If You Leave Me Now

For the compilation album by Chicago, see If You Leave Me Now (album). For the song by Charlie Puth, see If You Leave Me Now (Charlie Puth song).

"If You Leave Me Now"
Single by Chicago
from the album Chicago X
B-side"Together Again"
Released30 July 1976 (US)[1]
24 September 1976 (UK)[2]
RecordedMarch – April 1976[1]
Genre
Length3:58
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Peter Cetera
Producer(s)James William Guercio
Chicago singles chronology
"Another Rainy Day in New York City"
(1976) 		"If You Leave Me Now"
(1976) 		"You Are on My Mind"
(1977)

"If You Leave Me Now" is a song by the American rock group Chicago, from their album Chicago X. It was written and sung by bass player Peter Cetera and released as a single on July 30, 1976. It is also the title of a Chicago compilation album released by Columbia Records (Columbia 38590) in 1983.

The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 on October 23, 1976, and stayed there for two weeks, making it the first number one hit for the group. It hit the number one on the Easy Listening charts[6] and was also Chicago's biggest hit internationally, topping the charts in other countries such as the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, and Netherlands. In the UK, it maintained the number one position for three weeks.[7] It was one of five "non-disco" songs to make it to number one in the US in a nine-month period of 1976.[8] According to writer Zachary Houle of PopMatters, "The song was so pervasive on radio upon its release that, reportedly, those tuning in in New York could hear the song playing on four different stations, each with varying formats, simultaneously."[9]

The song won Grammy Awards for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) (strings) for arranger Jimmie Haskell[10] and producer James William Guercio[11] and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus,[12] the first Grammy Award won by the group.[13] It also received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.[14] In addition, by August 1978 it had sold 1.4 million copies in the United States alone.[15] It has been certified gold and platinum by the RIAA.[16]

In 2010 Chicago teamed with the American Cancer Society and offered the opportunity to bid on the chance to sing their hit, "If You Leave Me Now" with them on stage live at their concerts, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society to fight breast cancer.[17] The fund raising effort has continued in succeeding years.[18][19][20]

  1. ^ a b The Very Best Of: Only the Beginning (Media notes). Chicago. Rhino. 2002. pp. 10, 13. R2 76170.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ "BRIT Certified". BPI.
  3. ^ Larry Starr; Christopher Alan Waterman; Jay Hodgson (2009). Rock: A Canadian Perspective. Oxford University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-19-542761-5. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. SpinMedia. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  5. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (July 17, 2000). "Take the Money and Run: Pop". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 55.
  7. ^ "1976 The Number One Singles | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  8. ^ Grein, Paul (October 23, 1976). "Discomania: Market Study Show Craze in Impact Akin to British of '60s". Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 43. p. 5. Retrieved December 6, 2017 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Houle, Zachary (October 8, 2010). "Exploring Chicago: 'Chicago X'". PopMatters. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "Jimmie Haskell". GRAMMY.com. May 4, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  11. ^ "James Guercio". GRAMMY.com. May 14, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  12. ^ "Chicago". GRAMMY.com. May 14, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  13. ^ Gurza, Agustin (March 5, 1977). "Wonder's Grammy Streak Continues". Billboard. Vol. 89, no. 9. p. 65. Retrieved March 6, 2019 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Grein, Paul (January 19, 1985). "Grammy Nominations". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 3. p. 77. Retrieved March 6, 2019 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Grein, Paul (August 26, 1978). "Platinum Singles Top '76–'77 Years". Billboard. Vol. 90, no. 34. p. 114. Retrieved January 10, 2013 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA Chicago If You Leave Me Now". RIAA. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  17. ^ "Grammy-Winning Band Chicago and the American Cancer Society Create Extraordinary Fan Experience to Fight Breast Cancer" (Press release). American Cancer Society. March 16, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  18. ^ Cain, TIM (October 6, 2011). "Tim Cain column: Chicago keeps sniping after split". Herald-Review.com. Decatur, Illinois U.S.A. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  19. ^ Coker, Eric (August 24, 2012). "Chicago continues to make audiences smile - Inside Binghamton University". www.binghamton.edu. Binghamton University. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  20. ^ Byrne, Terry (August 20, 2013). "Chicago at Wolf Trap by Terry Byrne". DCMetroTheaterArts. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.