To Be a Lover in early 1969. This version has since been sampled by Ludacris on his song "Growing Pains" from "Word of Mouf", by Jaheim on "Put That Woman First" from "Still Ghetto" and by Dilated Peoples on the song "Worst Comes to Worst". In 1977, the song was covered as a more uptempo reggae number by the Jamaican singer George Faith under the amended title of "To Be a Lover (Have Mercy)" for his Lee "Scratch" Perry-produced album also called "To Be a Lover". In 1986, the track was again reworked and became the second high-profile cover Billy Idol released as a
21 Things I Want in a Lover than a holiday suitcase." Kimberly Reyes of "Time" panned its lyrics, claiming that they "could easily double as boy trouble letters sent to Seventeen [magazine]." Rob Mitchum of "Pitchfork Media" wrote that the lyrics about what she's looking for in a man is "a move that could come off as self-indulgent, but in a personality as luminescent as Ms. Morissette, is nothing short of entrancing." Jennifer Vineyard of "MTV News" called it a "textured Jagged [Little Pill]-esque tune," but noted that its lyrics contain "stream-of-consciousness." "21 Things I Want in a Lover" was released to radio and television as the