It's Not Right But It's Okay

"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her fourth studio album, '' My Love Is Your Love''. It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Isaac Phillips, Toni Estes and produced by Darkchild. The song was released as the third single from the album on February 15, 1999, by Arista Records. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" examines a woman confronting her lover about his infidelity.

Houston won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for this song. In 2003, ''Q Magazine'' ranked "It's Not Right but It's Okay" at number 638 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2019, ''Billboard'' listed it as one of the Greatest Songs of 1999. In 2022, the Thunderpuss club mix was listed in the list of the 200 greatest dance songs of all time on ''Rolling Stone''. In 2025, ''Billboard'' listed the song in its 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time list as well as its 100 Best LGBTQ Anthems of All Time list. That same year, remixer and deejay Felix Jaehn put out a new official remix of the song to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original song's release. The single reached number one in Spain and the top five in Canada, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The single helped cement Houston’s status as a pop culture icon.

Release

The original Rodney Jerkins production was released, but mainstream radio airplay and sales were given for the Thunderpuss 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 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 iTunes 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 song. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is written in the key of C minor with a tempo of 130 beats per minute. Houston's vocals span from G₃ to A₅ in the song.

Critical reception

Bill Lamb from About.com 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'' 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." ''Billboard'' magazine highlighted the song on Houston's album. '' Birmingham Evening Mail'' commented, "Houston, we have a problem. We loved your leather-limbed performance on the Brits of Rodney Jenkins' 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 and Brian Galindo from ''BuzzFeed'' noted on the Thunderpuss 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."

Chart performance and sales

It became the album's third single, peaking at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart on July 3, 1999 and staying on the charts for 20 weeks and spent five weeks inside the top ten.

The single also peaked at number one on ''Billboard''s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart where it stayed for three weeks becoming her longest-running number one hit on the chart and later shared with " I Learned From the Best".

The song peaked at number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and became her longest charting single on that chart for 30 weeks, later shared with 2009's " Million Dollar Bill".

It was later certified platinum by the RIAA. The song reached No. 3 in Canada, Iceland and the United Kingdom — in March 1999, where it stayed in the chart for 15 weeks, becoming a hugely popular radio hit in the country, and later went 2x platinum. In Spain, it peaked at No. 1. A hit all over Europe, it reached No. 9 on the Eurochart Hot 100.

Music video

The music video was directed by Kevin Bray and became iconic for Houston showcasing an edgier look than in previous music videos, wearing a strapless leather gown styled by fashion designer Gianfranco Ferré, a sleek bob, a single fingerless glove, choker necklace and dark makeup. Houston is shown in the beginning sitting down around a glass dining table addressing her cheating lover directly behind a black background that sparks up. Houston is then joined by several women singing the chorus. Houston's backing dancers are also shown in various shots dresses in army outfits. Much like many of the videos from the singles off the ''My Love Is Your Love'' album, the video instantly earned heavy rotation on MTV and BET and was played constantly on MTV's countdown channel, ''Total Request Live''. Later, the remix version of the video aired on the same channel while the original was played on BET.

It was later dramatized in the TV series, ''Glee'', in its Houston tribute episode, " Dance with Somebody", with actor Darren Criss' character Blaine Anderson confronting Chris Colfer's character Kurt Hummel due to rumors that Kurt cheated on him, as well as in the Houston biopic, '' Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody'' (2022) by actress Naomi Ackie, who played Houston in the film.

On Houston's official YouTube channel, the official music video has been viewed 130 million times on the channel.

Live performances

Houston gave live performances of the song on several television shows in both Europe and the United States. In Europe, Houston performed the song on the Netherlands TV show ''The Surprise Show'', the Italian TV show ''C'era Un Ragazzo'', the Spanish TV show ''Sorpresa Sorpresa'', the German TV show '' Wetten, dass...'' and the 1999 Brit Awards and ''Top of the Pops'' in the UK while in the United States, she performed the show live at the 13th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, VH1's '' Divas Live '99'' and ''The Oprah Winfrey Show''. Houston also performed the song, along with the just-released single, " I Learned From the Best", at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000. It would be her eighth and final Grammy performance. With this achievement, Houston tied with Aretha Franklin for the second most Grammy performances ever, with only Bonnie Raitt performing more with nine.

Cover versions and samples

The song was covered by Darren Criss 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". It was also covered on the "Lies" single and '' The Mother We Share'' EP by Chvrches as well as British soul singer Craig David. The song was heavily sampled in Mak & Pasteman's "It Ain't Right" and Shane Codd's "Rather Be Alone". According to the sample database site, WhoSampled, the song was covered 28 times and sampled 54 times.

Legacy and accolades

Since its release, the song has made several best-of lists in various magazines and media outlets.

In 2003, ''Q Magazine'' ranked the song at number 638 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever". In 2019, ''Billboard'' listed it as one of the Greatest Songs of 1999. In 2022, the Thunderpuss club mix of the song was listed in the list of the 200 greatest dance songs of all time on ''Rolling Stone''. Three years later, in 2025, ''Billboard'' listed the song in its 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time list at number 72.

Phillip Henry of ''Billboard'' wrote in 2018 how the song was the " gay national anthem". Owen Myers of ''The Fader'' called it Houston's "most iconic gay anthem". In its 2025 write-up on the song, ''Billboard'' stated, "With a message of empowerment and perseverance, Whitney Houston continues the legacy of Gloria Gaynor" with the song, comparing it to Gaynor's similar anthem, "I Will Survive" (1978), and while giving credit to the original Jerkins version for "redefining R&B", stated that the Thunderpuss remix "reintroduc dAmerica's greatest singer as a club queen."

At the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000, Houston won her sixth and final competitive Grammy for the song, her first in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category, making her the first winner of the award in the new millennium. Houston had been nominated six times for the award in the past. In winning the Grammy, she joined cousin Dionne Warwick and Toni Braxton as the third female artist to win in the pop and R&B categories, having won three of her Grammys in the former category.

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 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" ( Thunderpuss Mix) – 4:11

* US maxi-CD 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 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

Weekly charts

Original version

Felix Jaehn Remix

Year-end charts

Felix Jaehn Remix

Monthly charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of number-one singles of 1999 (Spain)
* List of number-one dance singles of 1999 (U.S.)

References

External links

It's Not Right but It's Okay
at Discogs

{{DEFAULTSORT:It's Not Right But It's Okay
1998 songs
1999 singles
Whitney Houston songs
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
LGBTQ-related songs