What's The Real Meaning Of Dear Ben, Pt. II By Jennifer Lopez?
Jennifer Lopez's new album, "This Is Me... Now," has officially arrived, featuring 13 new tracks from the "Jenny from the Block" singer, including the highly anticipated song "Dear Ben, Pt. II."
To recap, JLovers rejoiced when Lopez announced that she would be releasing a brand new album in celebration of the 20th anniversary of 2002's "This Is Me... Then" in 2022. The record, which marks her first since releasing 2014's "A.K.A.," is said to "[chronicle] the emotional, spiritual and psychological journey that she has taken over the past two decades," and feature songs that will shine a spotlight on her rough childhood and highly publicized relationships, according to a press release obtained by People. "This Is Me... Now" comes with a special treat: a 65-minute musical film by Grammy-winning director Dave Meyers, which serves as a visual interpretation of the album and of Lopez's love life. "[It's] a genre-redefining immersive cinematic experience; an extravagant visual and sonic feast with impressive choreography, star-studded cameos, costumes, sets and blockbuster-worthy visuals," read another press release. It was also described as an ode to J. Lo's healing journey and of her "everlasting belief in fairytale endings," as reported by Deadline.
With all the buzz surrounding Lopez's new album, fans seem especially eager to hear "Dear Ben, Pt. II," the seventh out of the 13-song tracklist which is dedicated to her husband, Ben Affleck — and is a follow-up to her song "Dear Ben" that was released in 2002. But what's the song really about? Let's take a look.
Jennifer Lopez sings about her love for Ben Affleck in Dear Ben Pt. II
Dear Ben, J. Lo is definitely in love with you! In her new song "Dear Ben, Pt. II" from her latest album "This Is Me... Now," Jennifer Lopez sings about reuniting with an old flame and realizing her feelings for him never went away despite the passage of time. The song is an obvious reference to her high-profile relationship with her longtime love and now-husband, Ben Affleck, whom she first dated in 2002 and ended up reuniting with almost two decades later in 2021. In the song, Lopez sings, "Sitting here alone, looking at my ring, ring / Feeling overwhelmed, it make me wanna sing, sing / How did we end up here without a rewind? / Oh my, this is my life," per Genius.
Later, Lopez sings of her love and longing for her significant other, which is presumably Affleck. "You showed me what it is / You showed me what I need / I was missing a part / You was the missing piece," reads a verse. In spite of the distance between them, Lopez feels inexplicably drawn to her lover and yearns to hold him close once again. "Seasons change but love remains, I'll show you / Wrap my arms around you," she goes on to sing in the song. "I want to console you / Look into your eyes, I can see it's the old you / I'm committed, I'm in it, admit it, I adore you."
Has Ben Affleck reacted to 'Dear Ben, Pt. II'?
Ahead of her new album release, Jennifer Lopez had teased the lyrics to her then-upcoming song "Dear Ben, Pt. II" in an Instagram post in August 2023 that celebrated her and Ben Affleck's one-year anniversary together as a married couple. While posting snaps from their big wedding in Georgia, Lopez shared the first few lines of the love-filled track alongside the hashtags #DearBenPartII and #ThisIsMeNow. "One year ago today," she also captioned the post. While Affleck has not offered his thoughts on the song, or any other track from "This Is Me... Now," Lopez shared in a recent interview with ET that we have her husband to thank for her new music. "When Ben and I got back together, it was just like, 'I want to make music again, I want to get back in the studio ... I was very, very inspired," she said.
During the chat, Lopez admitted that she had her own fears about making her music comeback. "Half the time I was like, 'Why are you doing this?'" she recalled. "But I think that's what being an artist is about, you know ... [It's about] how vulnerable you can get," she added. Thankfully, she pushed through. "Once the music was done, it felt so special to me," Lopez told ET. "It felt like something very different than I had ever done, even though I've written about love my whole career," she added.