If (Janet Jackson song)

For the song of the same title by the pop-rock band Bread, see If (Bread song).

"If"
Song
B-side	"One More Chance"

"If" is a single by Janet Jackson, the second from her fifth studio album janet.

Song Information

The song was written and produced by Jackson, Harris, and Lewis and became Jackson's second top five hit from the janet. album. "If" deals with a female narrator's fantasies of being someone's girlfriend. The song contains a sample from Diana Ross & the Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together" and is built on a heavy metal guitar riff heard throughout the song. The combination of heavy hip-hop/new jack swing beats and electric guitar was a relative departure in sound for Jackson.

The single eventually hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single contains a B-side called "One More Chance" (5:54), a cover of a song her brother Randy wrote, produced and performed on The Jacksons 1984 Victory album.

Music Video

File:JanetJacksonIf.jpg

Janet and dancers in "If" video.

The video, directed by Dominic Sena challenged notions of culture and sexuality in a highly stylised and imaginative presentation. Set in Japan, in an indeterminate future, Mixing ancient cultural references with cutting edge technology. We arrive at a Club, which seems highly exclusive and impossible to get in unless the password is confirmed which is the song's title "If". The idea of voyeurism seems to be central to the many themes woven in and out. We see the patrons in their many guises from androgynous lesbians with painted moustaches, high class prostitutes and glamourous punks. In the middle of the main floor, Janet bursts onto the stage through bright red flowing fabrics to join her ensemble dancers who entertain the Japanese crowd with intricate dance routines and highly sexualised movements and lyrics involving Janet seducing an onlooker.

Throughout the video, different sub-plots unfold, including the brothel rooms throughout the club in which various couplings of polysexual persuasions, view each other through a network of webcams and monitors. This takes us to the end of the video which shows Janet's chosen target who is also viewing her through a screen being seduced and telling him about her wildest sexual fantasies. The climax confirms the idea of fantasy rather than fulfillment with the lyric "If I was your woman, the things I'd do to you....but I'm not".

To summarize, the narrative is a representation of a totally internal world in which fantasy and reality have no barriers. Janet celebrates the imagination as a tool for sexual adventure yet remains purely at a distance exploring the power suggestion and titillation.

Parts of the video were edited out for general release. A long version can be found on Youtube.

Track listing

CD single

1. If (Brothers In Rhythm House Mix) (7:13)
2. If (Brothers In Rhythm Swing Yo Pants Mix) (6:22)
3. If (Tee's Freeze Mix) (6:42)
4. If (Extended Mix) (5:41)
5. If (TNT Bass Mix) (5:42)
6. If (D&D 12" Mix) (5:49)
7. If (Short Single Edit) (3:07)
8. One More Chance (5:54)

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks	3
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi Single Sales	4
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	3
ARC Top 40	1
Official UK Singles Chart	14
Canadian Singles Chart	1
ARIA Top 50	18
Finland Singles Chart	12
German Singles Chart	25
Belgium Singles Chart	31
Holland Singles Chart	10
South Africa Singles Charts	1
Switzerland Singles Chart	27

Official Versions/Remixes

• Album Version (4:31)
• Radio Edit (3:49)
• Short Single Edit (2:59)
• Extended LP Mix (5:40)
• Brothers In Rhythm House Mix (7:10)
• Brothers In Rhythm Swing Yo Pants Mix (6:20)
• Brothers In Rhythm Dub (7:00)
• Tee's Freeze Mix (6:14)
• Tee's Radio Edit (4:02)
• Tee's Capella (2:09)
• Janet's Jeep Mix (6:26)
• TNT Bass Mix (5:36)
• D&D 7" Mix/Adult 7" Radio Mix (4:41)
• D&D 12" Mix/Adult 12" (5:47)
• D&D JDD Mix/Adult Dub (5:26)