Songfacts®:

• The term "Jane Doe" is used when a woman's identity is unknown or cannot be disclosed - the male equivalent is John Doe. In the song, Keys deals with someone who accuses her man of cheating on her. Alicia decides that instead of letting him go, she'll fortify the relationship, since this gossip-monger is probably angling to get the guy for herself. Keys can't stand the thought of some "Jane Doe" swooping in to take him.
• On "Jane Doe," Keys teamed up with the singer-songwriter and record producer Kandi Burruss of the Atlanta group Xscape. They wrote and produced the song together, and Burruss sang backup. Burruss, who later starred on Real Housewives of Atlanta, had already written songs for TLC ("No Scrubs") and Destiny's Child ("Bug A Boo").
• Despite the title Songs In A Minor, there are only two tracks on Keys' debut album that are actually in the key of A minor: this funk-driven song and the Latin-influenced "Mr. Man."
• Keys was 20 years old when her debut album dropped, but she wrote most of its songs during her teen years while she was in the throes of her first real relationship. The complicated romance had plenty of ups and downs that were hard for the young singer to deal with, but she channeled her emotions into songs. One of them turned out to be the album's hit lead single, "Fallin'.'"