"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.
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?".
"If You Had My Love" debuted on the U.S. 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 dance-pop singles of the summer of
1999, remaining in the top ten for fifteen weeks.
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.