions, including at her Let's Get Loud concerts.
After a high-profile title role in the musical biopic Selena (1997), Lopez began developing her own career in music, later being signed to Work Records by Tommy Mottola. [1] [2] Her debut album On the 6 (1999) became an instant commercial success, and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number one song "If You Had My Love". [3] [4] This led her to begin recording new material for her second album in April 2000. [5] Initially, the album was to be called A Passionate Journey. [6] During this period, Lopez began to transition into a sex symbol and was nicknamed J.Lo by the public, which is known as a nickname and "public persona". [4] Hence, she instead released an album entitled J.Lo, which she credits as being more "personal" and "romantic" than On the 6. [4] [7] "Love Don't Cost a Thing", the album's lead single, was globally premiered on November 16, 2000. [8]
"Play" is a dance-pop [9] and electropop [10] song with a length of three minutes and thirty-three seconds (3:33). [11] It was written by Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson, Cory Rooney and Christina Milian, with production from Bagge and Birgisson (collectively credited as Bag & Arnthor). Milian performed back up vocals on the song, prior to her own debut as a recording artist. [12] [13] Lopez recorded the lead vocals with Robert Williams at Murlyn Studios, Stockholm and Sony Music Studios in New York City. It was later mastered by Ted Jensen. [14] On the song, Lopez pleads with a nightclub DJ to "play her favorite song", containing lyrics such as, "Play, come on DJ/ Play that song/ Play it all night long/ Just turn it up and turn me on".[ citation needed ] It contains a "shuffling" electric guitar, as performed by Paul Pesco, over a "whistling electronica dance beat." A writer from Telegram & Gazette noted the track to be "Madonna-esque." [15]
AllMusic's MacKenzie Wilson said "Play" "coincided with Lopez's funky style". [16] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine commented that "so many of the tracks" on the album "sound like they're straight out of 1986". He then went on to opine that "I'm Real" or the "funky" "Play" would have made a "brave" choice for the album's lead single, instead of "Love Don't Cost a Thing". [17] A writer from The Indianapolis Star dismissed the album and its sexual content, while also using the explicit "Play" as an example of it not being appropriate for Lopez's target audience, who are predominantly preteens. [18] Jake Barnes of Yahoo! Music UK noted "Play" to resemble the music of Prince. [19]
"Play" experienced moderate commercial success. For the week of April 7, 2001, "Play" debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100, winning the "Hot Shot Debut of the Week" title. It also made its debut at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart. [20] The following week, it jumped to number 46 on the Hot 100 and number 47 on the Airplay chart. [21] For the week of April 21, "Play" jumped to number 28 to both charts. [22] The song peaked at number 18 on the Hot 100 for the week ending May 19, failing to break into the top ten. [23] In addition, the single peaked at number six on the Billboard Pop 100 as well as two on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. [24] [25] In Canada, it peaked at number five on the Canadian Singles Chart. [26]
"Play" also achieved success outside of North America. In the United Kingdom, "Play" debuted and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart on May 6, 2001 — for the week ending date May 12, 2001. It remained on the chart for a total of twelve weeks. [27]
In Australia, "Play" debuted at number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart on April 30, 2001 — for the week ending date May 6, 2001. It eventually peaked at number 14 on the chart five weeks later. [28] The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified it platinum, marking sales and streams of 70,000 units. [29]
In New Zealand, "Play" debuted at number 48 on the New Zealand Singles Chart on April 23, 2001. The song peaked at number seven a month later. [30]
In Italy, the song debuted and peaked at number eight on the Italian Singles Chart on April 26, 2001. [31]
Elsewhere in Europe, "Play" also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Belgium, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. [31]
The mainly computer generated music video for "Play" was directed by Francis Lawrence. [32] Set in a futuristic multi-level spaceship, the clip begins with Lopez strutting into the boarding area whilst the other passengers gaze at her in awe. The video then cuts to Lopez, now on the plane, relaxing with a pair of headphones on listening to music. Various shots showing the plane's exterior are intercut with these scenes of the singer. Lopez is then seen entering a room through sliding doors with a new outfit. The doors lead to a club filled with dancers. Intercut with these scenes are Lopez dancing solo on a platform, later joined by back-up dancers. Towards the music video's conclusion, Lopez asks the DJ (who takes the avatar of an iris) to play her favorite song. Its final shot depicts the plane flying towards the horizon. The music video, much like "Love Don't Cost a Thing", also features Cris Judd as a back-up dancer, who would later go on to become her second husband months later. [33] [34]
According to the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown, the entire video was computer-generated (apart from the principal actors and extras), and the project spent six weeks in post-production as a result.
On January 12, 2001, Lopez performed "Play" along with "Love Don't Cost a Thing" live during an appearance on Top of the Pops . [35] In February 2001, Lopez appeared as a featured performer at a special Total Request Live event, CBS Sports Presents: MTV's TRL The Super Bowl Sunday, which occurred in Tampa, Florida at The NFL Experience theme park. Songs such as "Play" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing" were included on her setlist. [36] [37] From September 22–23, 2001, Lopez performed a set of two concerts in Puerto Rico, entitled Let's Get Loud. These served as the first concerts of her career, in which she was, "flanked by a 10-piece orchestra, a five-person choir and 11 dancers." "Play" was included on the concerts' set list. [38] [39]
Year | Award | Nominated Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Best Dance Track | Play | Won |
Year | Award | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Latin Dance Club Play Track Of The Year | Play | Nominated | [40] |
|
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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of J.Lo. [14]
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [29] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA) [90] | Gold | 25,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [91] | Silver | 214,000 [92] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | March 20, 2001 | Epic | [93] | |
Australia | April 16, 2001 | CD single | [94] | |
Germany | [95] | |||
United Kingdom | April 30, 2001 |
| [96] |
In 2004, South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. covered "Play" in Korean and English for their final album, Ride West, with participation from Lopez. [97]
"Waiting for Tonight" is a song written by Maria Christensen, Michael Garvin, and Phil Temple. It was originally recorded by Christensen's girl group 3rd Party for their debut studio album, Alive (1997). Two years after the group disbanded, American singer Jennifer Lopez recorded her own version of the song for her debut studio album, On the 6 (1999). Ric Wake and Richie Jones produced Lopez's Hispanic house version of "Waiting for Tonight", which differs from the German-sounding Europop version that was recorded by 3rd Party. A Spanish version of the song, entitled "Una Noche Más", was adapted by Manny Benito and also recorded for the album. "Waiting for Tonight" was released on September 7, 1999, by the Work Group, as the third single from On the 6.
"Irresistible" is a song by American recording artist Jessica Simpson that Columbia Records released in 2001, as the lead single from her second studio album of the same name. Its title and concept were proposed by singer-songwriter Pamela Sheyne, while Arnthor Birgisson, an acquaintance of Sony chief executive officer Tommy Mottola, and his partner Anders Bagge developed the melody and co-wrote the verses with Sheyne. It is more sexually suggestive than Simpson's previous songs.
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"Love Don't Cost a Thing" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her second studio album J.Lo (2001). It was released on November 20, 2000, by Epic Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Damon Sharpe, Greg Lawson, Georgette Franklin, Jeremy Monroe and Amille D. Harris, and produced by Ric Wake, Richie Jones and Cory Rooney. At the time of the song's release, Lopez was transitioning into a sex symbol and in a relationship with American rapper Sean Combs. Lyrically, "Love Don't Cost a Thing" is described as an "exploration of love" in which Lopez is unhappy about her materialistic lover; provoking much media analysis as to whether or not it was an innuendo towards Combs. Ultimately, the pair's courtship ended shortly after its release.
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"I'm Glad" is a song by American singer and actress Jennifer Lopez for her third studio album, This Is Me... Then (2002). It was written by Lopez, Troy Oliver, Cory Rooney, Mr. Deyo and Jesse Weaver Jr. and produced by Oliver and Rooney. It was released as the album's third single on April 7, 2003.
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American singer Jennifer Lopez has released nine studio albums, one remix album, three compilation albums, one soundtrack, one extended play, 66 singles, five charity singles and 13 promotional singles. As of 2022, the singer has sold more than 80 million records with 15 billion streams worldwide. She made her chart debut in May 1999 with "If You Had My Love", which topped the charts in six countries, including the United States. It was followed by the release of her debut studio album, On the 6 (1999), which reached the top five in several countries and produced four additional singles, including the international hit "Waiting for Tonight". The simultaneous release of her second studio album, J.Lo, and the film, The Wedding Planner, in January 2001, made Lopez the first entertainer to have a number one film and album in the United States in the same week. The album was certified four-times platinum in the United States and yielded four hit singles, including "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "I'm Real", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The following year saw the release of Lopez's remix album, J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002), which became the first remix album in history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, and went on to become one of the best selling remix albums of all time. Three singles were released from the album, including "Ain't It Funny ", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks.
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"I'm Outta Love" is the debut single of American singer Anastacia. Written by Anastacia, Sam Watters, and Louis Biancaniello and produced by the latter two, it was released on February 29, 2000, as the lead single from her debut album, Not That Kind (2000). The song became a major hit in Europe and Australia, reaching number one in Wallonia, Australia, and New Zealand; it was the most successful song of 2000 in the latter two regions. It additionally reached the top five in several others, including France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
"What's Luv?" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe, released through Atlantic Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions as the second single from his fourth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001). The song features additional vocals from singer Ashanti and from rapper Ja Rule on the remix and album version on the song. "What's Luv" was produced by Irv Gotti and Chink Santana. The lyrics of the song's chorus are based in part on the title refrain of the 1984 Tina Turner hit "What's Love Got to Do with It". The song additionally includes a lyric that references the 1998 song "Still Not a Player" by Big Pun. Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and the song's two producers are credited as the writers of "What's Luv", as are Big Pun and the lyricist of "What's Love Got to Do with It", Terry Britten.
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