"You Had Me" finds Joss Stone confronting her deadbeat boyfriend, informing him of her decision to leave him. Having put up with his toxic behavior and mistreatment for too long, the British soul singer reveals she's ready to move on and start a fresh chapter in her life. Stone wrote the song with Yip Yip Coyote's Francis Anthony "Eg" White, R&B vocalist Betty Wright, and her mom, Wendy Stoker.
Chic's Nile Rodgers played guitar on "You Had Me." "He's lovely. He's a sweetie," Stone declared to
Pop Entertainment in 2003.
Other musicians on the song include The Blues Brothers member Thomas "Bones" Malone on trumpet, trombone, and saxophone, and American bandleader Cindy Blackman Santana on drums. Betty Wright also contributed backing vocals and co-produced the song.
Just a few seconds after Stone and her band finished recording "You Had Me" in New York on the afternoon of August 14, 2003, the lights in the studio dramatically went out. While they initially thought they'd blown a fuse, it turned out to be the start of the Northeast Blackout of 2003, a widespread power outage that affected the Northeastern and Midwestern US as well as the Canadian province of Ontario. The song's co-producer, Steve Greenberg, recalled: "They played the song live in the studio for nearly 15 minutes – it just kept going and going because the vibe was so exciting. Finally, the musicians finished this incredible take – which we knew was the keeper – and we pushed the 'Save' button on the computer."
"Literally two seconds after that button was pushed, the lights went out in the studio. Betty Wright said, 'You guys funked so hard, you blew the lights out!' Little did we know that we were in the middle of the Great Eastern Blackout of 2003. If the band had played for even another 30 seconds, we wouldn't have been able to hit the 'Save' button – and this magical take would have been lost forever!"
In an interview with
Official Charts in 2015 to promote her seventh album,
Water for My Soul, Stone admitted she isn't a big fan of "You Had Me."
"God that song... Do you know, I still have to sing that song at every gig?" She said. "There are ways to make 'You Had Me' work, but honestly, I hate listening to that song. That said, there are songs on all my albums I now don't like, and it'll probably be the same with this record in a few years – you go through that cycle and sometimes the songs come back around and you fall in love with them again."
Directed by Chris Robinson and shot in New York, the music video for "You Had Me" begins with Stone's boyfriend entering their apartment, calling her name, and discovering a note attached to their refrigerator. It then flashes back to Stone writing the letter to her boyfriend, stating her intention to leave. Stone sticks the note to the refrigerator, packs her bags, and exits the apartment. The video then shows her confidently striding through the bustling city streets before arriving at her girlfriend's place, ready to embark on a new life of freedom.
"You Had Me" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in 2005 but lost to "Sunrise" by Norah Jones. Stone was also nominated for Best New Artist, while
Mind Body & Soul was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. Additionally, Stone and Melissa Etheridge paid tribute to Janis Joplin at the event, performing "Cry Baby" and "
Piece of My Heart." Etheridge appeared on stage with a bald head, having recently undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Stone performed this song at the Concert For Diana at Wembley Stadium in London on July 1, 2007. Prince William and Prince Harry organized the benefit concert to honor their late mother on what would have been her 46th birthday. Stone also performed a cover of "
Under Pressure" by Queen. Brian May initially planned to accompany Stone on guitar for the song, but he pulled out after struggling to fit in with her arrangement.
Stone has maintained a close friendship with Prince William and Prince Harry and was a guest at their respective weddings in 2011 and 2018.
"You Had Me" was the lead single from Stone's sophomore album, Mind Body & Soul. The song peaked at #9 in the UK, making it her highest-charting single to date. Mind Body & Soul, meanwhile, peaked at #1 in the UK, shifting 75,000 copies in its first week. Stone consequently became the youngest female to top the chart in the UK, a record she held until 2019, when Billie Eilish reached #1 with her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.
