Meaning of “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” by Aaliyah

“Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” is a soulful ballad recorded by the late American singer Aaliyah. The lyrics of this ballad focus on a young girl who is in love with a man older than her. The girl is fully aware that the man is older than her and that society might not approve of such a relationship but she’s unnerved. She’s so in love or rather infatuated with him and that’s all that matters to her. In her eyes, the man’s age is nothing but a number. She therefore encourages him to be bold and embark on a romantic adventure with her.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Aaliyah's Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number at Lyrics.org.
Lyrics of "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number"

Lyrics of “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” are Autobiographical  

The lyrics of this ballad are considered to be autobiographical. Why? At the time of the song’s creation, Aaliyah was believed to be in a serious romantic relationship with fellow singer R. Kelly who was several years older than her. This rumor caused great controversy because at the time the song’s release, Aaliyah was around 15 years old and Kelly around 27.

As if that wasn’t enough, it was also rumored that around that same time, Aaliyah and R. Kelly had secretly gotten married. And to further worsen the situation, the marriage allegedly took place under false pretenses. Kelly and his team reportedly got a fake ID for Aaliyah that claimed she was 18 and not 15. Based on this, Kelly was able to marry Aaliyah without her parents’ consent even though she was just 15.

It’s important to mention that Kelly and Aaliyah repeatedly denied the illegal marriage ever took place. According to them, their relationship was purely platonic. But interestingly enough, the alleged marriage was later annulled by Aaliyah’s family.

Facts about “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number”

  • R. Kelly wrote this song. He also collaborated with Barry Hankerson to produce it.
  • “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” was released on December 6, 1994. It was the 3rd single from Aaliyah’s debut studio album also titled Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.
  • The fact that R. Kelly wrote and produced this song when he was allegedly dating a then underage Aaliyah (who was just 14 during the song’s recording) made the song even more controversial. The song ended up being Aaliyah’s most controversial song.
  • American music video and film director Millicent Shelton directed the music video of “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number”. The video was entirely filmed in Detroit, Michigan. It features cameo appearance from the then unknown rappers Bizarre and Proof of Eminem’s D12. Aaliyah’s older brother Rashad Haughton also appears in the clip.
  • This track interpolates Bobby Caldwell’s 1978 hit single “What You Won’t Do for Love”.

How did “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” perform on the charts?

On the Hot 100 in the United States, it made it to number 75. On the UK Singles Chart, it did better, reaching number 32. It also charted in Scotland.

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