"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".
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. 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".
Musically, is a reggae song with R&B influence, reinforcing Rihanna's "tropical reggae signature". 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. Rihanna's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of F3 to the high note of G5. 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). The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock, Makeba Riddick, Jean-Claude Oliver, Lawrence Parker 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". 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". 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". 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." 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", and the latter simply writing that it is a "pretty good" song.