"If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" is a song by American singer
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
, released as the fifth single from his third album, ''
R.'' (1998). The song is a ballad about a man wishing he could go back in time and repair his relationship with his girlfriend. The song peaked at number 12 on the US ''
Billboard''
Hot 100 and became a top-10 hit across Europe, peaking at number one in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Success and legacy
The song has sold 660,000 copies in the United Kingdom and is one of R. Kelly's biggest international hits, In Belgium, the song peaked at number one in both
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
and
Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
and is certified triple platinum for selling over 150,000 copies. The song was certified gold in the United States in October 2001.
The song has been covered by several musicians, including
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...
and talent show contestants. Rapper
Mims sampled the song for his debut album ''
Music Is My Savior
''Music Is My Savior'' is the debut album from the American King Music artist Mims (both the artist's family name and a backronym representing Music Is My Savior). It was released on March 27, 2007. It includes the singles "This Is Why I'm Hot", " ...
'' on the track "I Did You Wrong".
Live performances
Kelly did 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
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
''.
He seemed 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.
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
R. Kelly songs
1990s ballads
1997 songs
1999 singles
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Music videos directed by F. Gary Gray
Number-one singles in Switzerland
Song recordings produced by R. Kelly
Songs written by R. Kelly
UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles
Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles
Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles