"If I Wanted To" is a song by American singer, Melissa Etheridge. It was released in 1995 as the final single from Etheridge's 1993 studio album, Yes I Am.

"If I Wanted To", which was released as the two-sided single "If I Wanted To / Like the Way I Do", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1995 at No. 25, making it the highest-debuting single of 1995. The single's debut was the best for any song since Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" debuted at No. 14 in November 1994.Fred Bronson of Billboard wrote, at the time, that with the single's record debut, "Melissa Etheridge continues to solidify her new status as a chart superstar with the highest-debuting single of 1995."

"If I Wanted To" peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1995. Strong singles sales in March 1995 for TLC's "Red Light Special," Real McCoy's "Run Away," and The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" prevented "If I Wanted To" from rising higher on the Hot 100, despite widespread airplay on major U.S. radio stations.

The single's music video was directed by Samuel Bayer.

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