It's Not Right but It's Okay
"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is the third single from American singer Whitney Houston's fourth studio album, "My Love Is Your Love". It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Isaac Phillips, Toni Estes, and produced by Darkchild. The song 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. 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 Remix. The remixed version was released on Houston's 2000 "" 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 G to A 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. It became the album's third single and peaked at No. 4 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 chart, No. 7 on the top 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , and was certified Gold 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 in Spain it peaked at No. 1. Music video. The music video was directed by Kevin Bray. Cover versions. 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. The song was heavily sampled in Mak & Pasteman's "It Ain't Right".