"If There Is Something" is a song written by

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

and recorded by

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

for their eponymous debut album in 1972. A live version appears on their '' Viva!'' live album.

Song structure and themes

The song begins in a rather light-hearted, jaunty fashion, a slight pastiche of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

, with

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...

style piano and twangy guitar. Ferry's singing is nonchalant and jocular. However the mood of the song builds with a repeated instrumental motif played between guitar and saxophone, Ferry's vocals re-entering to provide a fraught vocal climax. The instrumental motifs then return, often featuring Andy Mackay, before finally giving way to an emotional end section where Ferry's impassioned and melancholy vocals are set on top of a lush blend of backing vocals and the mellotron "three violins" tape set. It has been said that the first part of the song is a youth wondering about love, the second part adults in the heat of passion and the third part the singer in old age thinking about their past love.

Live performances

The song was played on all the early Roxy Music tours and the instrumental passages were extended greatly, increasing the length of the song from 6:34 to sometimes over 12 minutes. On 18 February 1972, the BBC sessions aired a performance of over 11 minutes. During the Country Life tour the song was also performed, and the performance at

Newcastle City Hall The Newcastle City Hall (currently known as O2 City Hall Newcastle for sponsorship reasons) is a concert hall located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has hosted many popular music and classical artists throughout the years, as well as stan ...

on 27 or 28 October 1974 was used for the 1976 live album '' Viva!''. After 1975 however, the song was no longer played until the Roxy Music Reunion tour in 2001. A live version from this tour appears on the "Live" album. The song was played again live during the 2022 'Roxy Music' Tour, which was scheduled to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the release of the eponymous debut album

Personnel

;Roxy Music * Andy MacKay -

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

, backing vocals *

- vocals, piano, mellotron * Brian Eno - EMS

VCS 3 The VCS 3 (or VCS3; an initialism for ''Voltage Controlled Studio, version #3'') is a portable analog synthesizer with a flexible modular voice architecture introduced by Electronic Music Studios (London) Limited (EMS) in 1969. EMS release ...

synth, backing vocals * Graham Simpson - bass guitar * Paul Thompson - drums *

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Su ...

- guitar (on Viva! version) *

Eddie Jobson Edwin "Eddie" Jobson (born 28 April 1955) is an English musician noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K. and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zap ...

electric violin An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument intentionally made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body. It can also refer to a violin fi ...

, synthesizer, keyboards

Cover versions

Tin Machine Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...

covered the song on their 1991 album ''

Tin Machine II ''Tin Machine II'' is the second and final studio album by Anglo-American rock group Tin Machine, released on 2September 1991 through Victory Music in association with London Records. The band, composed of English singer-songwriter David Bowie ...

''. They also recorded a live version for their 1992 album '' Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby''.

Use in films

The song appears in the 2008 film ''

Flashbacks of a Fool ''Flashbacks of a Fool'' is a 2008 British drama film about a Hollywood actor who, following the death of his childhood best friend, reflects upon his life and what might have been, had he stayed in England. The film was directed by Baillie Wal ...

'' starring

Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English-American actor who gained international fame playing the secret agent James Bond in the film series, beginning with '' Casino Royale'' (2006) and in four further instalments, up to '' ...

where it features centrally in a scene where the main protagonist's younger self dances to the song with his girlfriend while made up as Bryan Ferry. {{authority control Roxy Music songs 1972 songs Songs written by Bryan Ferry