If I Was

"If I Was"
File:MU If I Was.jpg
Single by Midge Ure
from the album The Gift
B-side	"Piano" "The Man Who Sold the World"
Released	13 September 1985
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded	July 1985
Genre	Synthpop, new wave
Length	4:46 (single version) 5:20 (album version) 6:45 (extended mix)
Label	Chrysalis
Writer(s)	Danny Mitchell, Midge Ure
Producer(s)	Midge Ure
Midge Ure singles chronology
"After a Fashion" (with Mick Karn) (1983) "If I Was" (1985) "That Certain Smile" (1985)
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"If I Was" is a popular song written by Midge Ure and Danny Mitchell, released as a single off of his first solo album The Gift. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for a single week in October 1985. This was Ure's third number one, coming after his success with Slik in 1976 ("Forever and Ever") and Band Aid in 1984 ("Do They Know It's Christmas?").

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."

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", originally released on the film soundtrack of Party Party (1983). Both songs were added as bonus tracks to the CD reissue of The Gift in 1996.

Chart performance

Chart (1985/1986)	Peak position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	6
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	16
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	16

Preceded by "Dancing in the Street" by David Bowie and Mick Jagger	UK number one single 5 October 1985	Succeeded by "The Power of Love" by Jennifer Rush
Preceded by "Part-Time Lover" by Stevie Wonder	Irish IRMA number-one single 6 October 1985

External links

• "If I Was" at Discogs (list of releases)
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

• "Midge Ure: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
• "Austriancharts.at – Midge Ure – If I Was" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
• "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 28 June 2010.
• "Charts.org.nz – Midge Ure – If I Was". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
• "Swisscharts.com – Midge Ure – If I Was". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 June 2010.