If I Told You That

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"If I Told You That"
Single by Whitney Houston and George Michael
from the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits
B-side"Fine"
ReleasedMay 29, 2000 (2000-05-29)
RecordedMarch 2000[1]
GenreR&B
Length4:33
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Rodney Jerkins
  • George Michael (duet version only)
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"Could I Have This Kiss Forever"
(2000) 		"If I Told You That"
(2000) 		"Fine"
(2000)
George Michael singles chronology
"As"
(1999) 		"If I Told You That"
(2000) 		"Freeek!"
(2002)
Music video
"If I Told You That" on YouTube

"If I Told You That" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It is the fifth track from her fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love, which was released in November 1998 by Arista Records. A reworked duet version of the song with British singer George Michael was released on May 29, 2000, as the third single from Houston's first greatest hits album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits (2000). The remix was originally to feature Michael Jackson.[1] Commercially, "If I Told You That" peaked at number 1 in Iceland, Croatia and Poland, while peaking at nine on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception

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Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that "whatever magic might be found in this effort most certainly is going to come from the fine vocal performances. Houston scats and offers shout-outs that give 'If I Told You That' a spontaneity and energy [...], while Michael still stands tall as one of the finer soul men to step in front of the mike. This pairing is mightily inspired, and that in itself could turn this into a radio curiosity for pop and some R&B stations," adding that "the track's instrumental palette is definitely of the moment, with a driving shuffle beat and layered vocals that make this song more than a passing reminder of something you might expect from Jennifer Lopez. The hook is catchy enough, with a chorus that's simple and easy to sing along with."[2] J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun felt that "If I Told You That" is a song on which Houston is "faking attraction with George Michael".[3] LA Weekly in its review for Whitney: The Greatest Hits commented: "On paper, the Houston-Michael coupling is inspired: Together they symbolize two-thirds of the sex-drugs-and-rock-&-roll triptych. But Michael simply adds his pinched, nasal vocals to the track that was originally found on Houston’s album My Love Is Your Love, the result of which is two people singing at one another and daring the listener to care".[4] The Baltimore Sun wrote: "when she sings in 'If I Told You That' about giving in to temptation and having a fling with a friend, we shouldn't suppose she's thinking of any friend in particular."[5]

Music video

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The music video directed by Kevin Bray[6] features Houston and Michael in a nightclub, eventually meeting on the dance floor, similar to that of Mary J. Blige and Michael's UK hit "As". The US DVD single for Houston's song "Fine" includes the music video for "If I Told You That".[7] The video is also included on Michael's video compilation Twenty Five.

Live performances

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Houston performed the song regularly in her set for the My Love Is Your Love World Tour in 1999, and performed the song during her four-date promotional Greatest Hits Live in 2000 and the Soul Divas Tour in 2004.

Formats and track listings

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  • Australian maxi single[8]
  1. "If I Told You That" (album version) – 4:33
  2. "Fine" (album version) – 3:35
  3. "If I Told You That" (Johnny Douglas mix) – 4:48
  4. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (Dronez mix) – 5:05
  • European maxi single[9]
  1. "If I Told You That" (album version) – 4:33
  2. "If I Told You That" (Johnny Douglas mix) – 4:48
  3. "Fine" (album version) – 3:35
  1. "If I Told You That" (radio edit) – 4:05
  2. "If I Told You That" (album version) – 4:38

Personnel

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  • Produced by Rodney Jerkins for Darkchild Entertainment Inc.
  • Additional production: George Michael
  • Remix recorded by Dexter Simmons at The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL
  • Mixed by Jon Douglas
  • Mix engineer: Ren Swan
  • All instruments: Rodney Jerkins

Charts

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Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 37
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13] 25
Croatia (HRT)[14] 1
Czech Republic (IFPI)[15] 10
Denmark (IFPI)[16] 16
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[17] 27
Germany (Media Control Charts)[18] 58
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[19] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 25
Italy (FIMI)[21] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] 31
Poland (Polish Singles Chart)[24] 1
Scotland (OCC)[25] 18
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 44
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 33
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 9

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Sweden May 29, 2000 CD
[29]
United Kingdom June 5, 2000
  • CD
  • cassette
 [30]
United States January 30, 2001
Arista [31]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Whitney, George Michael To Team For Duet". MTV. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007.
  2. ^ Flick, Taylor (January 20, 2001). Taylor, Chuck (ed.). "Singles". Billboard. 113 (3): 23.
  3. ^ J. D. Considine (May 25, 2000). "Whitney Houston The Greatest Hits". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Ernest Hardy (June 28, 2000). "Saving It". LA Weekly. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  5. ^ "Talent is true, if lyrics are not Review: Whitney Houston finds a gritty, funky balance on 'My Love.' But don't put any words in her mouth". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  6. ^ "Whitney Houston celebrates 15-year career with greatest hits collection". Jet. Vol. 98, no. 3. Johnson Publishing Company. June 26, 2000. p. 61.
  7. ^ Mark Deming (2016). "Whitney Houston: Fine/If I Told You That/I Will Always Love You (2000)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael - If I Told You That". Discogs.
  9. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael - If I Told You That". Discogs.
  10. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael - If I Told You That". Discogs.
  11. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  12. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  14. ^ "HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on August 19, 2000. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Oficiální Česká Hitparáda – Pro týden" (in Czech). IFPI ČR. Archived from the original on June 13, 2000. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  16. ^ Danish Singles Chart June 9, 2000
  17. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 26. June 24, 2000. p. 9. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved June 22, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  18. ^ Single-Chartverfolgung Archived December 30, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  19. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (Vikuna 17.6. - 24.6. 2000 24. Vika)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  20. ^ The Irish Charts Archived January 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  21. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That". Top Digital Download.
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Whitney Houston & George Michael" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  23. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  24. ^ "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on May 12, 2007.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That". Singles Top 100.
  27. ^ "Whitney Houston & George Michael – If I Told You That". Swiss Singles Chart.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. ^ "Whitney Houston: If I Told You That". click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on January 13, 2003. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  30. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting June 5, 2000: Singles". Music Week. June 3, 2000. p. 23.
  31. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1386. January 26, 2001. pp. 46, 54, 67.
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