Hey Lover

"Hey Lover" is the Grammy Award winning first single released from LL Cool J's sixth album, Mr. Smith, featuring Boyz II Men. It was released on October 31, 1995 for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by The Trackmasters and LL Cool J. Johnny Kenaya was involved in the project. The title of the song was originally "Hey Brother". The song samples Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life" from his 1982 hit album Thriller; thus Rod Temperton, the writer of that song, was given credit as a writer of this song. On the B-side is the "I Shot Ya" remix.

Not to be confused with Hey Lover (Freddie Jackson song).

"Hey Lover"
Single by LL Cool J featuring Boyz II Men
from the album Mr. Smith
B-side	"I Shot Ya (remix)"
Released	October 31, 1995
Recorded	1995
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	4:46
Label	Def Jam PolyGram
Songwriter(s)	James Todd Smith Rod Temperton
Producer(s)	Trackmasters LL Cool J
LL Cool J singles chronology
"Stand by Your Man" (1993) "Hey Lover" (1995) "Doin' It" (1995)
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"Brokenhearted" (1995) "Hey Lover" (1995) "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (1997)

"Hey Lover" would prove to be the most successful single from the album, making it to number three on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles charts. It sold 900,000 copies domestically and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It also reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, number six in Sweden and number five in New Zealand.

At the 1997 Grammy Awards, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, becoming his second Grammy in that category after 1992's "Mama Said Knock You Out". The music video starred television and film actress Gillian Iliana White as LL Cool J's love interest in the music video.

Track listing

A-side

1. "Hey Lover" (Radio Edit)- 4:03 (Featuring Boyz II Men)
2. "Hey Lover" (instrumental)- 4:03

B-side

1. "I Shot Ya" (Remix)- 5:06 (Featuring Prodigy, Keith Murray, Fat Joe, Foxy Brown)
2. "Hey Lover" (LP Version)- 4:46

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1995–1996) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[1] 11 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[2] 50 France (SNEP)[3] 27 Germany (Official German Charts)[4] 34 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[5] 20 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 12 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 12 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 5 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[9] 40 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 6 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 17 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[12] 12 UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[13] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 3 US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[15] 3 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 3 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[17] 1 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[18] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Australia (ARIA)[19] 68 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 98 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 20 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 900,000[23] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of Billboard number-one rap singles of the 1980s and 1990s

References

1. "Australian-charts.com – LL Cool J – Hey Lover". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
2. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2913." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
3. "Lescharts.com – LL Cool J – Hey Lover" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
4. "Offiziellecharts.de – LL Cool J – Hey Lover". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
5. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (20.1. '96 – 26.1. '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 20, 1996. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 9, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved October 2, 2019.
7. "Dutchcharts.nl – LL Cool J – Hey Lover" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
8. "Charts.nz – LL Cool J – Hey Lover". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
9. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
10. "Swedishcharts.com – LL Cool J – Hey Lover". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
12. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
13. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
14. "LL Cool J Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
15. "LL Cool J Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
16. "LL Cool J Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
17. "LL Cool J Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
18. "LL Cool J Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
19. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
20. "Årslista Singlar – År 1996" (in Swedish). Hitlistan. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
21. "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
22. "American single certifications – L.L. Cool J – Hey Lover". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 2, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
23. "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard. BPI Communications. 108 (3): 56. January 20, 1996. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.