"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American musician Lenny Kravitz for his second studio album, Mama Said. Released as the album's second single in June 1991, the song is a mid-tempo ballad, musically inspired by Motown, Philly soul, and Earth, Wind & Fire. The horn line at the end is performed by the Phenix Horns from Earth, Wind & Fire. "That song just came out one day, and I knew it had a classic vibe. And I still love that song very much today," Kravitz said in an interview for VivaMusic.com in 2000. The line is based on a Yogiism, or quotation from Yogi Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over." It was Kravitz's first top 10hit on the BillboardHot 100 of his career, and his highestpeak in the chart. British singer Mutya Buena's 2007 song "Real Girl" contains a sample from "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over".
Background
The song was written by Kravitz while dealing with a struggling marriage to his then wife, Lisa Bonet, and was an attempt to rekindle the relationship. Kravitz has described his thinking at that time as not just a depression, but a fog. I didn’t know which way was up". Initially Kravitz, realizing the hit potential of the song, did not want to release the song himself, wishing to remain an underground artist, thinking instead of giving the song to Smokey Robinson. His label however eventually persuaded him to include it on the album.
Reception
Carla Hay of AXS stated, "Kravitz has said he wrote this song about the breakdown of his marriage to actress Lisa Bonet, and the heartbreak is oozing all over this song. With a Motown-ish 1960s vibe, this ballad is one of Kravitz’s best ballads. It remains his highest-charting hit of his career in the U.S., where it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart."
Chart performance
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" is Kravitz's most successful single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart to date, peaking at number two behind Bryan Adams' " I Do It for You". It was also popular in the United Kingdom, where it peaked number eleven on the UK Singles Chart.
Music video
The music video, directed by Jesse Dylan, features Kravitz and his band performing the song. Different kinds of background lighting colors were featured in the video.
