If Only I Could

"If Only I Could"
Single by Sydney Youngblood
from the album Feeling Free
B-side "Spooky"
Released 1989
Format
Recorded 1989
Genre Dance
Length 3:30
Label Virgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Claus Zundel
Sydney Youngblood singles chronology
"If Only I Could"
(1989)		 "Sit and Wait"
(1989)

"If Only I Could"
(1989)		 "Sit and Wait"
(1989)
Music video
"If Only I Could" on YouTube

"If Only I Could" is the debut single from American-German singer Sydney Youngblood. It became his biggest hit when released in 1989 on vinyl, audio cassette and compact disc.

Release

Released as a single from his album Feeling Free in 1989, the song was composed by Claus Zundel, a producer of multi-million selling projects Sacred Spirit and B-Tribe. It is now considered Youngblood's signature song and is still popular with many of his fans. The song was a top three hit in many countries, including UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In the UK, it was the 11th best-selling single of 1989.

It was followed by the Top 20 UK hit "Sit and Wait".

Critical reception

Billboard wrote about the song: "Rich-voiced crooner temporarily moves away from usual R&B arena and pumps up the bass for this tasty, deep-baked houser that splashes with a nifty Motown-flavored undercurrent and funky wah-wah guitars. The right edit could set urban and pop radio ablaze."[1]

Music & Media wrote: "Finally, Youngblood has found a song good enough to take his smooth, sweet voice to the higher reaches of the charts. The song combines a variety of styles - reggae meets hip-house with a dash of lover's rock. A sympathetic production by Claus Zundell and some supremely tasteful Spanish guitar breaks make this record a melodic delight. Starting to move rapidly up the UK chart and looking likely to repeat that success across Europe."[2]

Lyrics, music and video

In the song, Youngblood evokes "the world of brotherhood and love that he would like to create 'if only he could'". This utopian humanism is "very uncommon in the songs devoted to nightclubs".[3]

"If Only I Could" used the bassline and drumbeat from the Raze house track "Break 4 Love", and reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.[4]

The video for the single featured Youngblood bouncing around a ball that resembled the earth, while donning urban clothing and traditional African clothing.

Track listings

7" single
  1. "If Only I Could" — 3:30
  2. "Spooky" — 3:54
3" CD single
  1. "If Only I Could" (radio edit) — 3:30
  2. "If Only I Could" (extended version) — 6:30
  3. "Spooky" — 3:54

Charts and sales

References

  1. ↑ "Billboard: Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard magazine (1990-12-08, page 83). Retrieved 2018-01-25.
  2. ↑ "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 September 1989. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 178 ( ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  4. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 616. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. ↑ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received July 15, 2015". imgur.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2016. N.B. The #71 peak listed for the 1990 release of "If Only I Could" is for a triple A-side 12" release of the "I'd Rather Go Blind" single.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "If Only I could", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
  7. ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 2010-01-05 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
  8. ↑ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  9. ↑ Austrian certifications ifpi.at Archived 2010-02-01 at WebCite (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  10. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('If+Only+I+Could')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
  11. ↑ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
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