"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is the third single from American singer

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

's fourth studio album, '' My Love Is Your Love''. It was written by LaShawn Daniels,

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

Fred Jerkins III Fred Jerkins III, also known as Uncle Freddie, is an American songwriter and record producer who is best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Dan ...

, Isaac Phillips,

Toni Estes Toni Estes is an American singer-songwriter and background vocalist best known for co-writing Whitney Houston's 1999 hit single "It's Not Right but It's Okay", as well as her other work with producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. In 2000, Estes ...

, and produced by Darkchild. The song examines a woman confronting her lover about his

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and ri ...

. Houston won the 2000

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

for this song. In 2003, ''

Q Magazine ''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series '' The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ...

'' ranked "It's Not Right but It's Okay" at number 638 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". The single reached number one in Spain and the top five in Canada, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Release

The original Rodney Jerkins production was released, but mainstream radio airplay and sales were given for the

Thunderpuss Thunderpuss is the (mainly dance) remix/production team of Los Angeles-based music producers Barry Harris and Chris Cox. Harris had previously worked as part of several music groups including Kon Kan, Top Kat, Killer Bunnies and Outta Control ...

Remix. The remixed version was released on Houston's 2000 '' Whitney: The Greatest Hits'' collection, and the original album version appears on 2007's '' The Ultimate Collection''. The Johnny Vicious remixes were included on the domestic CD maxi-single of "Heartbreak Hotel" as well as the on the import single and are currently available as

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

downloads. The KCC remix was included on the US version of the " My Love Is Your Love" maxi-single and is also available as an

download. Rodney Jerkins' remixes are the closest to the album version; Club 69 ( Peter Rauhofer) also remixed the track for play in the UK. In the US, when it was released as a stand-alone single, the versions that appear are the Rodney Jerkins, Thunderpuss, and Club 69 remixes. There is also a ballad version, entitled "Smooth Mix".

Composition

"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is a R&B and

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and con ...

song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is written in the key of

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 130 beats per minute. Houston's vocals span from G₃ to A₅ in the song.

Critical reception

Bill Lamb from

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

noted that the song is a "hard-hitting anthem for women on the way out of relationships that sounds great on the radio and on the dance floor." J.D. Considine from ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' wrote, "So when we hear her telling her abusive, less-than-faithful lover off in 'It's Not Right But It's Okay', we're not to imagine the lyrics have anything to do with the rumored infidelity of her real-life husband,

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' magazine highlighted the song on Houston's album. ''

Birmingham Evening Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire a ...

'' commented, "Houston, we have a problem. We loved your leather-limbed performance on the Brits of

Rodney Jenkins Rodney Jenkins is a former show jumping rider and member of the United States Equestrian Team (USET), inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall of Fame. He rode hunters and jumpers competitively from the early 1960s to the late 1 ...

' standout track from your new album 'My Love Is Your Love' and we know you should be cutting contemporary R&B - we just reckon you deserve better songs. Still, as a chart cert this'll do nicely, it's not great but it's okay."

Matt Stopera Matt Stopera is a senior editor at BuzzFeed. He is best known for an article he wrote in 2015 about a Chinese man who had received Stopera's stolen cell phone and posted dozens of photos of an orange tree which appeared on his iPhone's photo stre ...

and Brian Galindo from ''

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ke ...

'' noted on the

Remix, that "aside from being a essential gay dance floor classic, this track proves how a good remix can elevate a song from good to ICONIC." '' Daily Record'' stated, "Soul diva Whitney sounds streetwise with her biggest single since

I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, ...

Chart performance

It became the album's third single, peaking at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart on July 3, 1999. The single also peaked at number one on ''Billboard''s

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart, No. 7 on the top 100

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 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, and was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the RIAA. The song reached No. 3 in Canada, Iceland and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

— in March 1999, where it stayed in the chart for 15 weeks, becoming a hugely popular radio hit in the country. And in Spain it peaked at No. 1.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

was directed by Kevin Bray.

Track listings

* UK CD1 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Original Radio Mix) – 4:15 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" ( Club 69 Club Mix) – 7:58 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (

Johnny Vicious Johnny Vicious (born John Coles) is an American house DJ, producer and remixer. He DJed in New York City clubs Mars and Paladium in the 1980s, and in the early 1990s started his own label, Vicious Muzik Records, with Jeffrey Rodman. Vicious b ...

Radio Mix) – 4:14 * UK CD2 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Original Radio Mix) – 4:15 # "Step by Step" – 4:12 # "I'm Every Woman" – 4:47 * European maxi-single (The Dance Mixes) # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Original Radio Mix) – 4:15 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 4:18 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Johnny Vicious Radio Mix) – 4:25 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix) – 9:14 * 12-inch vinyl :A1. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (KCC's Release The Love Groove Mix) – 7:05 :B1. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Club 69 Future Mix) – 8:02 :B2. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Rodney Jerkins Smooth Mix) – 4:26 * 12-inch vinyl (Thunderpuss 2000 Remixes) :A1. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Club Mix) – 9:15 :A2. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Radio Mix) – 4:16 :B1. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Thunderpuss Dub) – 8:19 :B2. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Thunderpuss Beats) – 4:22 * US CD single # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Original Radio Mix) – 4:15 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Rodney Jerkins Smooth Mix) – 4:15 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (

Mix) – 4:11 * US maxi-single # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Rodney Jerkins Smooth Mix) – 4:30 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Rodney Jerkins Smooth Instrumental) – 4:30 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Thunderpuss Radio Mix) – 4:18 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 4:21 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Thunderpuss Club Mix) – 9:12 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Club 69 Future Club Mix) – 8:05 # "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Club 69 Future Dub) – 7:52 # "I Will Always Love You" (

Hex Hector Hex Hector (born Héctor Ortiz on April 15, 1965) is an American music producer and remixer. He won a Grammy Award in 2001 for Best Remixer. He was born in Manhattan, New York, of a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something ...

Club Mix) – 9:50 * 12-inch vinyl (Johnny Vicious Remixes) :A1. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Johnny Vicious Momentous Mix) – 13:03 :B1. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Johnny Vicious Momentous Dub) – 8:31 :B2. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" (Radio Mix) – 4:11

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover versions

The song was covered by

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series '' Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

on the hit Fox TV show '' Glee''. Criss' character, Blaine, was confronting his own 'cheating' lover in the Whitney Houston tribute special, "

Dance with Somebody "Dance with Somebody" is a song by the alternative rock band Mando Diao. It was released in January 2009 as the lead single from their album, '' Give Me Fire''. A segment of the song was the theme song for the twelfth season of ''Dancing With The ...

". It was also covered on the "Lies" single and '' The Mother We Share EP'' by

CHVRCHES Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriving fr ...

. The song was heavily sampled in Mak & Pasteman's "It Ain't Right" and Shane Codd's "Rather Be Alone".

References

External links

It's Not Right but It's Okay
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:It's Not Right But It's Okay Whitney Houston songs 1998 songs 1999 singles Arista Records singles Bertelsmann Music Group singles Neo soul songs Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins Songs about infidelity Songs written by Fred Jerkins III Songs written by LaShawn Daniels Songs written by Rodney Jerkins