If You Had My Love

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“If You Had My Love”
Single by Jennifer Lopez from the album On the 6
B-side	"No Me Ames" (Tropical Remix)
Released	May 11, 1999
Format	CD single, CD maxi single, cassette single, 12" maxi single
Recorded	1999
Genre	Dance-pop, R&B
Length	4:25
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney
Producer	Darkchild
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
Jennifer Lopez singles chronology
"If You Had My Love" (1999) "No Me Ames" (1999)

"If You Had My Love" is the lead single from Jennifer Lopez's debut album, On the 6 (1999). Released in 1999, the single peaked at number one in the U.S., becoming Lopez's first number-one single; it also peaked at number four in the UK. The song is well-known for its voyeuristic music video.

[edit] Song information

The song was written by Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, and Cory Rooney and produced by Rodney Jerkins. In her debut single, Lopez is on the brink of sealing a relationship with a man she is interested in. However, before they can become a couple, she lays out some ground terms: she won't tolerate cheating and she needs to feel true love or it's "got to end". She also wonders if he knew if his love was untrue, would he lie to her and still call her "baby". Her insecurities build up to the point where Lopez questions, "If you had my love, and I gave you all my trust, would you comfort me?" The song is similar to another Rodney Jerkins production, the similarly titled "If I Gave You Love" by Chanté Moore.

"If You Had My Love" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the week of May 15, 1999, impressively jumping from number sixty-four to number eight two weeks later. The single reached the top spot on June 12, 1999, and stayed there for five consecutive weeks. The single was one of the most popular dance-pop singles of the summer of 1999, remaining on the top ten for fifteen weeks.

[edit] Music video

Lopez in the music video.

The music video—directed by Paul Hunter—begins with a man (Adam Rodriguez) logging onto his personal computer. When prompted by a search bar, he enters the term "Jennifer Lopez" and is redirected to a website, "Jennifer Lopez Online". Clicking on the link, he is then transported through the Internet (which is displayed by special effects emulating binary numbers). After arriving, a cloaked figure walks across a room filled with cameras recording action: it turns out to be Lopez in a hallway. From the privacy of his computer, the man then redirects to a new page where Lopez is now seen in the living room and crawling over a table.

The man is not alone in his voyeuristic actions as patrons of an Internet cafe and a little log logging in from WebTV also watchs Lopez. The man then clicks on a room showing Lopez in the bathroom. Worldwide, Lopez's feed is being streamed live to a nightclub and to other users with laptops. The man then clicks on the dance option and action is once again entered through the special effect binary. Lopez then proceeds to perform a series of dances (including jazz, house, and Latin soul) as the song moves into a remixed portion. The man makes a sexual gesture as he zooms in on Lopez's skirt.

He then raises the sexual intonation again by requesting a scene in which Lopez is taking a shower. Although she is never seen nude, this scene arouses him and he begins to touch himself. Garage workers who had been watching this are also aroused by Lopez and pay no attention to their burning car as they glue their eyes to the screen. A new user is introduced who enjoys Lopez so much that he throws his computer underwater and watches her there.

The video received four nominations at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video, and Best New Artist.

[edit] Track listings and formats

CD single

1. "If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix)
2. "If You Had My Love" (Radio Edit)
3. "If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix #1)
4. "If You Had My Love" (Master Mix)
5. "If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix #2)

CD maxi single

1. "If You Had My Love" (Radio Edit)
2. "If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix Edit)
3. "If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix Edit)
4. "If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix)
5. "If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Extended)
6. "No Me Ames" (Tropical Remix) (duet with Marc Anthony)

CD/cassette promo single

1. "If You Had My Love"
2. "No Me Ames" (Tropical Remix) (duet with Marc Anthony)

[edit] Charts

[edit] References