"If" is a song written by American singer-songwriter

David Gates David Ashworth Gates (December 11, 1940 – January 5, 2023) was a American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts i ...

in 1971. Originally popularized by his group

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

, "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 The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

, and one week at the top of the Canadian AC chart. In the U.S., Bread's tune was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

hit No. 7 with " 7", and

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

reached No. 1 with " 3" in 2009.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Telly Savalas Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...

recorded a mostly-spoken interpretation which reached No. 1 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for two weeks in March 1975, and has the shortest title of any song to reach No. 1 in the UK. This version also charted at No. 12 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in late 1974. In Canada, "If" reached No. 88 in the Pop charts, and No. 40 in the AC charts. A parody take on Savalas' rendition, by voice over artists

Chris Sandford Christopher Duke Sandford (born 6 June 1939) is a British actor. He has appeared in more than fifty films since 1956. He also worked in the music business for a spell in the 1960s as a both a singer, and radio DJ, before returning to the acti ...

and Bill Mitchell performing as Yin and Yan, reached No. 25 in the UK.

References

{{authority control 1971 singles 1971 songs Folk rock songs Elektra Records singles 1975 singles Bread (band) songs Songs written by David Gates UK Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles