Hey Lover

"Hey Lover"
Single by LL Cool J featuring Boyz II Men
from the album Mr. Smith
B-side	I Shot Ya
Released	October 31, 1995
Format	CD single
Recorded	1995
Genre	Hip hop R&B new jack swing
Length	4:46
Label	Def Jam
Writer(s)	James Todd Smith Rod Temperton
Producer(s)	Trackmasters LL Cool J
LL Cool J chronology "Stand by Your Man" (1993) "Hey Lover" (1995) "Doin' It" (1995) Boyz II Men chronology "Brokenhearted" (1995) "Hey Lover" (1995) "4 Seasons of Loneliness"" (1996)

"Hey Lover" is the Grammy Award winning first single released from LL Cool J's sixth album, Mr. Smith, featuring Boyz II Men. It was released on October 31, 1995 for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by The Trackmasters and LL Cool J. Johnny Kenaya was involved in the project. He had the title changed from Hey Brother to Hey Lover. Hey Lover would prove to be the most successful single from the album, making it to number three on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles charts. It sold 900,000 copies domestically and was certified platinum by the RIAA.^[1][2] It also reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The song sampled Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life" from his 1982 hit album Thriller, thus Rod Temperton, the writer of that song, was given credit as a writer of this song. On the B-side was the "I Shot Ya" remix.

At the 1997 Grammy Awards, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, becoming his second Grammy in that category after 1992's "Mama Said Knock You Out".

The video starred television and film actress Gillian Iliana Waters as LL Cool J's love interest in the music video.

Track listing

A-Side

1. "Hey Lover" (Radio Edit)- 4:03 (Featuring Boyz II Men)
2. "Hey Lover" (instrumental)- 4:03

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B-side

1. "I Shot Ya" (Remix)- 5:06 (Featuring Prodigy, Keith Murray, Fat Joe, Foxy Brown)
2. "Hey Lover" (LP Version)- 4:46

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Billboard Hot 100	3
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	3
Billboard Hot Rap Singles	1
Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	3
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	2

Year-End charts

End of year chart (1996)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3]	20

See also

• List of Billboard number-one rap singles of the 1980s and 1990s

References

1. "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard. BPI Communications. 108 (3): 56. January 20, 1996. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
2. "American certifications – L.L. Cool J – Hey Lover". Recording Industry Association of America.
3. "Billboard Top 100 - 1996". Retrieved 2010-08-27.