If you were around in 2001, you couldn’t escape it. That Spanish guitar. Those "Must be the ass!" ad-libs from Ja Rule. The sheer omnipresence of Jennifer Lopez. But here is the thing: when most people search for jlo ain't it funny lyrics, they are actually looking for one of two completely different songs.
Seriously. It is one of the weirdest bait-and-switches in pop music history.
There is the original "Ain’t It Funny," which is a lush, mid-tempo Latin pop track filled with castanets and "bullfight" trumpets. Then there is the "Murder Remix," which isn't really a remix at all—it’s an entirely new song with new lyrics, a new melody, and a borrowed beat from Craig Mack’s "Flava in Ya Ear."
Most of us remember the remix. It stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. But the story behind how those lyrics came to be, and why they matter two decades later, is a wild mix of 9/11 delays, ghostwriting drama, and a movie director who thought the original song was "too Latin."
The "Wedding Planner" Rejection
The lyrics for the original version of "Ain't It Funny" started in the backseat of a car.
Jennifer Lopez and her longtime collaborator Cory Rooney were watching a rough cut of her movie The Wedding Planner in Canada. They were trying to find a song for the soundtrack. Rooney saw a scene where J.Lo’s character, Mary Fiore, is sitting in a car listening to Matthew McConaughey talk about his wedding to someone else.
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Rooney felt that ache. He literally started humming: "Ain't it funny how some feelings you just can't deny / And you can't move on even though you try."
He went home, roughed out the track, and J.Lo loved it. They finished it in an hour. Even Tommy Mottola—the legendary Sony boss—pitched in on the melody. But when they showed it to the film's director, Adam Shankman, he shot it down. He thought it had too much of a Latin influence (specifically the timbales) for the vibe of the movie.
Instead of changing the song, J.Lo basically said "fine" and used "Love Don't Cost a Thing" for the movie, saving "Ain't It Funny" for her sophomore album, J.Lo.
Why the Lyrics Changed Completely
By late 2001, J.Lo was the biggest star on the planet. She had the number one movie and the number one album at the same time. But her team felt the "Latin pop" sound was cooling off in the US. They wanted that "street" credibility that Murder Inc. Records was providing for everyone from Mariah Carey to Mary J. Blige.
Enter Irv Gotti and Ja Rule.
The jlo ain't it funny lyrics for the remix are famously credited to several people, but the real pen behind the verses was a then-unknown teenager named Ashanti.
Ashanti was just hanging out at the studio. Ja Rule was supposed to be writing the song, but he was busy playing video games. Irv Gotti’s brother, Chris, told Ashanti to go in and see what she could do. She wrote the lyrics from the perspective of a woman finally seeing through a "lame" ex-boyfriend’s games.
"I had enough of being there for you / Now I'm laughing while you play the fool."
It was a total 180 from the original. The original was about the tragedy of fate and unrequited love. The remix was a "boss" anthem about moving on.
The 9/11 Connection
There is a somber footnote to these lyrics. Irv Gotti and his team flew to Los Angeles on September 10, 2001, to record the track with Jennifer. They were scheduled to hit the studio the next morning.
Obviously, the world stopped on September 11.
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Work was postponed for days. When they finally got back into the studio, they realized they needed one more verse. Ashanti wasn't in LA, so she had to write the final bridge over the phone and "two-way" (remember Pagers?) the lyrics to Irv.
Decoding the Ja Rule Nonsense
We have to talk about the intro. Honestly, it’s iconic but bizarre.
Ja Rule opens the track with: "I'm not Lee Harvey Oswald." Why? Nobody knows. There is zero connection between the lyrics of a breakup song and the man who assassinated JFK. It’s one of those early 2000s rap non-sequiturs that somehow just worked because the beat was so infectious.
Then there is the ending. If you listen to the very last few seconds of the remix lyrics, J.Lo and Ja Rule are basically suggesting a double date—or something more.
"Baby is that your girlfriend? I got my boyfriend. Maybe we can be friends."
It was flirty, it was messy, and it perfectly captured the "Bennifer" era energy that was about to take over the tabloids.
The Legacy of the Lyrics
People still argue about which version is better. The original "Ain't It Funny" is arguably a better vocal performance. J.Lo leans into her heritage, the production is lush, and the lyrics feel like a classic Bolero updated for the 2000s.
But the remix? That is the one that defined a decade. It turned J.Lo from a pop star into a "hip-hop soul" icon. It also sparked a massive controversy because many felt she was leaning too hard into R&B aesthetics that weren't hers—a conversation that still follows her today.
What you should do next:
- Listen to them back-to-back: Go to Spotify or YouTube and play the "Original Version" and then the "Murder Remix." It is the most jarring "same-title" comparison you will ever hear.
- Check the credits: Look at the songwriter list for the remix. You’ll see Ashanti Douglas listed. Listen for her background vocals; she’s actually singing the "demo" layers that stayed in the final mix.
- Watch the videos: The original video has a "gypsy" fortune-teller theme, while the remix is a classic Beverly Hills backyard party. They are two different worlds.
Regardless of which version you prefer, the jlo ain't it funny lyrics remain a masterclass in how to pivot a career. It wasn't just a song; it was a rebranding.