Luv (Janet Jackson song)

While working on Discipline, Janet enlisted Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to work on some songs, including the lead single "Feedback". They had never worked before, but when they got together, "it was great", Janet said. She continued, "There's a connection there between the two of us, for sure. He feels it; he's mentioned it to me. [...] He just got me. Either someone is gonna get you or they're not. They all did, all the producers that I worked with on this project. But Rodney really got me, he understood me. It's like having a lost brother or cousin; he really understands me. There's a very good chemistry."[1]

After "Rock with U" lacked to gain success on the charts, "Luv" was eventually released as the third single from "Discipline", being released on Urban radio in the U.S., on February 18, 2008.[2] The song performed very modestly on the charts, reaching number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in mid-March 2008, making it Jackson's forty-third U.S. R&B top forty hit. However, the song failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Jackson performed the song on the Rock Witchu Tour.

"Luv" was written and produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II, with Tasleema Yasin and LaShawn Daniels serving as co-writers of the track, while Janet Jackson and Ian Cross served as the vocal producers of the song.[3] "Luv" was described as "a brisk, feel-good clap-and-bounce" song, by Andy Kellman of AllMusic,[4] with Princess P. of MWZA describing the lyrics as "an extended automotive metaphor" ("red lights/headlights imagery, and the line: "He hit me with his love"),[5] with the chorus constantly repeating, "Luv, luv, luv, luv".[5]

"Luv" is an R&B-hip-hop-flavored song,[6] where Janet relates a car crash to falling in love, singing "He ran a red light/ And hit me with his luv, luv, luv".[7] Princess P. saw that, "vocally, it's hyper like the chorus of Chris Brown’s 'With You,' but musically, it sounds like a Southern-fried sequel to Kanye West's 'Good Life'."[5] For Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote the song ""grooves along like it could have come from Ciara's album, aside from a few trade Jackson harmonies."[8]

Andy Kellman of AllMusic picked out the song as one of "the highlights of the album", writing that it is "as innocent, universal, and inviting as anything else in Janet's past."[4] Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music agreed, calling it a "Nelly-ish synth sunshine", praising it for being "as clean, crisp and adorable as anything on her 'Design Of A Decade' hits collection."[9] In the same vein, Michael Arceneaux of PopMatters called it "groovy and catchy follow-up to 'Feedback' that reminds listeners of the early stages of the pop star’s career when she sang about her affections innocently."[10]

Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe called it "another standout, a plump, crackling confection."[11] Chad Grischow of IGN commented about her "touched-up vocals" on the track, writing that "actually work in her favor on infectious synth-driven 'Luv', where the computerized blurping vocals in the bouncy hook balance perfectly against her natural voice in the verses."[12] Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times wrote a mixed review, writing that the song "grabs the essence of previous hits by Britney Spears, T-Pain and Kanye West, without so much as a patent application. The overheated production makes it stand out, but it's heartless."[13]

Jackson first performed "Luv" on America United: In Support of Our Troops, which aired on September 7, 2008 on ABC, in a medley with "Rhythm Nation" (1989).[14] During the Rock Witchu Tour which happened on the same year, "Luv" was performed by Jackson during its encore, along with "Runaway" (1995). An interlude of the song was used during her 2015-2016 Unbreakable World Tour.[15]