It Ain't Over 'til It's Over

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For the Fast Eddie Clarke album, see It Ain't Over till It's Over.
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"
Lenny Kravitz - IAOTIO single.jpg
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Mama Said
ReleasedJune 6, 1991
Recorded1990
Genre
Length3:55
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Lenny Kravitz
Producer(s)Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"Always on the Run"
(1991) 		"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"
(1991) 		"Fields of Joy"
(1992)
Music video
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" on YouTube

"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American musician Lenny Kravitz for his second studio album, Mama Said (1991). Released as the album's second single in June 1991, the song is a mid-tempo ballad, musically inspired by Motown, Philly soul, and Earth, Wind & Fire (particularly "That's the Way of the World"). The horn line at the end is performed by the Phenix Horns from Earth, Wind & Fire. "That song just came out one day, and I knew it had a classic vibe. And I still love that song very much today," Kravitz said in an interview for VivaMusic.com in 2000.[1] The line is based on a Yogiism, or quotation from Yogi Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over."[2] It was Kravitz's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 of his career, and his highest peak in the chart. British singer Mutya Buena's 2007 song "Real Girl" contains a sample from "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over".

Background[]

The song was written by Kravitz while dealing with a struggling marriage to his then wife, Lisa Bonet, and was an attempt to rekindle the relationship. Kravitz has described his thinking at that time as "not just a depression, but a fog. I didn’t know which way was up".[3]

Initially Kravitz, realizing the hit potential of the song, did not want to release the song himself, wishing to remain an underground artist, thinking instead of giving the song to Smokey Robinson. His label however eventually persuaded him to include it on the album.[3]

Critical reception[]

Christopher A. Daniel from Albumism said that the song "marries his Curtis Mayfield-inspired falsetto with chunky Stax Records guitars and a lush MFSB-flavored (possibly Love Unlimited Orchestra) string arrangement."[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic noted its "swirling Philly soul", describing the song as "instantly addictive".[5] Carla Hay of AXS stated, "Kravitz has said he wrote this song about the breakdown of his marriage to actress Lisa Bonet (they eventually divorced), and the heartbreak is oozing all over this song." She added, "With a Motown-ish 1960s vibe, this ballad (from 1991’s Mama Said album) is one of Kravitz’s best ballads. It remains his highest-charting hit of his career in the U.S., where it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart."[6] Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "delicious slice of Philly soul/pop, flavored with lush strings, understated funk bass and guitar riffs, and Kravitz's engaging falsetto vocal. Could be a sleeper smash."[7] Alex Henderson from Cashbox picked the song as one of the "goodies" from the album, describing it as ""uptown soul"-flavoured".[8] Music & Media commented that the singer "sings in smooth tones, reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield and the Style Council. Soultime on EHR."[9] Also Sunday Tribune noted that Paul Weller and Mayfield are "echoed" in the song.[10]

Chart performance[]

"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" is Kravitz's most successful single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart to date, peaking at number two, but it was prevented from the number-one position by Bryan Adams' hit "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". It also reached number two on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, behind Adams' hit as well. It was also popular in the United Kingdom, where it peaked number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video[]

The music video, directed by Jesse Dylan, features Kravitz and his band performing the song. Different kinds of background lighting colors were featured in the video.

Personnel[]

Track listings and formats[]

CD single and 12" single
  1. "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" – 3:55
  2. "I'll Be Around" – 2:52
  3. "The Difference Is Why" – 4:48
7" single
  1. "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" – 3:55
  2. "The Difference Is Why" – 4:48

Charts[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Grammy Awards!". Lenny-Kravitz.com. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  2. ^ See Examples of Yogiisms.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Barlow, Eve (May 24, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz on 30 years in music: 'I did whatever I had to do to survive'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  4. ^ Daniel, Christopher A. (April 1, 2016). "Lenny Kravitz's 'Mama Said' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lenny Kravitz – Mama Said". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Hay, Carla (March 2, 2016). "The top 10 best Lenny Kravitz songs". AXS. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  7. ^ Flick, Larry (June 15, 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 65. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Pop Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. June 1, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  9. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. June 8, 1991. p. 12. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Sunday Tribune. April 21, 1991. p. 22. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1606." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1625." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 27. July 9, 1991. p. 45. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 25, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  22. ^ "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – It Ain't Over 'til It's Over". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  26. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  27. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  28. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles: August 17, 1991". Cash Box. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  30. ^ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  31. ^ "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  32. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1991". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  33. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  34. ^ "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  35. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1991". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  36. ^ "1991 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 103 no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-36. Retrieved August 12, 2021.

External links[]

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