"If Tomorrow Never Comes" is a song by American

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, ...

artist Garth Brooks. Written by Brooks and

Kent Blazy Kent Blazy (born in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American country music songwriter. His credits include several singles for Garth Brooks (including Brooks' first number one hit, " If Tomorrow Never Comes"), as well as singles by Gary Morris, Diamon ...

, it was released in August 1989 as the second single from his album '' Garth Brooks'' and also appears on ''

The Hits The Hits was a music video channel broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland, owned by Box Television. On 15 August 2008 it was rebranded as 4Music. Overview and availability The channel showcased a range of pop centred on chart hits and cur ...

'', ''The Limited Series'' and '' Double Live''. This was his first number-one single on the US '' Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart. It is also sometimes referred to as his signature song. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" was named Favorite Country Single in the

American Music Awards of 1991 The 18th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 28, 1991, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1990. Performances Winners and nominees Referenc ...

. The song subsequently became one of Brooks' most popular songs for other artists to perform. In 2002, Irish singer

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...

released a version that reached number one in the United Kingdom and three other countries, and it became a top-five hit in several additional territories.

Content

This is the first country love song released by Brooks. A man lies awake at night, thinking what would happen in his love's mind if he were to die the next day. The first line in the chorus reads: "''If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I love her?''" He goes on to compare this situation with his own lost loved ones, and how he made a promise to say each day how much she means to him. The song begins with a soft guitar solo and gradually builds up to a more orchestrated accompaniment. Brooks has written many love songs since. This song is about the love of a father to his daughter, not to his lover. Garth said that on stage at Belmont University to Britt Todd and in his music video he has his daughter playing next to him while he sings.

Background and production

Garth provided the following background information on the song in the CD booklet liner notes from ''

'': "If Tomorrow Never Comes" will probably always be my signature song. I ran the idea for this song by what seemed like a thousand writers and no one really seemed to understand what I was looking for. On the day that Bob Doyle, my co-manager, introduced me to Kent Blazy, I passed this idea by Kent and he had the first verse down within fifteen seconds. I could tell he just felt it. Kent Blazy is a wonderful man, full of love and energy, and if we never write again, I hope that we are always friends first. Thank you Ireland for this moment."

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was directed by John Lloyd Miller, and features Brooks singing and playing

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

in a dim room. Next to him is a table with an

oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. Th ...

. The video shows a small child, played by the daughter of Steve Gatlin, brother of

Larry Gatlin Larry Wayne Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) is an American country and Southern gospel singer and songwriter. As part of a trio with his younger brothers Steve and Rudy, he achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on ...

. The use of an antique screen is present through much of the video, which also features Brooks' then-wife, Sandy.

Chart performance

"If Tomorrow Never Comes" entered the U.S. '' Billboard''

chart on September 9, 1989, and peaked at number one on December 9.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Ronan Keating version

"If Tomorrow Never Comes" served as the first single from Irish singer

's second studio album, '' Destination''. Produced by Steve Mac, the song was released in Australia on April 29, 2002, and in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2002. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Norway and reached the top 10 in 11 other countries, including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Music video

The video starts with Keating sitting on a bed and staring at the woman sleeping in it. He leaves his house and, having fallen onto a road in the path of a moving car, he is run over by it. He goes through the same scene multiple times, apparently stuck in a

time loop The time loop or temporal loop is a plot device in fiction whereby characters re-experience a span of time which is repeated, sometimes more than once, with some hope of breaking out of the cycle of repetition. The term "time loop" is sometimes us ...

, unrealistically singing throughout. At the end, he stops the loop by avoiding crossing the road and, instead, walking along the same sidewalk where his front door is.

Track listings

UK CD1 # "If Tomorrow Never Comes" – 3:35 # "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Groove Brothers mix) – 6:08 # "Interview with Westlife: Ronan Reveals His Secrets to Brian & Nicky" (CD-ROM video) UK CD2 # "If Tomorrow Never Comes" # "Ronan Hits Megamix by DMC" # "Sea of Love" # "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (video) UK cassette single :A1. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" :A2. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Groove Brothers mix) :B1. "Ronan Hits Megamix by DMC"

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the '' Destination'' album booklet. Studios * Recorded at various studios in Los Angeles, London, and Dublin * Mixed at Rokstone Studios (London, England) * Engineered at Rokstone Studios and Olympic Studios (London, England) * Master engineered at

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

(London, England) * Mastered at Gateway Mastering (

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

, US) Personnel * Garth Brooks – writing * Kent Blazy – writing * The Tuff Session Singers – background vocals * Friðrik "Frizzy" Karlsson – guitar * Steve Pearce – bass * Dave Arch – piano, string arrangement * Eddie Hession – accordion * Steve Mac – keyboards, production, mixing, arrangement * Chris Laws – drums, engineering * Daniel Pursey – assistant engineering * Phil Rose – assistant engineering * Bob Ludwig – mastering * Tim Young – master engineerering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Other versions

Legião Urbana Legião Urbana (Portuguese for Urban Legion) was a Brazilian rock band formed in 1982 in Brasília, Distrito Federal. The band primarily consisted of Renato Russo (vocals, bass and keyboards), Dado Villa-Lobos (guitar) and Marcelo Bonfá (d ...

's front man

Renato Russo Renato Russo (born Renato Manfredini, Jr., March 27, 1960 – October 11, 1996) was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band Legião Urbana. A Brazilian film depicting his life and career was rele ...

recorded a cover for his debut solo album,

The Stonewall Celebration Concert ''The Stonewall Celebration Concert'' is the debut studio album by Brazilian singer Renato Russo, released in 1994. The album had a sale of 250,000 copies in the first year of its release. It was one of the first Brazilian albums to be totall ...

in 1994. Joose had a number one hit in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

with "If Tomorrow Never Comes" in 1997. Puerto Rican salsa singer

Ismael Miranda Ismael Miranda, also known as ''El Niño Bonito de la Salsa'' ("The Pretty Boy of Salsa") (born February 20, 1950) is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. Early years Miranda (birth name: Ismael Miranda Carrero ) was born in Aguada, Puerto Rico ...

recorded the Spanish version on his 1997 album ''Con Buena Nota''. In 1999,

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...

made an a cappela version live. Engelbert Humperdinck included the song on his 2003 album ''Definition of Love''. It also became part of

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

's concert repertoire, and is featured on his 2004 live album '' 2 Nights Live!''. Manilow had previously released a studio version of the song on his 1992 CD box set The Complete Collection and then some.....

Claudia Jung Claudia Jung (born Ute Krummenast; 12 April 1964) is a German Schlager singer and politician. Biography Jung was born in Ratingen, North Rhine-Westphalia. From 1974 till 1980, she attended the school Liebfrauenschule in Ratingen. As a child sh ...

made a German cover titled "Wenn es morgen nicht mehr gibt

In the 2000s, the song has gained added visibility with performances on

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

competition shows, with third-place finisher

Elliott Yamin Efraym Elliott Yamin ( he, אפרים אליוט ימין; born July 20, 1978) is an American singer known for his hit single " Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. His self-titled album, released Marc ...

singing it on the fifth season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

''. Second season ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' winner

Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of The X Factor (British series 2), the second series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's M ...

performing it in that series' penultimate round, and ''

Australian Idol 2006 The fourth season of '' Australian Idol'' began on 6 August 2006 and concluded on 26 November. Overview Format changes Changes for the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'' included the cancellation of "Inside Idol", "streamlined" semi-finals ...

'' winner

Damien Leith Damien Leo Leith (born 18 January 1976, in Dublin) is an Irish-Australian singer–songwriter. He was the winner of the Network Ten music contest ''Australian Idol 2006''. Since winning the title, Leith has released nine studio albums, four of ...

singing it on Top 10: Number One's Night. Foster & Allen recorded a version which they released on their 2005 album, ''Foster & Allen – Sing The Number 1's'' On June 30, 2009,

Kevin Skinner Patrick Kevin Skinner (born February 25, 1974) is an American country music singer from the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky. He is the winner of the fourth season of '' America's Got Talent''. Early life and career Skinner is from the ...

sang this song during the auditions on the NBC series ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

''.

References

External links

"If Tomorrow Never Comes" Lyrics

CMT's ''The Greatest: 20 Greatest First Videos''
{{Authority control 1989 singles 1989 songs 2002 singles Capitol Records Nashville singles Country ballads Garth Brooks songs Music videos directed by John Lloyd Miller Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in the Czech Republic Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Scotland Pop ballads Ronan Keating songs Song recordings produced by Allen Reynolds Songs written by Garth Brooks Songs written by Kent Blazy UK Singles Chart number-one singles Universal Records singles