If I Was

"If I Was" is a 1985 song by Midge Ure. It was co-written by Ure and Danny Mitchell (of Ultravox's tour opening band Messengers), and released as the first single from Ure's first solo album The Gift. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for one week in September 1985.[1]

"If I Was"
Single by Midge Ure
from the album The Gift
B-side
  • "Piano"
  • "The Man Who Sold the World"
Released2 September 1985
RecordedJuly 1985
GenreSynthpop, new wave
Length4:46 (single version)
5:20 (album version)
6:45 (extended mix)
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)Danny Mitchell, Midge Ure
Producer(s)Midge Ure
Midge Ure singles chronology
"After a Fashion"
(1983)		 "If I Was"
(1985)		 "That Certain Smile"
(1985)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

In the sleeve notes for the 2001 compilation If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox Ure wrote:

"This song is pure Danny Mitchell. I found a demo of it on a cassette Danny had sent me for his band The Messengers. I grabbed it with both hands, messed around with it, sprinkled it with fairy dust and the rest is history."

Ure played all instruments on the song except bass guitar, which was played by Mark King of Level 42.

Music video

The music video featured Ure's face patterns on a Pin Art pinscreen.

B-sides

The instrumental "Piano" was released on the B-side of the 7" and 12" singles. The 12" single featured a second track: a cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World", an earlier version of which was originally released on the film soundtrack of Party Party (1983).[2] Both songs were added as bonus tracks to the CD reissue of The Gift in 1996.[3]

Chart performance
Chart (1985/1986) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 6
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[6] 9
Canada (RPM)[7] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 16
West Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 2
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References
  1. "The Official Charts Company - Midge Ure - If I Was". Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  2. "Party Party (1983) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  3. "Midge Ure - The Gift (CD, Album, RM, RE)". Discogs. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  4. "Midge Ure: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – Midge Ure – If I Was" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  6. "if i was - midge ure". VRT (in Dutch). Top30-2.radio2.be. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2013. Hoogste notering in de top 30 : 1
  7. "RPM100". RPM, March 15, 1986.
  8. "irishcharts.ie search results for Midge Ure". Archived from the original on 1 February 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  10. "Charts.nz – Midge Ure – If I Was". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  11. "Swisscharts.com – Midge Ure – If I Was". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Midge Ure – If I Was". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
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