"It's OK" is the second single from American soul singer CeeLo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song is produced by Element, and written by Cee Lo, Element and Noel Fisher. The single was released on December 27, 2010 and peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. In the UK the single made BBC Radio 1's A-Playlist.
Background
Unlike the first single from the album, "It's OK" was exclusively released in the UK and certain areas of Europe. The song received its first recognition on the British charts following the video premiering on 4 Music on December 9, 2010. The single was released on two formats only: the physical release, which features the main album version and the Paul Epworth remix of the title track; and the digital release, which includes two remixes of the title track, exclusive B-Side "Bridges" and a live recording of "Radioactive" taken from the Radio 1 Live Lounge Sessions.
Critical reception
In the context of The Lady Killer, the song was positively reviewed. David Carr for Chicks With Guns Magazine says, "On the more up tempo numbers , "Cry Baby, It's OK", you may feel as if you are watching reruns of the 70’s TV show Love American Style as Cee Lo creates some great lyrical vignettes to go with his amazingly versatile voice. Don’t even think of asking if the man uses auto-tune because the answer is a resounding no!" Leah Greenblatt for Entertainment Weekly says, " honors and tweaks the tropes of vintage songcraft with hefty doses of sweet Motown/Stax boogie." Andy Gill for The Belfast Telegraph argues, "when pushes the Motown buttons again, as in "Cry Baby", and "It's OK", it's done with such panache and wit that staleness never becomes an issue: rather than just footnotes to the source inspiration, these are fully rounded artworks in their own right." Colin Somerville of Scotland on Sunday describes It's OK as a "luxuriant stomp" with a "Northern Soul" influence, and lists it in his tracks to download from The Lady Killer. Not all reviews of "It's OK" were positive, however. Robin Murray for Clash Magazine opines, "blessed with an undoubtedly pleasant voice, it’s a shame that Cee Lo Green uses it on such undramatic material. Sure, ‘Forget You’ had its cheeky charm but you can’t help but feel that Cee Lo could do so much more. ‘It’s OK’ is another pleasant, melodic single which will be adopted by the nation but the middle of the road is such a boring way to travel."
Commercial performance
After its December 27, 2010 release, It's OK entered the UK Singles Chart at #44, and in its fourth week rose to #24. In its fifth week on the UK Singles Chart, the song peaked at #20. In the subsequent week, the song dropped to #33. The song entered the UK R&B charts at #54 a week before its release, and upon its release it climbed to #20. The song rose to #17 in its second week, #14 in its third week, and subsequently peaked at #6 in its fourth week. The song has not yet charted in the United States. The song has peaked at #94 on the Dutch charts. Entering at #30, It's OK eventually peaked at #17 on the Belgian airplay chart. In its fourth week on the Scottish Charts, It's OK rose to #23 from its previous week's position at #43. In its fifth week on the Scottish Charts the song peaked at #19, and fell to #36 in its subsequent week.
Music video
The music video for "It's OK" was released to YouTube on December 2, 2010, and features Solange Knowles. Gil Kaufman published this summary of the video for MTV.com:
