Released July 24, 1999 Genre R&Bsoul | Recorded 1997 | |
Format CD singlecassette single Length 6:17 (album and single version)4:56 (radio edit) | ||
"If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" is a song by R. Kelly, released as the fifth single from his 1998 album, R.. The song is a sweeping ballad about a man wishing he could go back in time and repair his relationship with his girlfriend. The song was a top 10 hit on the pop charts of several countries, while in the United States it finished just outside the top 10, peaking at number 12.
Contents
Music video
The music video was directed by F. Gary Gray.
Success and legacy
The song has sold 660,000 copies in the UK and is one of his biggest hits in many countries, in the Belgium the song is one of the best selling and biggest recordings there, selling triple Platinum. The song was certified Gold in the United States. The song has been covered by several artist including Ed Sheeran and also sung at talent shows. Rapper Mims sampled the song for his debut album Music Is My Savior on the track "I Did You Wrong".
Later samples
Later covers
Live performance
Kelly does not perform this song very often, he performed this song for the first time on live television when he was in England on the show Top of the Pops. He seems to perform this song more when he does a show in Europe than in the US, reason for that is that this song was highly successful there.