If I Had You (Adam Lambert song)
Encyclopedia
"If I Had You" is a song by American pop vocalist and American Idol
season eight
runner-up Adam Lambert
. The song was written by Max Martin
, Shellback
, and Savan Kotecha
and produced by Martin, Shellback and Kristian Lundin
for Lambert's debut album, For Your Entertainment
. It was released as the third single on May 11, 2010.
on May 19, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
on May 21.
and "takes the late-night wilderness party motif of Jennifer Lopez's classic "Waiting for Tonight
" clip and adds more lasers, guyliner, thrashy dance moves, silver top hats and outrageously spiky shoulder pads." Bryan Barber
directed the video, which was inspired by Lambert's self-proclaimed "psychedelic" experience at Burning Man
.
James Montgomery from MTV
describes the video as having "a clearing in the forest, one packed with party people — of all races, colors, creeds and proclivities, naturally — who are all in the midst of a totally excellent celebration. The video begins with Lambert walking into his living room where he checks on his facebook page to show everyone on the page for a party tonight. The 1st scene shows Lambert walking in the forest by daylight where he is wearing a black coat, black boots and gloves. The next scene shows Lambert in a light neon forest where he is having a party wearing a black fur coat. The next scene shows Lambert wearing glasses and also he is known as the "cool" dude. During the video, Lambert is shown playing on the right side of the forest playing with his band. At the end of the video, Lambert stares at the camera with a smile and walks away as a floating light fades the video away. Note: Kesha
made a cameo appearance in the video. (Most of said party people are actually Lambert's friends, from his days performing with L.A.'s "Zodiac Show.")" Montgomery states the message of the video is "Humanity can, in fact, put their differences aside and just dance."
Making a cameo in the video are Lambert's friends: Allison Iraheta
, Cheeks, Scarlett Cherry, Alisan Porter
, Brooke Wendle, Terrence Spencer, Sasha Mallory
, Kesha
and Cassidy Haley
.
Australian CD single
US/AUS digital EP The Remixes
Source:
. "If I Had You" has reached number-one in Hungary and the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Finland and Poland.
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
season eight
American Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
runner-up Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
. The song was written by Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, Shellback
Shellback (songwriter)
Karl Johan Schuster , better known by his stage name Shellback, is a songwriter, record producer and musician from Karlshamn, Sweden...
, and Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
and produced by Martin, Shellback and Kristian Lundin
Kristian Lundin
Kristian Carl Marcus Lundin is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.-Biography:Beginning his career as a member of the Swedish duo Amadin , Kristian's writing and production talents were quickly recognized by music industry icon Denniz PoP, who invited him to join the Cheiron Studios...
for Lambert's debut album, For Your Entertainment
For Your Entertainment (album)
For Your Entertainment is the debut studio album by Adam Lambert, the American Idol season 8 runner-up. It was released on November 23, 2009...
. It was released as the third single on May 11, 2010.
Promotion
Following the release of the single on May 11, 2010, Lambert performed the song on a series of talk-shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
on May 19, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
on May 21.
Music video
The video premiered June 14, 2010 on VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and "takes the late-night wilderness party motif of Jennifer Lopez's classic "Waiting for Tonight
Waiting for Tonight
"Waiting for Tonight" is a song originally recorded by American female pop trio 3rd Party for their 1997 album Alive. American recording artist Jennifer Lopez recorded a version for her debut album, On the 6 , and the song became the second single from the album and also the most famous version of...
" clip and adds more lasers, guyliner, thrashy dance moves, silver top hats and outrageously spiky shoulder pads." Bryan Barber
Bryan Barber
Bryan Barber is a music video and motion picture director. He has directed many music videos for popular artists.-Personal:Barber graduated from Sacramento, CA Hiram Johnson High School in 1988...
directed the video, which was inspired by Lambert's self-proclaimed "psychedelic" experience at Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
.
James Montgomery from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
describes the video as having "a clearing in the forest, one packed with party people — of all races, colors, creeds and proclivities, naturally — who are all in the midst of a totally excellent celebration. The video begins with Lambert walking into his living room where he checks on his facebook page to show everyone on the page for a party tonight. The 1st scene shows Lambert walking in the forest by daylight where he is wearing a black coat, black boots and gloves. The next scene shows Lambert in a light neon forest where he is having a party wearing a black fur coat. The next scene shows Lambert wearing glasses and also he is known as the "cool" dude. During the video, Lambert is shown playing on the right side of the forest playing with his band. At the end of the video, Lambert stares at the camera with a smile and walks away as a floating light fades the video away. Note: Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
made a cameo appearance in the video. (Most of said party people are actually Lambert's friends, from his days performing with L.A.'s "Zodiac Show.")" Montgomery states the message of the video is "Humanity can, in fact, put their differences aside and just dance."
Making a cameo in the video are Lambert's friends: Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Iraheta won the Telemundo competition Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista. Following the conclusion of Idol, Iraheta was signed to a record...
, Cheeks, Scarlett Cherry, Alisan Porter
Alisan Porter
Alisan Porter is an American actress, singer and dancer.-Life and career:Porter was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Porter is Jewish. Her maternal grandmother, whose father Joseph Klein was a prominent Worcester rabbi, ran the Charlotte Klein Dance Center in Worcester...
, Brooke Wendle, Terrence Spencer, Sasha Mallory
So You Think You Can Dance (season 8)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox network. The show's eighth season premiered on May 26, 2011. It features the return of Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe as permanent judges and Cat Deeley as host. Also returning is the...
, Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
and Cassidy Haley
Cassidy Haley
Cassidy Hugaert Haley is an American singer-songwriter and clothing designer based in Los Angeles.-Early Life and Careers:Haley was born in Oakland, California, and grew up in the nearby city of Richmond, California. He is the son of a lesbian mother and a gay father, and has three sisters and two...
.
Track listing
Australian digital EP- "If I Had You" (radio mix) – 3:46
- "If I Had You" (Jason NevinsJason NevinsJason Nevins is an American DJ, producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions.-Career:In the early 1990s, Nevins began releasing singles under various monikers through various dance labels, but achieved global recognition in 1998 with his production of Run-DMC's...
Radio Mix) – 3:45 - "If I Had You" (instrumental version) – 3:43
Australian CD single
- "If I Had You" – 3:47
- "If I Had You" (instrumental version) – 3:46
US/AUS digital EP The Remixes
- "If I Had You" (radio mix) – 3:47
- "If I Had You" (Jason NevinsJason NevinsJason Nevins is an American DJ, producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions.-Career:In the early 1990s, Nevins began releasing singles under various monikers through various dance labels, but achieved global recognition in 1998 with his production of Run-DMC's...
Extended Mix) – 6:44 - "If I Had You" (Jason NevinsJason NevinsJason Nevins is an American DJ, producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions.-Career:In the early 1990s, Nevins began releasing singles under various monikers through various dance labels, but achieved global recognition in 1998 with his production of Run-DMC's...
Robotronic Extended Mix) – 6:17 - "If I Had You" (Dangerous MuseDangerous MuseDangerous Muse is an American electropop duo based in New York. The duo comprises vocalist Mike Furey and Musician/Programmer Tom Napack, who is often depicted using a Keytar.-History:...
Remix) – 5:51 - "If I Had You" (Morgan PageMorgan PageMorgan Page is an American progressive house and electro house DJ from Los Angeles. His most widely recognized track is "The Longest Road," featuring Lissie, which was included on his debut album Elevate, released in March 2008. The Deadmau5 remix was nominated for a Grammy...
Extended Remix) – 7:53
Personnel
- SongwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
– Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, ShellbackShellback (songwriter)Karl Johan Schuster , better known by his stage name Shellback, is a songwriter, record producer and musician from Karlshamn, Sweden...
, Savan KotechaSavan KotechaSavan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion... - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Max Martin, Shellback, Kristian LundinKristian LundinKristian Carl Marcus Lundin is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.-Biography:Beginning his career as a member of the Swedish duo Amadin , Kristian's writing and production talents were quickly recognized by music industry icon Denniz PoP, who invited him to join the Cheiron Studios... - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
– Max Martin, Shellback - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
– Shellback - RecordingSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
– Max Martin, Shellback, Brian Warwick - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Serban GheneaSerban GheneaSerban Ghenea is a four-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award-winning mixer. He has mixed songs for such artists as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Santana, Ozomatli, Shakira, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, and Dave Matthews Band... - Mix engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– John Hanes - Mixing assistant – Tim Roberts
Source:
Chart performance
As of August 5, 2011, "If I Had You" has sold 835,000 downloads in the United States and charted at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "If I Had You" has reached number-one in Hungary and the top 10 in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Finland and Poland.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
50 |
| Belgium Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
50 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
8 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 9 |
| German Singles Chart | 36 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
30 |
| U.S. Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
16 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 36 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart | 50 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
34 |
| Country | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
2× Platinum |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
Gold |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | May 11, 2010 | Mainstream radio |
| Belgium | June 28, 2010 | Digital Download |
| Spain | ||
| Finland | ||
| Switzerland | ||
| France | ||
| Ireland | ||
| Italy | ||
| Luxembourg | ||
| Netherlands | ||
| Norway | ||
| Sweden | ||
| Canada | ||
| Portugal | ||
| Austria | ||
| Germany | October 29, 2010 | |
| Germany | October 29, 2010 | CD Single |