It Ain't Over 'til It's Over

Mutya Buena borrowed from the record in 2007, building her song "Real Girl" around a sample of "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz. Her version climbed to No. 2 on the UK chart, matching the peak the original had managed in Canada sixteen years earlier. By then the song had long been established as the biggest hit of Kravitz's career, having reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1991.

Kravitz wrote the song while his marriage to Lisa Bonet was falling apart, and he intended it as an attempt to win her back. He described his state of mind in that period as a fog in which he did not know which way was up. The title came from a Yogi Berra quotation. Despite recognizing its hit potential, Kravitz initially resisted releasing it himself, wanting to stay an underground artist and considering handing it to Smokey Robinson instead. Virgin Records persuaded him to keep it for Mama Said, his second album, and it was issued as the album's second single in June 1991.

The ballad drew on Motown, Philly soul, and Earth, Wind & Fire, with the Phenix Horns playing the horn line at the end. Jesse Dylan directed the music video, which featured Kravitz and his band performing against shifting background lighting colors.