page_title: If You Had My Love
section_title: Impact
hierarchical_section_title: If You Had My Love / Impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Jennifer Lopez in concert at Paris Bercy in the "Dance Again World Tour" in October 2012.
context_page_description: "If You Had My Love" is the debut single by American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on May 11, 1999 as the lead single from her debut album On the 6. The song was written by LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney, and its producer Rodney Jerkins. Michael Jackson had also showed interest in recording it, but he felt that it was better suited for a female singer. "If You Had My Love" is a midtempo pop and R&B song that also features Latin and hip hop influences. Its lyrics revolve around the beginning of a new relationship, during which Lopez confronts her admirer with a number of ground rules.
  Critics reacted positively to "If You Had My Love", praising its "silky groove" and "edgy" production. Upon its release, it generated instant attention and became a commercial success, peaking at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. It became one of the best-selling singles of 1999, selling over 1.2 million units in the US alone. It was also an international success, topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Finland, Greece, Hungary and New Zealand.
context_section_description: Following the release of "If You Had My Love," which according to Billboard was preceded by a "hype storm that has clapped like thunder for months", Lopez rose to international visibility and was propelled to pop stardom, emerging as a "certifiable pop star". The New York Daily News noted that "the world knew that J.Lo was something special." Radar Online stated that she "became a pop sensation overnight". While she had already achieved notability as an actress, the song's success is what made Lopez a household name. The release of "If You Had My Love" and On the 6 allowed Lopez to join an "elite circle" of actors who had successfully crossed over to music, becoming the first since Vanessa Williams in 1992 and Martika in 1989. In 2008, News.com.au wrote that the transition from actress to singer "has always been a precarious career path, claiming many victims", identifying Lopez as one of the "success stories that keep a steady stream of actresses attempting to make that career crossover." The website also wrote: "For every success story there are more than a handful of failures, or in celebrity-to-celebrity ratio, one Jennifer Lopez to three Minnie Drivers." Rolling Stone noted that the single marked the beginning of Lopez's own media empire. Writing for Dazed, Kat George opined that Lopez was celebrity feminist, a premise that was defined by "If You Had My Love," which had a "succinct and demanding message about womanhood".
  The success of "If You Had My Love," which was considered unlikely, coincided with the "Latin explosion" of 1999, which was led by Ricky Martin. Some critics assumed that Lopez was attempting to capitalize on the growing popularity of Latin music in the United States. Her subsequent success on the charts came as a surprise to critics; Herón Marquez wrote in Latin Sensations (2001) that it "made the popular actor even more popular. Suddenly, the music industry and the public were intrigued by this woman who seemed to have so many different talents." Chris Poppe, vice president of marketing for Epic Records, noted: "It was easy for the media to lump Jennifer into that, even though this is technically not a Latin album. It drew a lot of positive attention to 'If You Had My Love'. Radio reacted almost immediately to the song." Jennifer Charles from KSZR said, "If you had doubts about the idea of Jennifer Lopez as a recording artist, they were gone once the groove kicked in and she started to sing." The interest in Martin and Lopez was further credited with "boosting the profile of Latin music in Canada", and helped Sony Music Entertainment Canada launch another singer, Marc Anthony.
  Considered iconic, a number of sources have listed "If You Had My Love" as one of Lopez's best songs. Complex magazine named the song her greatest hit in 2012. About.com music journalist Bill Lamb ranked it as Lopez's best song, praising its "elegant feel laced with surging strings." AOL Radio listeners also chose it as her best song. Stacy Lambe of VH1 listed the song as Lopez's fifth best single, writing: "Lopez's debut single drew on everything that was popular in 1999. It fused together the synths made popular by TLC, highlighted the Latin flare made profitable by Ricky Martin and came packaged with Lopez's movie brand recognition and sex appeal. The pop song did what it was supposed to do, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and announcing that Jennifer the singer had arrived." Bustle magazine writer Jordana Lipsitz called it one of the defining songs of the summer of 1999, adding: "This song was the jam you and your gal pals practiced your back up dancer routines with. Admit it." Rolling Stone included the song on a list of the "20 Biggest Songs of the Summer" from the 1990s. In 2012, Lewis Corner of Digital Spy described "If You Had My Love" as an "R&B classic", which serves as "a firm reminder of her fiercely independent but hopeless romantic nature, which seems to reflect her colourful personal life." Rapper T-Pain stated that it was the Darkchild remix of "If You Had My Love", which he recalled used Auto-
caption: Lopez performing an acoustic version of "If You Had My Love" during her Dance Again World Tour in 2012.
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