Jenny from the Block

"Jenny from the Block" is a pop-R&B song written by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Lopez, Jean Claude "Poke" Olivier, Samuel Barnes, Troy Oliver, Mr. Deyo, Lawrence Parker, Simon Sterlin, and Jose Fernando Arbex Miro for Lopez' fourth studio album This Is Me... Then (2002). It was produced by Cory Rooney, Oliver, and Poke & Tone and features rappers Styles P and Jadakiss. Released as the album's lead single in autumn 2002 (see 2002 in music), the song reached number one in Argentina and Canada, and entered the top ten on the majority of all other charts it appeared on. "Jenny from the Block" is widely considered to be one of Lopez's signature songs.

The song (whose instrumentals are sampled from Boogie Down Productions's 1987 song "South Bronx") attempts to contrast the life of Lopez growing up in The Bronx, New York City, with her later life as a celebrity. She claims that despite her success, she is still "Jenny from the block", which had some critics deriding both the song and her as being "hypocritical".

The music video, directed by Francis Lawrence, shows how publicized her relationship with Ben Affleck was, and it is meant to emphasize her Bronx roots. Ironically, Styles P and Jadakiss are from Queens and Yonkers, respectively.

Track listings

• CD 1

1. "Jenny from the Block" (Trackmasters Remix)
2. "Jenny from the Block" (Rap A Cappella)
3. "Jenny from the Block" (Bronx Remix No Rap Edit)
4. "Alive" (Thunderpuss Club Mix)

• CD 2

1. "Jenny from the Block" (Trackmasters Remix)
2. "Jenny from the Block" (Bronx Instrumental)
3. "Love Don't Cost a Thing" (HQ2 Club Vocal Mix)

UK CD 2

1. "Jenny from the Block" (Bronx Remix No Rap Edit)
2. "Alive" (Thunderpuss Radio mix)
3. "Play" (Thunderpuss Club mix)

Charts

Chart (2002/2003) Peak position Argentina Top 40 Singles 1 (3 weeks) Australia Top 100 Singles 5 Austrian Singles Chart 7 Belgian Singles Chart 7 Brazil Singles Chart 2 Canada Top 50 Singles 1 Chilean Singles Chart 2 Danish Singles Chart 3 Dutch Singles Chart 3 Finnish Singles Chart 18 French Singles Chart 5 German Singles Chart 7 Greece Singles Chart 9 Irish Singles Chart 12 Italian Singles Chart 4 Japan Oricon Top 200 Singles 13

Chart (2002/2003) Peak position Mexico Top 100 Singles 2 New Zealand Singles Chart 6 Norwegian Singles Chart 5 Spanish Singles Chart 2 Swedish Singles Chart 7 Switzerland Top 100 Singles 4 Taiwanese Singles Chart 2 UK Top 75 Singles 3 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 3 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 22 U.S. Billboard Latin Pop Airplay 25 U.S. Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay 15 U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 2 U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 3 World Top 100 Airplay 1

External link

• Music video for "Jenny from the Block" auf YouTube