FEATURE:
Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure
Jennifer Lopez – If You Had My Love
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I did have another song earmarked…
for this feature for today. I was going to include Michael Jackson’s Earth Song but, as there is still wariness about people supporting Jackson’s music, I have kept it aside. I may include it at some point, but I was nervy about throwing it out there. Instead, I am thinking of Jennifer Lopez. She has just put out a single, In the Morning, and its cover is a naked shot of her. It is an amazing photo and, at fifty-one, she looks unbelievable! That shot shows the sort of passion and confidence on the song and, so long after her debut album, On the 6, Jennifer Lopez remains a fantastic and popular artist. Her latest album, A.K.A. of 2014, received mixed reviews, but I hope there is another album coming along as her latest track shows her in fine form! Apart from music, Lopez is also a renowned and skilled actor – her role in Hustlers (2019) gained aplomb and critical congratulations. I promise the next song in this feature will be non-1990s – I might include something from the last couple of decades -, but I was keen to focus on Lopez as I think she is one of those artists who splits people. Many people see her music as a bit of a guilty pleasure because it, perhaps, doesn’t contain as much depth as a lot of her peers’ work. Although Lopez’s albums have divided people through the years, I think her 1999 debut album is a fantastic work.
This is me going back to school days but, when On the 6 arrived on 1st June, many of my friends were aware of Lopez but they were not fans of her music. A Spanish edition of the album was released on 24th November, 1999 (it would have been nice to hear Lopez sing in Spanish more on the non-Spanish release). There are some great songs through On the 6. Lopez worked with producers like Rodney Jerkins, and Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs - so there was so much experience on board to help mould the songs! There was a transformation between Lopez’s 1999 debut and 2001’s J.Lo – that moniker coming into full force on an album that was less immediate and memorable as her debut. I will bring in a review for On the 6 soon, but I think one of its best songs, If You Had My Love, deserves new love. Again, it is a song that only gets played on certain songs and I think some would feel a bit wary of confessing a love of the track! I really like the tone of Lopez’s voice: sultry and warm with plenty of versatility and strength. A lot of R&B/Pop artists in 1999 were known for being a bit processed and generic, but I think you can hear something different and unique about Lopez. She displays plenty of passion and personality through the entire album; If You Had My Love is a gem and song that showcases Lopez’s skills as a vocalist and interpreter.
Many felt that Lopez’s voice was a bit thin, lacked punch and was not that rounded. If You Had My Love was the first single released from the album on 4th May, 1999. It is a slinky, sexy and catchy song that was written by Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, and Cory Rooney. The blend of R&B, Latin rhythms and Pop makes the song accessible, but it also sounds a lot broader and more nuanced than a lot of music from that time. If You Had My Love was a big hit for Lopez, and it reached number-one in many nations. Even if the rest of On the 6 did not get a hugely positive reaction from some, If You Had My Love has been highlighted as a standout. It is interesting learning a bit about the passage before her debut single and how Jennifer Lopez came into music. Working on Selena (1997), a biographical film about American singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, that inspired her to launch a music career. Her decision to launch a musical career was seen as a risk as transitioning from film to music was not always smooth and successful. In a Wikipedia article on the song, we learn more about If You Had My Love:
“According to Cory Rooney, one of the song's co-writers, Lopez was almost finished recording On the 6 when Rooney and Jerkins played a CD playlist of songs for Michael Jackson, which included "If You Had My Love." Rooney believed the song was "perfect for Jennifer", and hoped that Jackson would not take it. Rooney recalled: "The music begins and Michael starts moving and shaking to it and he goes, 'Man, I like this one.' My heart sunk. Then he says, 'I don’t like it for me, but I like it. It's gonna be a hit for someone else.'"
Rooney said that he and LaShawn Daniels wrote "If You Had My Love" later that day. Conversely, journalist Damien Shields stated in 2015 that Rooney had Lopez record the song in 1998, and that it had already been allocated to her when Jackson heard it. Jackson thought it had a "really great groove" and briefly considered recording it. Shields said: "Everyone's like, 'Shit, now we’re going to have to argue with the King of Pop because that's already going to be Jennifer's first song and it's already in motion and is going to radio in two months.' How do you possibly tell Michael Jackson no?" Jackson passed on the song, believing it was better suited for a female singer. "It was the only one of Rodney's songs that he gravitated towards, but he also had the intuition to know that a female should sing it for it realize its best potential," Shields noted.
Lyrically, the song resembles a conversation, in which Lopez confronts her admirer in an "insistent" manner with a number of ground rules before they can begin a relationship. MTV's James Dinh said Lopez "lets her insecurities get the best of her" on the track. Billboard writer Leslie Richin wrote that it "served as a cautionary tale for admirers who might one day have a chance with the budding starlet. Bottom line: liars and cheaters need not apply." In the song's opening lines, Lopez states: "Now if I gave you me, this is how it's got to be / First of all I won't take you cheatin' on me / Tell me who can I trust if I can't trust in you / And I refuse to let you play me for a fool.”
In the chorus, she poses the question: "If you had my love / And I gave you all my trust... / Would you lie to me / And call me baby?” Lopez explained in her book True Love (2014) that the lyrics refer to "the beginning of a new relationship and what I expect and what I want," saying that "there's a little bit of fear in there too, and a feeling of, what will you do if I give you my heart?" The verses consist of her "trying to lay down the rules", while the chorus expresses "all of the fear" that she feels. Jocelyn Vena of MTV News noted that "If You Had My Love" marked the beginning of Lopez exploring the topic of love, which she has continued throughout her career”.
If You Had My Love is a fantastic debut single and I am glad that this song was marked as the first from the album. Other singles from On the 6 such as Waiting for Tonight are great, but I have a very soft spot for If You Had My Love. I think there was snobbishness and dubiousness from many when people learned Lopez was an actor coming into music. I think some dismissed the album without really listening to it, but soon Lopez was this major star and appearing in huge films!
Subsequent albums have seen her increase in confidence and explore new styles, but I think she was at her very best on her fantastic debut! I want to bring in a positive review from AllMusic before concluding with my feelings about If You Had My Love:
“Jennifer Lopez's debut album, On the 6, showcases the actress' sultry, versatile voice in a number of settings, including pop ballads, Latin pop, and R&B. Star producers like Sean "Puffy" Combs, Trackmasters, and Emilio Estefan, Jr. lend their talents to the album, making On the 6 a perfectly polished and varied album, which features a musical blend Lopez calls "Latin soul." Smooth ballads such as "Should've Never," "Too Late," "Could This Be Love," and "No Me Ames," a duet with Latin superstar Marc Anthony, dominate the album's first half; while these songs show off the gentler side of Lopez's vocal gifts, they tend to sound too similar. It's on the R&B and Latin-tinged tracks where Lopez really shines. Along with the insistent first single "If You Had My Love," cuts like "Feelin' So Good" and "Let's Get Loud" have a fiery, soulful sound more in keeping with Lopez's public persona. On the 6's second half capitalizes on this spicy, upbeat side, particularly on "Waiting for Tonight" and "Open off My Love," which draws inspiration from rap, R&B, and Latin styles with its sparse arrangement of horns, keyboards, and beats. The tropical remix of "No Me Ames" and "Una Noche Mas," the Spanish version of "Waiting for Tonight," emphasize Lopez's distinctive heritage, which elevates On the 6 from a star's vanity project to an individual but accessible work of pop songcraft by a widely talented performer”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 GRAMMY Awards/PHOTO CREDIT: AP Images
Few would have predicted Jennifer Lopez would be recording music over twenty years after On the 6 came out in 1999, but it is down to her incredible pull and talent as a performer that she is still very popular and has this enormous fanbase! I think the fact she is a great actor feeds into her music and helps when it comes to her recordings and live performances. At fourteen tracks, there is a lot packed into On the 6 and there is a blend of English and Spanish songs. Maybe there are one or two songs that could have been removed, but I think the songwriting and production is amazing and the tracklisting is spot on. Opening the album with real panache and sultriness, If You Had My Love is a song that deserves more airtime and respect now. I know that some see Jennifer Lopez’s music as a guilty pleasure and many prefer her an actor rather than an artist. I have always had a lot of time for her music and, despite one or two weaker albums, she remains very underrated. On the 6 is a phenomenal album and you can see why If You Had My Love impressed critics! Despite the fact I first heard the song back in 1999 at school, the tremendous If You Had My Love is…
STILL in my head and thoughts.