Songoftheday 9/12/22 - I could wait all night and day to go to a party, sit down and wait give my request to the DJ...

 

 

"Play" - Jennifer Lopez

from the album J. Lo (2001)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (two weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 10

 

Today's song is from Jennifer Lopez, who landed in the top ten with the lead single from her sophomore album J. Lo, "Love Don't Cost A Thing", in the beginning of 2001.  The second release from the record took her to the dancefloor with "Play". Written by Swedish producers Anders Bagge and Arnthor Birgisson along with Cory Rooney and singer Christina Milian (which makes you thing she meant it for herself), the song is nothing but a club track about getting down with your favorite dance jam in the club. I mean, a lot of dance music from that time was about the same thing, and more convincing to say the least (like, "Dive In The Pool"), but this put a superstar face on the product. As for the music, it wouldn't be completely accurate to call it dated, for those computer bloops on the radio mix don't even sound right in any era. Her delivery it also too casual for a song supposedly about losing yourself in the music at a club. That's quite apparent in the music video that Tommy Mottola must've thrown a crap-load of money behind, where most of the time J-Lo is lying prone mouthing the words, with only a glimpse of a big dance break. Nevertheless, with her name recognition, radio at least gave it some love, though not like her previous work...

"Play" climbed to the top-20 on Billboard magazine's pop Hot 100 in May of 2001. On the radio, the song went to #6 on the Mainstream top-40 chart and #14 on the dance-oriented Rhythmic format. The remixes of the track, done by the likes of Thunderpuss and Full Intention that wipe out the original production, helped "Play" spend two weeks at #2 on the Dance Club Play tally. Internationally, the single reached the top ten in Poland (#2), the United Kingdom (#3), Romania (#3), Canada (#5), Greece (#6), New Zealand (#7),  Italy (#8), Sweden (#10), Finland (#10), Belgium (#8W/#10F), Switzerland (#10), and Ireland (#10). Both J-Lo and the album will be back to the series.

(4/10)

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The Full Intention remixing team transformed "Play" into a neo-disco nugget which is a bit more palatable, and helped it go to #2 on the club chart...

Here's J-Lo performing on The Today Show in 2001...

and lastly, from Lopez's Let's Get Loud concert DVD...

Up tomorrow: Four up and coming pop starlets redo a disco classic for the Moulin Rouge.