"If It Isn't Love" is a song by American
R&B quintet
New Edition, and the first single from their fifth studio album, ''
Heart Break
''Heart Break'' is the fifth studio album by American R&B quintet New Edition, released June 20, 1988 by MCA Records. It is the first album to return the Boston-reared band as a quintet after the public exit of original member Bobby Brown, and t ...
'' (1988). The song became the biggest hit from the aforementioned album, reaching the top ten of the
US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number seven becoming their first top 10 hit following the departure of
Bobby Brown, and reached the second position on the
Hot Black Singles
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
chart. Its chart performance and well-received music video garnered the quintet their first, and to date, sole nomination for
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes:
*From 1967 to 1968 the ...
s at the
31st Grammy Awards
The 31st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 22, 1989, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.
Album of the Year went to George Michael for ''Faith'', and Song of the Year we ...
in February 1989. The song and video is also notable for being the introduction of fellow
R&B singer
Johnny Gill as a new member of the R&B quintet.
Overview
Written and produced by
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the song spoke of a man who left a troubling relationship because he didn't want to fall in love, only to find out that he was in fact in love with his former girlfriend but is still in a
dilemma
A dilemma ( grc-gre, δίλημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but disti ...
over it: ''if it isn't love/why do I feel this way/why does she stay on my mind?'' The song has a memorable
breakdown
Breakdown may refer to:
Breaking down
*Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated
*Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components
*Decompo ...
similar to that of
The Jackson 5, where lead singer
Ralph Tresvant admits that he made a mistake and he realizes he does love her, though his resolve is crushed as his bandmates then retort: ''You love her, what?!'' Though he is optimistic that he will get her back.
Release and reaction
This song returned New Edition to the top ten of both the pop and R&B singles charts, peaking at number seven and two, respectively. They were held off from the top spot of the
Hot Black Singles
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
chart by the same person that was voted out of the group just two years prior,
Bobby Brown with his #8 pop hit "
Don't Be Cruel". The music video for the song showcased the group along with their manager, Brooke Payne, going over rehearsal for a concert which has the band gearing up to hit the stage. The video ended with the group running towards the stage, and transitioned them into their next music video; a concert performance for the follow-up single, "You're Not My Kind of Girl."
Track listing
# If It Isn't Love (12" Club Mix) - (7:42)
# If It Isn't Love (Instrumental) - (5:10)
# If It Isn't Love (Low Key Mix) - (4:30)
Personnel
*
Ronnie DeVoe: background vocals
*
Ricky Bell: background vocals
*
Michael Bivins: background vocals
*
Ralph Tresvant: lead vocals & background vocals
*
Johnny Gill: background vocals.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Trivia
* In their December 2, 2019
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
game, four
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, led by
David Moore David Moore may refer to:
Politics
* David E. Moore (1798-1875), American politician in Virginia
* David Moore (Australian politician) (1824–1898), politician in Sandridge, Victoria, Australia
* David Moore (Manx politician), member of the H ...
and including
Jaron Brown
Jaron Brown (born January 8, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for Clemson. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
High school career
Brown attended ...
,
Tyler Lockett
Tyler Deron Lockett (born September 28, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college f ...
, and
DK Metcalf
DeKaylin Zecharius "DK" Metcalf (born December 14, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss. He is the son of former NFL guard Terrence ...
used the dance from the video
Seahawks break out New Edition ‘If it Isn’t Love’ touchdown dance'
/ref> in their touchdown celebration
In gridiron football, touchdown celebrations are sometimes performed after the scoring of a touchdown. Individual celebrations have become increasingly complex over time, from simple "spiking" of the football in decades past to the elaborately cho ...
.
* Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's video for her single " Love on Top" was inspired by the music video for "If It Isn't Love"
* Brooke Payne appears as the group's choreographer in the video.
* Sampled on rap group Kidz In The Hall 2008 release song "Whattup Wit Me".
* Sampled by Trick Daddy on his song "Ain't a Thug" from his album '' Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets''.
* Sung by Romeo, Bullethead and their singing group for a talent show on an episode of '' The Steve Harvey Show''.
* The song is featured in the Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
game The Hip Hop Dance Experience
''The Hip Hop Dance Experience'' is a dance game for the Wii and Xbox 360 (with Kinect) published by Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandà ...
.
* Sampled by Sevyn Streeter on her song " Fallen" (featuring Ty Dolla $ign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
and Cam Wallace) from her debut studio album ''Girl Disrupted
''Girl Disrupted'' is the debut studio album by American recording artist Sevyn Streeter. The album was released on July 7, 2017, through Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by the release of three singles—" My Love for You", " Before I Do" ...
''.
* Sampled by Wale
Wale or WALE may refer to:
Places
*Wale, Devon, a hamlet in England
*Wale, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, a village in Poland
People
*Wale (surname)
*Wale (rapper), stage name of American rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin
Radio and television ...
on his song "The One Time In Houston" from his album ''The Album About Nothing
''The Album About Nothing'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Wale. It was released on March 31, 2015, by Maybach Music Group, Allido Records and Atlantic Records. The album serves as a continuation of Wale's '' Seinfeld''-themed mi ...
''.
* Sampled by Kehlani on her song "In My Feelings" from her debut studio album ''SweetSexySavage
''SweetSexySavage'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kehlani. The album was released on January 27, 2017, by Atlantic Records. Kehlani started work on the album shortly after the release of their mixtape '' You Should Be ...
''.
References
*
{{authority control
1988 singles
1988 songs
MCA Records singles
New Edition songs
New jack swing songs
Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis