If I Was a River

"If I Was a River" is a song written by Diane Warren and included on the international version of Australian singer Tina Arena's 1997 album In Deep. It is the second Warren song performed by Arena, following 1989's "Strong as steel".

For the album by Willie Nile, see If I Was a River (album).
"If I Was a River"
Single by Tina Arena
from the album In Deep
ReleasedOctober 12, 1998 (October 12, 1998)
GenrePop
Length5:21
LabelSony
Songwriter(s)Diane Warren
Producer(s)Walter Afanasieff
Tina Arena singles chronology
"I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You"
(1998)		 "If I Was a River"
(1998)		 "Aller plus haut"
(1999)

The track aimed at promoting In Deep in the United States, much like Show Me Heaven for previous album Don't Ask. On US TV, it was performed live on Donny & Marie, and its music video, which starts in black and white and finishes in colour, was shot in Egypt under the direction of Pierre Baroni. Stills from the video served as cover shots for the single as well as concurrent release "I want to know what love is". Lyrically, the song is a metaphoric declaration to a loved one, in which Tina Arena lists all the things she would do for them if she were various elements, planets or weather phenomena, including the titular river.

The song was one of ten singles released from the many incarnations of In Deep. In Europe, it was performed live on Italian TV & Radio show "Night Express".

Released as the final single from the album in the UK, it failed to reach the Top 40 and peaked at #43, while concurrent single "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" was a success in France, bringing Tina the opportunity to record songs in French and focus on French-speaking Europe as a primary audience. Her first French single "Aller plus haut" was released in July 1999, becoming a success later in the year, peaking at #2 and being certified Platinum by SNEP in France, while reaching number one in Belgium.

In 2000, "If I was a River" was released as a single in Japan, alongside 4 remixes of the track, commissioned for club play in the United States where they were only made available on vinyl to disc-jockeys. The rarity of the Japanese release makes it a much sought-after item.

The song was later included on the compilation albums Souvenirs and Greatest Hits 1994-2004.

Track listing

UK 3-track CD part 1
  1. "If I Was a River"
  2. "Any Other Love"
  3. "Chains"

UK 3-track CD part 2
  1. "If I Was a River" (long version)
  2. "Welcome to My World"
  3. "Stay"

Japan 5-track CD
  1. "If I Was a River" (Album Version)
  2. "If I Was a River" (7" Vocal Mix)
  3. "If I Was a River" (Nikolas & Sibley Rising Dub)
  4. "If I Was a River" (Ny:pd Radio Edit)
  5. "If I Was a River" (Ny:pd Club Remix)

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1998) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 43

Cover versions

American R&B singer Patti LaBelle covered the song for her 2000 album When a Woman Loves, which consisted entirely of songs written by Diane Warren.

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