| "If" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bread | ||||
| from the album Manna | ||||
| B-side | "Take Comfort" | |||
| Released | March 21, 1971 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock | |||
| Length | 2:33 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Gates | |||
| Producer(s) | David Gates | |||
| Bread singles chronology | ||||
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"If" is a song written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971. Originally popularized by his group Bread, "If" charted at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single in 1971 and No. 6 in Canada. It also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart,[1] and one week at the top of the Canadian AC chart.[2]
Record World said that the "gentle song by group's own David Gates (he produced and arranged also) will score in short order."[3]
In the U.S., Bread's tune was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when Prince hit No. 7 with "7", later matched by Britney Spears' No. 1 hit "3" in 2009. The song is distinguished by its opening line "If a picture paints a thousand words..."
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 39.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 13, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2023.