As someone who has surely been exposed to her fair share of pre-fame (and probably post-fame, knowing that sordid little minx) nights wherein men declared their affections for her only to bounce in the morning, J. Lo’s latest single, called, naturally, “In the Morning” (not to be confused with Gwen Stefani’s “4 in the Morning”), posits that real love is expressed in the daylight. Because, sure, it’s easy to make a grand pronouncement of love in the dark shadows of the night, but when the rays of the sun shine through the cracks of one’s hovel (or palatial penthouse, in J. Lo’s case), that’s when the opportunity to explore “real love” truly begins.
So it is that Lopez demands, “If you love me/Say it in the morning/Not just in the evening/Only when you want my body/Want my body.” Alluding to the fact that men tend to be at their loosest (a.k.a. drunkest) by the time the evening falls, therefore horniest and most expressive of said horniness, J. Lo insists that she doesn’t take love announcements during these hours to the bank. That also doesn’t stop her from getting a bit uninhibited herself as she sings, “Black dress with the white wine/Mess it up/Watch it fall down.”
The lyric video that pairs with the song features evocative imagery of rain falling as it suggestively drips against a window pane. As though to highlight the romance of such weather during the tussle of a single night as opposed to its segue into a dreary and depressing morning where reality caves in all too quickly. Flashes of golden light indicating the break of dawn are interwoven with images of J. Lo’s 51-year-old body looking better than most 21-year-olds’ doughy husks. After all, if you’ve still got it, why not flaunt it?
Borrowing heavily from the lyrics of Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies,” Lopez accuses later, presumably after an orgasm has been had, “Sweet little white lies/Your sweet little white lies/Leave a bad taste in my mouth” (girl, you sure it’s not all the cum you just guzzled?). In other moments, Lopez takes liberties with regard to how people perceive her as being youthful with the cringe-y line, “Go down in the dim light/You love it ‘cause it’s so tight.” Guess it could still be… if one (such as Lopez) can afford a vaginoplasty.
Going back to the “I’m Real” theme of 2001 (the sample used from Yellow Magic Orchestra’s “Firecracker” now famously scandalous thanks to Mariah’s autobiography), J. Lo muses, “You tell me I’m the real one/I’m the right one/But only when you’re on one/You tell me that you need me, wanna see me/But only when you want some, want some.” Doesn’t sound like the most evolved relationship for a woman in her fifties. Or any age bracket beyond 20-29.
The problem, as it always seems to go back to, is that men just don’t seem to mature at the same rate as women. Ironically, a team of men consisting of Daniel Rondon, Jackson Foote, James Abrahart, Jeremy Dussolliet, Johnny Simpson, Patrick Ingunza and Tim Sommers needed to help J. Lo co-write this very obvious and straightforward message. Almost as obvious and straightforward as J. Lo’s nude physique served up on the single’s cover (photographed by the usually more original Mert & Marcus).
