If you had my love

"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 United States, becoming Lopez's first number-one single; it also peaked at number four in the United Kingdom. The song is well-known for its voyeuristic music video.

Song information

The song was written by Rodney Jerkins, 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?".

"If You Had My Love" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 15, 1999, 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 singles of the summer of 1999, remaining in the top ten for fifteen weeks.

Music video

The music video, directed by Paul Hunter in April 1999, 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 figure in white 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 girl logging in from her own computer, watches Lopez, streaming live, on "Internet TV". The man then clicks on a room showing Lopez in the bathroom, singing whilst checking her reflection in the mirror. 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 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 (Pablo Flores Remix) portion. The man then zooms in on Lopez's skirt, as she dances to Latin music.

He then raises the sexual intonation again by requesting a scene in which Lopez is taking a shower (although she is never seen nude). Garage workers who had been watching this soon turn their heads to Lopez and pay no attention to their burning car as they glue their eyes to the screen. A new user is introduced, and it is implied that he throws his computer underwater to "turn down the heat" (so to speak). He then continues to watch 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.

Track listings

U.S. CD/cassette single
"If You Had My Love" – 4:25
"No Me Ames" (Tropical Remix) (duet with Marc Anthony) – 5:03
U.S. CD maxi single/Japanese CD single
"If You Had My Love" (Radio Edit) – 3:47
"If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix Edit) – 3:54
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix Edit) – 4:00
"If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix) – 9:12
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Extended) – 6:18
"No Me Ames" (Tropical Remix) (duet with Marc Anthony) – 5:03
UK CD 1
"If You Had My Love" – 4:25
"If You Had My Love" (Darkchild Radio Edit) – 4:00
"If You Had My Love" (Darkchild Extended) – 6:18
UK CD 2
"If You Had My Love" – 4:25
"If You Had My Love" (Metro Club Mix) – 6:08
"If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix Edit) – 3:54
European CD single
"If You Had My Love" (Radio Edit) – 3:48
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix Radio Edit) – 3:57
European CD maxi single
"If You Had My Love" (Radio Edit) – 3:48
"If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix Edit) – 3:55
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix Radio Edit) – 3:57
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Extended) – 6:01
Australian CD single
"If You Had My Love" (Radio Edit) – 3:48
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix #1)
"If You Had My Love" (Master Mix)
"If You Had My Love" (Dark Child Remix #2)
"If You Had My Love" (Pablo Flores Remix)

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[1] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[1] 13
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[1] 9
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[1] 3
Canadian Singles Chart[2] 1
Dutch Top 40[3] 1
Finnish Singles Chart[1] 1
French Singles Chart[1] 4
German Singles Chart[4] 5
Irish Singles Chart[5] 8
New Zealand Singles Chart[1] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[1] 7
Swedish Singles Chart[1] 9
Swiss Singles Chart[1] 5
UK Singles Chart[6] 4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[2] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[2] 5
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks[2] 27

Certifications
Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
Australia Platinum[7]
France Gold[8]
Germany Gold[9]
New Zealand Gold[10]
Switzerland Gold[11]
United States Platinum[12]

Year-end charts
Chart (1999) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] 12

Chart procession and succession
Preceded by
"Livin' la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
June 12, 1999 – July 10, 1999 Succeeded by
"Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child
Preceded by
"Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer Australian Singles Chart number-one single
July 11, 1999 – July 25, 1999 Succeeded by
"Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam
Preceded by
"Sometimes" by Britney Spears Dutch Top 40 number-one single
July 17, 1999 Succeeded by
"Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega
Preceded by
"Beautiful Stranger" by Madonna Finnish Singles Chart number-one single
July 24, 1999
Preceded by
"Swear It Again" by Westlife New Zealand Singles Chart number-one single
August 1, 1999 Succeeded by
"Boom Boom Boom Boom" by Vengaboys
Preceded by
"Beautiful Stranger" by Madonna Canadian Singles Chart number-one single
August 9, 1999 – September 13, 1999 Succeeded by
"Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega