En Vogue’s second album, Funky Divas
starts with a skit where the group is getting ready in a dressing room for a show. The four women are scrambling for pantyhose and lipstick before being led to the stage. The foursome lures you into this one with a crescendoing “Ooo” but stops you short with a sharp “bop”—the vocal equivalent of the song’s two-part title.

A looped electric guitar sample from James Brown’s “The Payback” funks up the melody and gives the song its built-in swing, while Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson tag team the lead vocals, the woman wronged and the reinforcer, respectively.

En Vogue’s four-woman makeup and emphasis on vocal harmonizing make it easy to liken them to 1960s girl groups. But “My Lovin’” isn’t some polite rejection; it’s a hope-the-door-hits-your-ass-on-your-way-out tell-off.