Hey Lover

"Hey Lover"
Single by LL Cool J featuring Boyz II Men
from the album Mr. Smith
B-side"I Shot Ya" (remix)
ReleasedOctober 31, 1995 (1995-10-31)
Recorded1995
StudioStone Creek (Gladwyne, Pennsylvania)
Genre
Length4:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Trackmasters
LL Cool J singles chronology
"Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)"
(1994)
"Hey Lover"
(1995)
"Doin' It"
(1996)
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"Brokenhearted"
(1995)
"Hey Lover"
(1995)
"One Sweet Day"
(1995)
Music video
"Hey Lover" on YouTube

"Hey Lover" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J, released as the first single from his sixth album, Mr. Smith (1995). The song features vocals from American R&B group Boyz II Men. It was released on October 31, 1995, for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by The Trackmasters and LL Cool J. The song samples 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 is the "I Shot Ya" remix.

"Hey Lover" would prove to be the most successful single from the album, making it to number three on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles charts. It sold 900,000 copies in 1995 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in January 1996 for selling one million copies.[1] It also reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, number six in Sweden, and number five in New Zealand.

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".[2]

  1. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 3. BPI Communications. January 20, 1996. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  2. ^ "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Rap Solo Performance". Grammy Awards. Retrieved January 20, 2021.